Battery not charging

Battery, alternator, starter, cables, etc.
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silver mist AWD
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Re: Battery not charging

Post by silver mist AWD »

astroturf wrote:
silver mist AWD wrote:Right after replacing my grill after trans cooler installation my idiot light for battery came on, guage shows 12v charging rate, usually it is 14 plus. I guess I will go with this information and proceed.
What electric device did you disconnect?

I would start simply at the battery cable.

Good Luck, Jim
Didn't disconnect anything to do the transmission cooler. The ground was a bit loose on the battery, but tightening and a jump did not resolve the issue. The battery is 16 months old, so I think I can get credit. It has been on the charger but seems like it will not charge.

Just before it went dead ALL guages except oil pressure went dead, including speedometer. #-o

I cannot find any burned fuses, may look to the fusible links described above.

I'm crossing my fingers that a fresh battery will resolve these issues as quick as they came on.
2000 AWD, 120k, dad first owner, regular maint, hiway miles, color silver mist. Before that I had a '94 for a while. (wait 'til I get the pics.) Had astros in the family since '91.

I Bought Dad's Chevy 3/4 ton when he bought astro. I grew up on the middle seat of '68 Dodge (great in winter, not summer). Brother got it when Dad bought the chevy in '76. Before that Greenbriar, I was a baby when it was doing camping trips to Colorado.

Toyota vanwagon years ago, loved it, wish it 4wd.
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MountainManJoe
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Re: Battery not charging

Post by MountainManJoe »

If you're not getting 14V @ idle then it's your alternator or the link from it to your battery.
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silver mist AWD
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Re: Battery not charging

Post by silver mist AWD »

timelessbeing wrote:If you're not getting 14V @ idle then it's your alternator or the link from it to your battery.

Wal-Mart gave full credit for the battery, but still hovering just under 12 volts running. Managed to make it home with the new battery where I can work on it.

Is this a link behind the battery or one under the car near the starter ( 2000 awd) ?

I just wonder if it was something I plugged into the accessory 12v. plugs that might have shorted.
2000 AWD, 120k, dad first owner, regular maint, hiway miles, color silver mist. Before that I had a '94 for a while. (wait 'til I get the pics.) Had astros in the family since '91.

I Bought Dad's Chevy 3/4 ton when he bought astro. I grew up on the middle seat of '68 Dodge (great in winter, not summer). Brother got it when Dad bought the chevy in '76. Before that Greenbriar, I was a baby when it was doing camping trips to Colorado.

Toyota vanwagon years ago, loved it, wish it 4wd.
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Re: Battery not charging

Post by MountainManJoe »

No accessory. Like I said, alternator or the big fat wire. You just have to follow it. Could also be the ground connections.

astroturf
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Re: Battery not charging

Post by astroturf »

silver mist AWD wrote:
timelessbeing wrote:If you're not getting 14V @ idle then it's your alternator or the link from it to your battery.

Wal-Mart gave full credit for the battery, but still hovering just under 12 volts running. Managed to make it home with the new battery where I can work on it.

Is this a link behind the battery or one under the car near the starter ( 2000 awd) ?

I just wonder if it was something I plugged into the accessory 12v. plugs that might have shorted.
Have you verified that your alternator is putting out the correct voltage?

Sorry, If I missed it earlier.

Johnny Come Lately, Jim
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silver mist AWD
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Re: Battery not charging

Post by silver mist AWD »

astroturf wrote:
silver mist AWD wrote:
timelessbeing wrote:If you're not getting 14V @ idle then it's your alternator or the link from it to your battery.

Wal-Mart gave full credit for the battery, but still hovering just under 12 volts running. Managed to make it home with the new battery where I can work on it.

Is this a link behind the battery or one under the car near the starter ( 2000 awd) ?

I just wonder if it was something I plugged into the accessory 12v. plugs that might have shorted.
Have you verified that your alternator is putting out the correct voltage?


Sorry, If I missed it earlier.

Johnny Come Lately, Jim
No alternator test yet, might pull the headlight fuse and drive to get it tested at autozone or a friend's house.
The dash gage says no charge.

Autozone sells an alternator rebuild kit on their website, but they only stock it in Mexico. (?)

Found one on e-bay that might be for this application.



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/10SI-12S ... ccessories

Anyone know a part/model number for the 2000 alternator? This is for 10 SI or 12 SI models.

The reason I was wondering if it could be an accesory plug short was that six months ago we had something start smoking and unplugged it. We were running a coleman heat exchanger cooler, radar detector, gps and phone charger in different combinations on a road trip. Saw a bit of smoke and pulled it all out, but it was kind of scary. I think it was the cooler that was smoking. It had to have stressed something, but after it was all unplugged there was no problems and no fuses popped.

Also it seems like some of the [cig lighter] plugs seem sloppy loose.
2000 AWD, 120k, dad first owner, regular maint, hiway miles, color silver mist. Before that I had a '94 for a while. (wait 'til I get the pics.) Had astros in the family since '91.

I Bought Dad's Chevy 3/4 ton when he bought astro. I grew up on the middle seat of '68 Dodge (great in winter, not summer). Brother got it when Dad bought the chevy in '76. Before that Greenbriar, I was a baby when it was doing camping trips to Colorado.

Toyota vanwagon years ago, loved it, wish it 4wd.
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silver mist AWD
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Re: Battery not charging

Post by silver mist AWD »

Okay, Cleaned up big wire contacts up top, and I had a friend use his voltage meter under the hood while I went through a few starts and rev's on the motor.


He said as RPM's went up there was no corresponding draw on the battery, nor was there any charging. Connection problem somewhere?

No indication of burned connectors or links on the firewall.

Is it best to acess the alternator connections under the dog house?
2000 AWD, 120k, dad first owner, regular maint, hiway miles, color silver mist. Before that I had a '94 for a while. (wait 'til I get the pics.) Had astros in the family since '91.

I Bought Dad's Chevy 3/4 ton when he bought astro. I grew up on the middle seat of '68 Dodge (great in winter, not summer). Brother got it when Dad bought the chevy in '76. Before that Greenbriar, I was a baby when it was doing camping trips to Colorado.

Toyota vanwagon years ago, loved it, wish it 4wd.
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silver mist AWD
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Re: Battery not charging

Post by silver mist AWD »

Charging problems all sorted out.

The tester at the parts store wouldn't even run my alternator, I think what they call the lamp circuit failed and it wouldn't even spin it up. Might have even broke the machine at the first place. :yikes:

New alternator and I'm back to merely driving my van which is better than crawling under the hood. Threw a few bucks towards a new belt , too. Not sure when or if it had been changed, so the old one is a good spare.

Found the headlight relay, too for any future need to lessen draw on the charging system.

I found a few good photos on a thread at another forum, good links to serpentine belt service, too.

http://www.astrosafari.com/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=1145
2000 AWD, 120k, dad first owner, regular maint, hiway miles, color silver mist. Before that I had a '94 for a while. (wait 'til I get the pics.) Had astros in the family since '91.

I Bought Dad's Chevy 3/4 ton when he bought astro. I grew up on the middle seat of '68 Dodge (great in winter, not summer). Brother got it when Dad bought the chevy in '76. Before that Greenbriar, I was a baby when it was doing camping trips to Colorado.

Toyota vanwagon years ago, loved it, wish it 4wd.

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Re: Battery not charging

Post by astroturf »

Kewl Beans

Glad you got it fixed.

Happy Vannin, Jim

astroturf
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Re: Battery not charging

Post by astroturf »

silver mist AWD wrote:I found a few good photos on a thread at another forum, good links to serpentine belt service, too.

http://www.astrosafari.com/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=1145
Well Lookie Here...

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=2703&hilit=alterna ... ent+how+to

The same info.

LOLz,Jim

PS Help Me... Help You. Fill up your Sig with your Van Details.
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silver mist AWD
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Re: Battery not charging

Post by silver mist AWD »

astroturf wrote:Well Lookie Here...

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=2703&hilit=alterna ... ent+how+to

The same info.

LOLz,Jim
Like a paralell universe website.. :whistle: (insert twilight zone theme here)
2000 AWD, 120k, dad first owner, regular maint, hiway miles, color silver mist. Before that I had a '94 for a while. (wait 'til I get the pics.) Had astros in the family since '91.

I Bought Dad's Chevy 3/4 ton when he bought astro. I grew up on the middle seat of '68 Dodge (great in winter, not summer). Brother got it when Dad bought the chevy in '76. Before that Greenbriar, I was a baby when it was doing camping trips to Colorado.

Toyota vanwagon years ago, loved it, wish it 4wd.

astroturf
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Re: Battery not charging

Post by astroturf »

Nice Sig...

An Astro in the Family for the last twenty years? That's Great.

Thanks, Jim
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Re: Battery not charging

Post by HPbyStan »

In the '04 Panel I just bought, I stopped at a place to pickup a GN400 Suzuki front wheel I'd bought and the van wouldn't crank. No click when I turned the key so probably not the starter solenoid. Volt meter reads 8 volts which is low enough the computer won't let the starter try to work to protect its self. Guy there had jumper cables and that started the van right up and volt meter showed 14 volts. That showed the alt was working and I could make it home. Once there I took off the battery cables at the posts and ran a round wire brush in my drill over them, put dialetic grease on them and reassembled. Then I undid the conections at the battery to chassis and the wires from the battery to the underhood fuse block and wire wheeled and greased them as well. Not for sure which of those was my problem BUT it went away !!!
'04 White AWD Astro cargo
'00 Astro / El Camino
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Re: Battery not charging

Post by CaptSquid »

When I bought the 98 Stro, the "mechanic" had a crescent wrench mentality. He replaced the positive battery bolt with one he had in his junk drawer. It was thoroughly encrusted with rust! Needless to say, rust does not conduct electricity well. For $1.98, i got two NEW bolts - haven't had a problem since. (knock on wood)
Mike, Billings, MT, 'MERICA!
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93 Suburban Silverado 4x4

Look for the MISSING Alien in the Right Seat. AL, PHONE HOME!!!

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