94 cutlass

[roaddog4_2]

ive replaced the starter, alt,battery and when I turn on the lights (either) ac or heat my amp guage drops to 8. turn signals work slow and the car wants to die at idle . Being that the amps are being drained from the car im having problems trying to start the car.when I put on the flashers they flash at a normal pace. anyone have any insight on this problem ty Mark

[Regal_GS_1989]

Are all of the battery connections tight and clean?? Also, check the aux. battery terminal and make sure that it is tight and clean. I had the Aux battery post come lose on my regal in the winter, and I was kinda afraid that I wasnt gonna make it home. I knew exactly what was wrong, but I didnt have any tools with me.

[roaddog4_2]

all grounds have been cleaned including the ones that go to the head lights, and yes the terminals were the 1st thing I checked

[cutlsp]

Did your battery die on you? Causing the alternator to have to work harder to keep the car running? My 88 cutlass did that and well I had to replace both at the same time that sucked......

[SigEpCutlass]

When the car is running without any accessories or lights on, is the voltage displayed on the dashboard over 13 or not?

[Crazy K]

if your remote post has a brass ring nut, replace it with a real nut. I've seen the brass ring nuts expand and loosen.

[roaddog4_2]

Mike, when all acc are off guage is at about 13 and signals work fine car runs gr8 , Ive also replace the turn signal switch also i got the 3.4 dohc so it not a vacation to take alt. off

[SigEpCutlass]

The lowest my volt meter ever goes is about 10-11volts. That only happens if I have my headlights & foglights are on, 4 way flashers are on, Max A/C is on full blast, my stereo is on loudly (as always ), and the car is not in motion in either park or drive. You may just have a weak battery that is not allowing the alternator to charge it fully any more, or vice versa. If the car is in motion with the what is listed above, I'm still over 13 volts.

I hope if anything your battery just needs to be replaced for your sake. Someone made a 45minute LQ1 alt change procedure, but it's definately a lot easier to change the alt on my L82.

When how long ago exactly was everything replaced that you listed in your original post? That might help....

[roaddog4_2]

Mike alt and battery about 7 months ago starter yesterday turn signal switch about 4 months ago

[SigEpCutlass]

Do either the battery or alt have a warranty? This especially concerns the alt, as some places may even give you a new one under that warranty if it's gone bad. For example, I have a Bosch alternator in my car. I didn't have tools that year in college and I ended up having to pay pep boys to put that new alt in my car after a snowstorm. If it croaks, I can just go back to them with the paperwork and cash in my lifetime warranty to get a new alt, and they should even be installing it for me if I want b/c they did the work previously. Just a thought...

[slick]

So the battery drains when the engine is off? Or does the battery just not charge? Have you tested the output of the alternator with a multimeter? If it is the alt gone bad, check out the FAQ section. I wrote a 45 minute alternator repair for the 3.4 DOHC.

[roaddog4_2]

Slick just went out and had system checked, all was ok . Went to NAPA to replace battery was only a few months old so I replaced it for $8.00. Question do you think the turn signal switch could be bad. The reason I say this is because even with a load on when I use flashers they blink fast (like they should ) and when I use turn signals it takes a second to come on when they do there slow

[dakiln]

I had the same problem with my 94 3.1. Took it to the dealer and after about 20 min they took me out and showed me where the Fuse block next to the remote battery terminal was drawing too much power. It cost 150 or so for them to put a new fuse block (melted) and either clean or replace all of the wiring terminals in the block. This will be especially true if your gauge in the cluster is bouncing because the cluster wiring is routed through this block

[dakiln]

Also, I would not reccomend that you try to do this yourself because the terminals are a bear to find and they take forever to replace.

[roaddog4_2]

to everyone that helped me on this post . beleive it or not I had a short in the turn signal switch . replace it today every thing runs gr8 on a load