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Battery, Alternator, Electrical issue...

7K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  MOSDAUMD 
#1 ·
So lately my 98 LXi has been having some issues with what seems to be the alternator or electrical system. The issue is that randomly the battery light will come on, you can turn the van off and back on and it will go away for some time. Eventually though the battery will drain and be dead. I have gone through 4 batteries and swapped some with my father-in-law to verify it is not a battery issue. It happened on all batteries. Second I went to O'reillys to have the system checked and all seem good, but at the time the battery light was not on. I even went so far as to remove my aftermarket alarm/remote start system in case it was the culprit and draining the battery.

So, with the system saying it is good and batteries being swapped constantly, what is this issue? Can a bad alternator hide status or symptoms from that tester?
 
#4 ·
You have absolutely got to get a voltmeter on the battery while the engine is running. Turn the lights on and see how much charging voltage is present. If anything less than 13.5v, then your alternator is shot.
Do not rely on the clowns at auto parts stores for diagnosis. Some have experience, but many do not.
 
#5 ·
I doesn't have to be just the alt that could be shot. The regulator is in the PCM and there is always the possibility of an interment wiring problem.
That being said, the alt is far and away the most likely culprit if the running voltage is low.
 
#6 ·
So lately my 98 LXi has been having some issues with what seems to be the alternator or electrical system. The issue is that randomly the battery light will come on, you can turn the van off and back on and it will go away for some time. Eventually though the battery will drain and be dead. I have gone through 4 batteries and swapped some with my father-in-law to verify it is not a battery issue. It happened on all batteries. Second I went to O'reillys to have the system checked and all seem good, but at the time the battery light was not on. I even went so far as to remove my aftermarket alarm/remote start system in case it was the culprit and draining the battery.


So, with the system saying it is good and batteries being swapped constantly, what is this issue? Can a bad alternator hide status or symptoms from that tester?
In case you haven't fix the problem, Had battery light on and 12.8v. at idle without any load, then I took my alternator to Autozone to be checked and it passed with flying colors, me been me took it to Advance Auto and tested "perfect" so after two sophisticated machines specifically made to test those devices I opened the rear of the alternator and one of the brushes had ~0.5 mm clearance and the other ~1mm., replaced the brushes cleaned it a bit bolt it back and "what do you know" battery light went off and battery voltage was back to 14.2v. at idle with headlamps on.
 
#7 ·
Hi all, well been awhile, but I am still having the problem. I have been driving my other vehicle and decided to get back to the LXi since it is warming up now. Well, again been through several batteries and been tested by two other auto parts stores. First one, when the battery light was not one it checked out fine. Then last week when I was out grocery shopping, it started again. This time though I was prepared with another battery in the back in case. So, I did my shopping and right when I was about to get home, I noticed that certain things started to shut down, eg radio, dash lights. The ABS light came on though, which I thought was strange. Also, the instrument panel started flickering, then the vehicle started to hesitate. I pulled in a gas station, turned off the vehicle and tried to start it, no go. I swapped out the batteries, it started, but the battery light was still present. On my way home, I pulled into an AutoZone and had then check it real quick. The guy said I had a bad alternator, saying that the tool could not even register the alternator.

I went ahead and replaced the alternator and belt (it needed it bad). But what do you know, problem still continues. Since my battery was drained, I took it back to Wal-Mart to have them check it out if there was any damage. It checked out good and was fully charged for me. I swapped out the batteries again , still same thing. I left it still for a couple of hours today while I went shopping. My father-in-law called me while I was out and told me he started it and there was no battery light this time.....So after shopping I get home and check on it, it was no longer there. I turned it off, went inside for an hour came back to give it a test drive and then it came back. I did do a check with a voltmeter and there is no parasitic drain on it. I did notice when I was changing the alternator, the wiring on it kinda looked bad, but I didn't know how much to judge it.

So it appears the problem is with a fully charged battery, I can start it and sometimes it will run fine. But once the battery light comes on, it starts to run on the battery and will eventually drain dead. Is there something between the alternator and battery that I should check to see if there is short somewhere? This is seriously getting annoying and need it function properly.
 
#8 ·
Have you taken a closer look at the battery connectors?
 
#9 ·
It's probably time to be very judgmental and verify that the mechanical connections at and between the alternator and battery are clean and intact. Even the alternator connector could be going intermittent. If the PCM is not coding any charging faults you most likely have an intermittent wiring problem. The alternator is obviously not charging the battery on a consistent basis or at all if you have been consulting Walmart. If you're not comfortable pulling apart the wiring it may be auto electric time for you. If you know you've got good components at hand then it has to be an inter-connection issue.
 
#10 ·
Since you have a DMM (assuming your voltmeter is part of a multimeter), you need to trace the wires from the alt. field connector to the PCM.
One side of the coil (pin 1 - DG/OR) is spliced to the ASD relay output (PCM connector 1, pin 6).
The other side (pin 2 - DG) is fed 'regulated' ground directly from PCM connector 1, pin 8.

Measure resistance along each wire while shaking the wiring harness, unplug connector at PCM (make sure to disconnect battery first) and measure resistance to ground and B+...
 
#12 ·
Thanks for taking the time to post your discovery. You didn't happen to mention any other symptoms other than charging/battery problems. Perhaps 1994 Sport had the closest diagnosis on this one. Hope you got a good deal on your new Power Train Control Module.
 
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