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Problems/Service/RepairsIf you have a problem with your HHR, want a tip on repairing or performing a particular service to you HHR here is the place to post!
Okay. So. Put new starter in. Great. Week after battery light came on. Took neg cable off and stalled. So I replaced the alternator And once again light came bk on I thought maby the alt was bad that I bought so I switched it out again. And once again the battery light came bk on and won’t hold a charge. My battery is brand new. Did I f something up when I replaced the alternator. Seemed simple to replace???? Can’t figure out why all the sudden my battery won’t hold a charge. ,
are there any any fuses that would keep my battery from charging??
Without doing some actual diagnostics, you can swap parts till the cows come home, and never resolve the problem.
Do you have a voltmeter to measure the voltage of the alternator output? If not, you will need one now.
You say the battery is "brand new" - does that mean 2 days ago, a month ago, 7 months ago? - why did you replace it? And how do you know the current new battery is good - have you tested it?
Disconnecting the battery with the engine running can be the kiss of death to an alternator.
Fuses: darned if I know, hopefully someone will pop in some info on that. Have you checked any fuses yourself?
Fuse box under the hood can work loose, ground wires , the battery terminals loose.
Is it a proper battery for the HHR?
Was it fully charged when purchased?
Where did you buy the battery, take it back with receipt and have it tested.
It’s not the first time a new battery had a dead cell or two!
What, exactly, do you mean by "won't hold a charge"? That is different from "runs down".
First thing I would do is make sure all of the ground connections are good. Then go to your local big box auto parts store to get a electrical system check. If the battery is dead they might not be able to do it.
What happened just before the light started coming on? Even something you may think is unrelated, oil change, brake job etc.
The light is actually a charge state warning. There are other text messages that can come on the DIC.
The battery came with the car witch is a year old. I took it up to advanced auto the charges it said it good to go. I did have my buddy put new bulbs in the back tail light was out .. did have an oil change. I don’t think that has anything to do with the battery not charging when it’s started .. cleaned all the ground wires ... it has to be something with the alternator. Unbelievable. I’m a click away from selling I really do love this car.
Without doing some actual diagnostics, you can swap parts till the cows come home, and never resolve the problem.
Do you have a voltmeter to measure the voltage of the alternator output? If not, you will need one now.
You say the battery is "brand new" - does that mean 2 days ago, a month ago, 7 months ago? - why did you replace it? And how do you know the current new battery is good - have you tested it?
Disconnecting the battery with the engine running can be the kiss of death to an alternator.
Fuses: darned if I know, hopefully someone will pop in some info on that. Have you checked any fuses yourself?[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Tonyautrino;839031][left] The battery came with the car witch is a year old. I took it up to advanced auto the charges it said it good to go. I did have my buddy put new bulbs in the back tail light was out .. did have an oil change. I don’t think that has anything to do with the battery not charging when it’s started .. cleaned all the ground wires ... it has to be something with the alternator. Unbelievable. I’m a click away from selling I really do love this car. "
It's a 9 year old car according to your bio. Could be the original battery if it "came with the car".
Can't decode what you mean by "with the car witch is a year old."
Don't see anywhere that you say the charging system has been checked. Only that you had the battery tested.
Auto zone tested the alternator and it came bk just over 11 amps how can that be. I changed it twice. I’m honna take it all apart again and take a closer look wTF. .........
Originally Posted by donbrew
The oil filter is near the main ground on top of the transmission to the radiator support.
The battery is in the area of the tail lights.
Did Advance check the entire electrical system? The alternator is easy to check.
Did you check the large red connection on the under hood fuse box?
Last edited by RJ_RS_SS_350; Feb 27, 2018 at 06:10 AM.
