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Bitten By the Alternator Bug

'96 SL2, 89,000 km.

Just returned from a three-hour road trip, made a short local trip, and noticed the battery indicator was on. OK, it's just five blocks from home, no big problem. Did a few errands, tried starting the car, no way! Call to son for boost. Got home, put on the battery charger.

Next day it started OK, drove two blocks from home. Both ways car started again, but didn't sound too good.

Made an appointment with Saturn and put the charger on overnight. I was sweating, hoping I'd have enough juice to get there. No worry, it wouldn't even turn over, so a tow to Saturn. Verdict: alternator and battery need replacing. Both were original to the car. (Yeah, I know, I know. Honestly, the battery gave no indication it was on the way out. Last winter I was starting it without a plug-in at -30C+. I got 10 years out of a battery on my K-car.) The damage was $291 for the alternator and $90 for installation. I thought that was good considering the money other people paid for the same stuff. And these weren't real dollars, it's Canadian currency.

Anyway, an interesting PS. Half-way home from Saturn I noticed the Service Engine Soon light was on. Merde! I hoped it was transitory, but it stayed on. Not a half hour after I got home I got a call from Saturn. "How are things," he asked? Well, good part was it ran very well, the bad part was the SES light. "We think we know what's causing that." he said.

Soon I had a Saturn tech at my door with a hand jack and diagnostic reader. He had what looked like a 1/4 nut which was left off some cable which attaches to the starter. Nut replaced, code cleared, problem gone.

What I found interesting was how the car behaved when the battery was very low. The tranny would bang into reverse and the car had no acceleration. I think maybe, since it's electrically shifted, it defaults to one forward speed, so you are actually starting in second or third gear. Anyone know how it works?

Only the day before the failure we were in the middle of a national park surrounded by bison. I don't know, I must have a guardian angel.

Reply to
Box134
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A Saturn dealer who makes house calls? Wow, where is that?

Reply to
riz

The transmission is computer controlled and the lack of juice messes up the computer. The car accelerates slow because there isn't enough juice to light the spark plugs properly under high cylinder pressure(ie under load when accelerating).

Reply to
BANDIT2941

Winnipeg, Manitoba. Located in the Pointe West Autopark. Yeah, I thought that was OK. They could have played dumb, let me book another appointment and pay again. That's why I've done all my service work there. Other times they've given me goodwill warranties on things that could be chargeable.

Reply to
Box134

OK, thanks. The effect of a low battery was surprising to me since I never had the experience before in a Saturn. That was the first and last time the battery was completely discharged. I think maybe that was why it lasted so long.

Reply to
Box134

When my alternator quit while on vacation the Saturn dealer in Kamloops B.C. drove an alternator 50 km out to me no charge (for delivery that is) and it was cheaper than the local auto shop wanted to bring on in and have me wait a day or two.

Reply to
D V Brownell

Had the battery been not so old, it probably would have recovered from the discharge. But since it was so old, the discharge killed it.......

Reply to
BANDIT2941

Yes, that was what the techs said. They also considered that anything over five years for a battery was a bonus, so I did OK.

Reply to
Box134

Acually, the Transmission problem came from the battery being low. When the transmission isn't getting enough power to the shift selector on the transmission it sends a code to the PCM telling i to revert it "limp" mode. It is designed to let you "limp" home if anything ever happens as far as low power or broken shift selector. It has nothing to do with fuel injectors or fuel, sorry.

Reply to
Joe

Yeah, your transmission problem comes from that.....obviously.

But the reason it doesn't run right in general is because their isn't enough power to light the plugs properly, and possibly fuel delivery problems also............

Reply to
BANDIT2941

...I just lost another battery - it was about 2 years, 4 months old (Napa). I went out to go to lunch today and the car wouldn't start. I went back to work and then at quitting time called AAA and got a jump. It was doing some real weird things on the ride home... airbag light flashing, speedo going from 0 to 75 and back and my CD player kept starting the same song over again. When I got home and was idling in the driveway, it just died. When I put the charger on it would barely register any amperage (the battery must of really fried itself). I went down to Kragen and got another batt (Exide).

So, last time I did this the alternator started sounding like a turbine about 2 weeks later - we'll see if history repeats itself. So far I'm in for 3 alts and 3 batts in 6 years and 82k miles.

Reply to
Jonnie Santos

Caramba! What does that? I got almost 8 years on one battery and one alternator. And I live where it goes to -30 C and lower in the winter. Maybe heat is worse than cold?

Reply to
Box134

...I have no idea. My commute is about 10 miles (20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic) and I have a pair of aftermarket driving lights (used occasionally) and a small aftermarket amp for a subwoofer. I don't run the accessories with the engine off. The weather is moderate here in San Diego. I do have a lead foot and run the AC almost all the time (I switch it on AFTER I start the car). Thank goodness I have a job, eh?

Reply to
Jonnie Santos

I think heat is worse than cold. I used to live in the northeast and would get 5 or more years on a battery.

But now in Houston, I average a new battery about every 3 years... doesn't seem to matter what type of car either.

Reply to
Gary DelGrego

The plugs hardly take any power at all. They're high voltage but very little current. The fuel pump actually consumes more power. With most modern cars, electrical problems show up first as fuel delivery problems -- stalling, and/or lack of power. I was surprised when it showed up as a transmission problem in the Saturn, but that's how it goes.

Alternators do seem to be Saturn's achilles heel, but at least they're not expensive to fix, as alternators go...

Matt O.

Reply to
Matt O'Toole

It is for batteries... and possibly alternators too.

Matt O.

Reply to
Matt O'Toole

Manual or automatic?

-DanD

Reply to
Dan Duncan

The way mine acted when the alternator died was definitly a spark issue. Lots and lots of black smoke once I got it running again, and the unburned fuel smell was brutal.

Reply to
BANDIT2941

Reply to
Jonnie Santos

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