Cdalton08

Alright so I had a friend test out my battery and charge it and the voltage stayed about the same. After the charge it read out the following:

Battery Test
12.89V

Starter Test
Avg Volt: 11.37V
Crank Time: 3.54s

Charging System:
NO LOAD: 14.38V
LOAD: 14.23V

Yet still the battery and "check charging system" light comes on. Any suggestions fellas?

TimmyGt

chilton and haynes manuals are great for learning everything you will ever need to know how to fix on you car.

if you have a multimeter you can check your alternator to see if it as charging the car. maybe the new alternator they put in is having problems too. I had that happen on my 97' I put a new one on and the car would start and drive but die randomly. I got it replaced under the warranty since I just got it and didn't have any problems after that. also check the battery terminal connections to make sure they are tight or have any corrosion. also the last thing I could think about that could be the problem would be the belt is slipping or and pulleys aren't holding the belt on right.

Cdalton08

Alright update guys. I took it to my friend who is a mechanic and he tested everything, the alternator, battery, starter, and all the wires and what not. So basically the verdict is a sensor or something in the computer is bad and I would have to take it to the dealership, so good news is that nothing is physically wrong with my car. =D

But thanks guys for all your help!.

TimmyGt

p.s. I have read on other forums that if you have an alternator (i.e. 110 amp vs 130 amp) that wasn't originally on the car that it can cause this same problems where everything tests right but I computer still reads something as wrong.

before you bring it into the dealership I would at least try to disconnect the negative of the battery and let it sit for 10 mins or so and then hook it up and see if it comes back on. this will reset the computer and might make it forget that it was having charging problems.

Cdalton08

Yeah, I've heard that too, that the computer won't recognize the new alternator. I've already tried doing it that way and resetting the computer, and still the same error messages occur, and this is the 3rd alternator that has been in this car, 1st was stock, and than 2 replacements, and this is the only time it's done this.