# Fluctuating Voltage on my 2012 Cruze 2LT



## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Nick,
I wish I could give you a definitive answer but after watching my own 2012 readout your seeing the same thing as I relative to output.

I haven't a clue what the parameters are that were chosen for the variable output but evidently they are within the battery's requirements.
I don't recall anyone on the forum requiring a alternator or module replacement for a charging problem.

Sometimes I wish the display wasn't available.....ignorance is bliss, heh heh.

Odds are, you are seeing the same variables we all are and there is no cause for concern, IMO.

I have only picked up on one consistancy......the display voltage is generally lower as ambient temperature drops....but I haven't chosen to cause myself any brain damage by speculating......I see the same variable with my truck which has a formal voltmeter.

IMO...change to a mileage readout and don't frett over it.

Rob


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

When this occurs, the radio display also flashes on and off, even with the radio off, this is noticeable. 

Should also do a battery capacity check, suppose to be a 60 amp-hour battery, if undercharged for periods, could only be a 10 amp-hour battery. 

Could also pull the alternator, put it on my test bench and learn the parameters and check the temperature coefficients. From the circuit diagram, you can see where the ECU has full control over the alternator, very familiar with the regulator terminal nomenclature, but not sure whats on the other end.

My name is on the inventor of a now long expired improved voltage regulator design that proved to be very reliable for the CS series. But all that got me was to keep my job while other engineers were laid off. Pinouts are the same on this new one. 

And I have a darn good reason to feel concerned about this. And this should be GM's problem to resolve.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Ah.....

The radio thing.....should've mentioned that.

I remember when you modified the clamp on your negative battery terminal........turns out the actual failure is where the cable enters the clamp and is then crimped......some not hard enough and resistance begins to increase within.
Since the voltage readout is just the measurement at the hall ring surrounding the cable........gotta wonder if the cable is going away at the crimp.

Thinking out loud...but may be helpful to get that thing changed.

Rob


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## cruze2011white (Feb 2, 2011)

You could have a bad battery do all of this. If you have bad cell the alternator may think the battery needs power then it doesn't and your see a drop in voltage. I would have some run a test on the battery. Just testing with a volt meter is not going to show you anything unless you are testing while the engine is starting. It shouldn't drop much voltage. If it does the battery is your problem. Places like batteries plus can test this by causing a load on the battery. They showed me this with my seadoo battery.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Nick,

Have you had GM change the battery cable yet? Also, as we all know a lot of the OEM batteries are crap - just ask JD Powers. Batteries are the number one replacement item in the first three years of ownership across all car brands.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

I can't believe this, thanks for the super simple basic suggestions. Battery voltage is good.

Between the negative battery terminal and the clamp around it, I am getting a voltage drop of 0.005 volts.

But between the clamp on the negative battery and the other end of the terminal that is grounded, not the ground, but the nice clean terminal itself, I am getting a voltage drop of 2.159 volts!!!!! Dropping that much voltage over this very short cable!!!!

The result of this, is that between the positive battery and the vehicle ground, with that extra 2 volt drop in the cable, the charging voltage is jumping up to over 15.5 V fooling the ECU the battery is overcharging, when it is not.

Going to my new dealer to get a new negative cable, the problem is within the cable and the negative battery clamp itself. Not the connection between the clamp and the battery terminal. And not between the cable and the grounding terminal. And not between that grounding terminal and the vehicle ground. One spot that I cannot repair. 

I could cut that negative clamp off and solder on a new clamp, but won't look as neat. Let you know what happens. Making sense now, and over voltage of 15.5 volts will cut off the alternator if they are still using my design.


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## theonlypheonix (Oct 8, 2015)

NickD said:


> Started last Friday, was fine over the weekend, but last night, went crazy again.
> Now we are afraid to take this thing on any sizable trip, if the battery goes dead, we would be stranded, very well cared for and only 40K miles on it.
> Here is the circuit diagram:
> View attachment 168562
> ...




NickD I noticed that you are having similar problems that I'm having with my 2015 Cruze diesel, first stone dead battery with 200 mi new after leaving it sit for a week (nothing left on). Since then I've watched voltage on DIC display and it does vary all over the place (12.0 to 15V). Note that 12.8V or less for a battery with the engine running with accessories on is a discharge state. You reference a wiring diagram, is that for the gas only? I do not see that hall effect sensor on the neg cable in the schematic on my diesel cable, do you have that device on your neg battery cable?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

The voltage does vary all the time. If you're having trouble with the electronics in the car and random no-start conditions, have the battery cable changed, as many have suggested. It is a known issue. The ACD batteries also have a habit of losing a cell or two and going flat overnight. They'll hold a charge until the next time the car sits for any period of time.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Here is the new battery cable I received from my good Chevy dealer under the recall. We tease a lot, said I would like to install it myself, his reply, I shouldn't let you do this, you are way over too qualified. Just replied, I can also be stupid. Wanted to hook up my 12V DC power supply so I wouldn't lose anything. Even got to keep my old cable.

View attachment 168594


After installing it, ran the same exact test and instead of dropping 2.1V across the old cable now dropping 0.0047V. Before letting the engine idle with minimum alternator load, battery voltage after removing the surface charge was, 12.56 volt. Now at 75*F same test, 12.9 volts that is exactly where it should be at. So my my battery before was undercharged. At idle, charging voltage is at 14.72 volts that is exactly where it should be at.

Feel like an idiot for not checking the basics, but tend to do this at times. Dealer just called to make sure I didn't have any problems installing the new cable due to that fuse/relay box small cable that attaches to the negative battery clamp, because he said they had to ream some out. Just said, fit exactly. We also had a rather long talk on the basics as to why this could happen.

Only have the shop manual for the gas, actually alldata.com isn't too bad, I think the diesel is there, but would have to check, if you can find a coupon on the internet, cost 12 bucks for a two year subscription, this is where I copied that circuit from.

Also heard a rattle coming from my 1.4L engine, after some checks, is that Ecotec cover, have to put some tape around those clips.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

NickD said:


> The result of this, is that between the positive battery and the vehicle ground, with that extra 2 volt drop in the cable, the charging voltage is jumping up to over 15.5 V fooling the ECU the battery is overcharging, when it is not.


Since the DIC is showing low voltage, I think the ECU is seeing the low voltage and commanding "full power" from the alternator - but even at full power, the voltage drop is enough to cause the low readings and the undercharged battery. 

At least with my cable, the ECU get's it's ground from the battery clamp itself (the small wire bolted to the battery clamp). So the ECU will see the "dropped" voltage, not the voltage the rest of the car sees.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Robby said:


> Since the voltage readout is just the measurement at the hall ring surrounding the cable........


Did someone slip you some decaf this morning? :grin:


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

ChevyGuy said:


> Since the DIC is showing low voltage, I think the ECU is seeing the low voltage and commanding "full power" from the alternator - but even at full power, the voltage drop is enough to cause the low readings and the undercharged battery.
> 
> At least with my cable, the ECU get's it's ground from the battery clamp itself (the small wire bolted to the battery clamp). So the ECU will see the "dropped" voltage, not the voltage the rest of the car sees.


Don't want to contradict, but measured the alternator output voltage to the engine block, and this is the voltage that was going crazy. When it jumped to over 15.5V alternator would shut down, and read the battery voltage at about 12.56 V.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

NickD said:


> Don't want to contradict, but measured the alternator output voltage to the engine block, and this is the voltage that was going crazy. When it jumped to over 15.5V alternator would shut down, and read the battery voltage at about 12.56 V.


Not a contradiction, just more data. Odd that things would shutdown and not leave a code somewhere. 

I still think the DIC was reading true battery voltage and not system voltage which is why the system voltage went high.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

More data, now that I think about it, problem was worse at night and even worse in colder weather, or even with the radio on. That high cable resistance is linear, and the greater the load on the alternator, the worse the problem.

With this knowledge, drove 14 miles north to a good dealer for the new cable, very nice people up there in a very small town. Left everything off and the voltage on the DIC held stable. Colder weather at night, the head lamps were on plus the blower motor, along with the radio.

If you have this problem, watch your alternator loads.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Okay last night with the head lamps, blower on full, and the radio on, voltage remained steady at 14.7 volts.

Couldn't resist removing the old cable from the clamp, bare copper wire next to brass, stripped about a 1/4" with about an 1/8th inch perpendicular knife edge crimp making contact to that bare copper wire. If they only dipped the end of that wire in a solder pot first, would not be a problem to prevent that copper from turning brown. Or used plated stranded wire.

Copper oxide is an excellent insulator, ever hear of a copper oxide rectifier? Was used for many years before solid state was invented. I still can solder that cable to the clamp, may do this because the new one looks the same way. Should also check the positive battery clamp.

Shop manager wanted to look at my battery, said most he gets in our green, wow, looks brand new, that is because on day one coated everything with dielectric grease to retard corrosion.

First rule in electrical is to never use dissimilar metals because of electrolysis causes corrosion, this rule is broken a million times. And you wonder why we have problems. Bean counters at work and in charge.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

So what kind of crimp was this? Single point, like a cheap auto store crimper? Not 4 point like our good old expensive DB-25 pin crimper?


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

ChevyGuy said:


> So what kind of crimp was this? Single point, like a cheap auto store crimper? Not 4 point like our good old expensive DB-25 pin crimper?



Cheap, if brains were used, the crimp would be at least three times as long as the diameter of the wire, an old rule of thumb.

In taking a closer look at the negative battery cable, wonder if the engineer that drew the specification sheet knew that at least of the last 90 years, the positive battery post is 50 mils larger than the negative battery post,

This was done intentionally so the polarity could be reversed, course wouldn't work if some guy tried to bang on a negative clamp unto a positive terminal with a hammer and wonder why the positive clamp was so loose. Post batteries are new to GM, been using side terminal batteries for years. So either the engineer didn't know this or the vendors could not read. The clamp they were using for the negative post would fit just nicely on the positive post. A simple error like this cost GM millions.

Dipping the end of the cable in a solder pot, would also have saved a lot of grief and expense. China could have forced six year old kids to do this at practically no cost, if it was specified.

Never counted the electrical connectors in the Cruze, has to be well over 200, wonder if any more have simple problems.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Really having nice November weather, in the high 60's, been monitoring my voltage the last few days. And confused about these modes the manual tries to explain. Regardless of night or day, or how many loads I turn on or off, voltage is showing a constant 14.7 volts, and this is exactly where it should be.


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## au201 (May 18, 2013)

NickD said:


> Really having nice November weather, in the high 60's, been monitoring my voltage the last few days. And confused about these modes the manual tries to explain. Regardless of night or day, or how many loads I turn on or off, voltage is showing a constant 14.7 volts, and this is exactly where it should be.


I got 13.8 right now (headlights and fogs on, blower off)...just kidding it went to 14.0.......14.2......14.0......14.3. (Fluctuates a lot). I see 14.7 a lot too. Usually though, it's at 13.8. I used to get 12.8 all the time but I think my battery is getting weak. 


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## cruzeman48 (Aug 18, 2013)

Ok, I'm a little confused... How much should we be seeing on the voltage drop while driving with lights, radio,etc on? I am seeing anywhere from like 13 - 14.8 while driving. I already had the neg battery cable replaced, the battery was checked out and they said it was fine. When the voltage drops I can tell the difference on how the car responds. Any suggestions? Maybe a bad cable again?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

cruzeman48 said:


> Ok, I'm a little confused... How much should we be seeing on the voltage drop while driving with lights, radio,etc on? I am seeing anywhere from like 13 - 14.8 while driving. I already had the neg battery cable replaced, the battery was checked out and they said it was fine. When the voltage drops I can tell the difference on how the car responds. Any suggestions? Maybe a bad cable again?


Anywhere from 12.x to 15.2 while driving is completely normal, depending on what's switched on and what the current battery level is.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

au201 said:


> I got 13.8 right now (headlights and fogs on, blower off)...just kidding it went to 14.0.......14.2......14.0......14.3. (Fluctuates a lot). I see 14.7 a lot too. Usually though, it's at 13.8. I used to get 12.8 all the time but I think my battery is getting weak.
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


Just indicates it's charging the battery. 12.8V is cruising along with the alternator switched off and just holding battery voltage.


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## cruzeman48 (Aug 18, 2013)

Thanks jblackburn, that makes me feel more at ease.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

jblackburn said:


> 12.8V is cruising along with the alternator switched off and just holding battery voltage.


Anything below that suggests it's discharging the battery - at least on the gasser. I'm not sure what might be going on with the diesel and the AGM. But I don't think the voltages are all that different.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

ChevyGuy said:


> Anything below that suggests it's discharging the battery - at least on the gasser. I'm not sure what might be going on with the diesel and the AGM. But I don't think the voltages are all that different.


Yeah. And they do that sometimes as well, for instance, under acceleration. The voltage management program can be hard to follow, but if you're not having random electrical issues or a battery not holding voltage at shutoff, everything should be working as intended.

If you consistently see high charging voltages pegged in the high 14's-15 (I saw these a lot last winter with a bad battery), you may want to consider having the battery or cable tested.


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## Cruzator (Dec 31, 2014)

Depending on charge mode, mine varies from 12.2 to 15.1 volts. This is all normal, according to the manual and what charging mode it is in. I've seen it dip to 12.1 while cruising, but then it jumps back up to 12.2. I've also seen it hit 15.2 (when cold) for a few seconds, and then back down to 15.1. Mine is the diesel with the AGM battery.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

According to this chart if you're at 12.6V or below on a AGM, you're at 75% capacity, or 25% discharged.

If you were cruising along at 12.2 and pulled over and stopped, the re-start could be interesting.

There's only two reasons I can think of for it to be that low. The computer might have turned off the alternator for acceleration and forgot to turn it back on, or the battery current sensor is showing a high charge current.

If it was me, I think I'd set up Torque Pro with graphing and monitor some things to see if I could see a pattern.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

I can confirm that a Cruze can still start at voltages THIS low...

Course, you could probably start this motor with a pull-string were one attached 










If it drops to 12.2 while driving, you might indeed have a battery cable issue. My car seems to like to keep my new AGM battery "charged" to 12.5-12.6V.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Don't agree with that huge voltage variation. Get yourself a digital voltmeter like this one, 12 bucks on ebay or one equivalent, you want a 200 millivolt range.

Pro Digital Voltmeter Ammeter Ohmmeter Multimeter Volt Tester Meter MS8233B Le | eBay

With the engine at idle, blower at max, head lamps on, 200 mv DC range, touch one probe directly to the negative battery terminal, not the cable clamp. Other to where its grounded next to the radiator. Should read less than 10 millivolts. I was reading 2.1 volts on mine with this problem. Do the same for the positive battery terminal to that aluminum plate.

Typically all these parts are the same, taking my old negative battery apart, namely the clamp end, very poor point contact connection in there. New cable with the same test, instead of dropping 2.1 volts, dropped down to 0.0047 volts or 4.7 mv. My positive clamp was good at 6.4 mv.


All that reving and so forth that jblackburn did, under various loads, held constant at 14.7V on the DIC. When the temperature was like -30*F before this problem occurred, was reading around 15.1V, normal, the colder it gets, the higher the charging voltage needs to be.

At 105*F, will drop and hold at the 13.5 volt range, so-called negative temperature coefficient of a battery.

Reason why mine was dropping well below this range, that extra 2.1 volts added to the voltage regulator setting, kicking the alternator into overvoltage mode where it will completely shut off. And the DIC was not constant, always varying between, 12.6 volts and 15.5V.

On checking the state of charge of the battery, was low at 12.4 volts, even under no load with the bad cable, that after running the engine for awhile, then shutting it off, read 12.9 volts at 70*F, now its fully charge. That low charge leads to sulfation, more problems.


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## au201 (May 18, 2013)

Decided to graph the battery voltage on my phone app with an OBD2 dongle on my 40 minute drive...min value was 13.5V, max 14.4. And yes, I had floored it a few times in this drive. Doesn't seem to change the voltage when I do. For most of this, the blower and headlights were off. I did turn the A/C on full blast for a minute...no change in voltage. It was 14.4 at that time. Very interesting stuff.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

au201 said:


> min value was 13.5V, max 14.4.


Between 13.0 and 15.5, I wouldn't worry about the voltage. It may vary depending on underhood temperature and charge state of the battery. If possible, graph the battery current as well. That may tell the story.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Early automotive systems did use current as an indication of the state of charge of a battery. Used a zero center ammeter when the meter switched to the right with a + sign, battery was charging, meter was located in series with one of the battery leads. Or to the left, -, was discharging. With 6 volt systems, and a brush type generator, discharging was quite common at idle.

The way you knew your battery was fully charge is to drive at above 1,500 rpm, and the needle was at zero. If you had problems starting your vehicle draining the battery, that needle would swing as far to the right as it could because the battery required to be recharged. But once charge, meter would center, switching on the head lamps, didn't make any difference, the output of the generator had to increase, but as long as the battery was fully charged, that needle would stay at zero.

This switch later on, memory is shot, can't recall the year to monitor just the voltage. In a sense, an assumption as long as the voltage was there, the battery was fully charged. But with several complete discharges, the capacity of the battery would greatly decrease, least the current indicated whether the battery could take a charge okay. Technically, you need both current and voltage to know the condition of the battery. 

But batteries can be tested for this by external means.

With charging voltages, this varies considerable with temperature and not any temperature, but the actual temperature of the battery. Vehicles of the 60's were very strong on this issue, the voltage regulator with temperature compensation to precisely match that of the battery, was mounted very close to the battery. Not only ambient temperature, but underhood temperature as well. 

All this was tossed out the window by mounting the voltage regulator inside of the alternator, with heavy loads, AC, head lamps, electrical defrosters, high powered audio systems, etc. Insides of that alternator would be running red hot, result, undercharging the battery. This is where our Cruze's plus many other vehicles are at today.

Not the right way of doing this, but the cheapest way. Over charging a battery is just as bad as under charging it, overcharging creates bubbles on the plates, and increases evaporation of the electrolyte, could be replaced with a battery with caps on it, but can't we a so-called maintenance free battery, no such thing as maintenance free, even like in a ball joint that needs a shot of new grease every once in a while, they like the battery wear out much quicker. Plates in a battery will buckle with overcharging causing short circuits, but at first, high self discharging rates.

Undercharging causes sulfation of the plates, a hard like substance that the charging current cannot penetrate.

Ha, good engineers like me, know how to do this right, but can't fight the bean counters. Either you do it their way or they will find somebody that will. Not good when you have kids to support. Just saying, don't blame engineers in any phase of automotive design. Back in the 60's, GM was ran by engineers, that sure changed over time. Are CEO's really worth that much? Most I met would be dead without some intelligent support.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Some cars had ammeter, some had voltmeters. Both have their limitations. You really need both to have a full picture.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

How about a good oscilloscope with both a voltage and current probe, not only shows average, RMS, but peaks as well.

With digital and analog electronics, a good scope is the only means to give one eyes to see exactly what is going on. Automotive is the only field of electronics that does not give precise voltages, currents, and waveforms for testing this stuff.

Instead the idiots that write service manuals only go as far as using an ohmmeter, but when it comes to solid state, they say, DO NOT TEST. That translated into English means you cannot test anything. So they said, just replace with a known good part. How do you know if a part if good if they don't even supply the basic specifications.

In engineering, is nothing except specifications so in effect have the blind leading the blind. When OBD 1 was first introduced, said over 100,000 tech jobs will be created, never happened, so have some guy good at replacing a muffler doing this kind of work at 90 bucks an hour. Doesn't even know the difference between a resistor or a doorknob.


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## poemranger (Sep 10, 2019)

_._ Message DELETED!


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

> I drove my car for 20mins I actually have a video and every time I coast the car volts shoots up to 14.6 ish and every time I brake or accelerate the volts drop to 12.6. Just driving around with cruse control on stays at 12.6 unless it accelerates by itself at which point it will go up until it is no longer accelerating but maintaining speed.


This is totally normal and operating as designed.

When the battery is fully charged (12.6V), modern GM alternators will decouple under acceleration, and recouple to charge during deceleration. This is done for a small fuel economy boost.


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## poemranger (Sep 10, 2019)

MESSAGE DELETED


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

poemranger said:


> My car does not have a variable alternator. And when I first got the car the range was 13.8 to 14.6 constantly except before start up. I never looked at the start up voltage. The car was running and driving PERFECTLY. Then I took it for a oil change and tire rotation it was fine until I noticed the oil. They pressure washed the engine compartment and now the volts stay 12.6 and the car acts exactly like something is wrong. The volts drop the power steering gets hard randomly the ac blower reduces speed at idle. This is not how my car was when I got it in April and only changed when after being pressure washed.


All Cruzes have one. 

The rest of the symptoms make it sound like there's a bad ground connection shared between things, though.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

poemranger said:


> The dealer claimed it was my battery that I had acid leaking out.


This is possible on some Gen I batteries at the positive cable. 

https://www.cruzetalk.com/threads/h...s-a-blue-fungus-among-us.226177/#post-3104817



poemranger said:


> As I had some issues with my phone pairing and that's what onstar had me do to reset the car.


Sometimes a phone does not disconnect from the bluetooth and causes a battery drain.



poemranger said:


> 2) check your neg cable for good ground thru sensor to your body. (see video on youtube if you need help locating)


Consider this also 









Gen1 Cruze Big 3 Kits


A while back, Terry (tecollins1) made big 3 kits for this community. I've decided to pick up where he left off and start making big 3 kits. A big 3 kit is a wiring upgrade for your engine bay that improves the power capacity of your vehicle. This is often done for vehicles with upgraded sound...




www.cruzetalk.com












How-To: Installation of the Big 3 Cruze Kit


This installation guide applies to both the 1.4L turbo and 1.8L engines available in the Cruze. The 1.4T is covered first, followed by a slight variation that is found with 1.8L installation (thanks to Smurfenstein for the 1.8 info/pictures!) This simple how-to illustrates how to install...




www.cruzetalk.com







poemranger said:


> I also purchased a brand new AC DELCO battery.


*Cruze Battery Upgrade Options*



poemranger said:


> 1) check if your car is in the NEG battery recall no one seems to know about


*Special Coverage #14311: Negative Battery Cable*


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## poemranger (Sep 10, 2019)

jblackburn said:


> All Cruzes have one.
> 
> The rest of the symptoms make it sound like there's a bad ground connection shared between things, though.


I’m sorry but I contacted the dealer to make sure. It also doesn’t have a power steering reservoir. Among a few normal things most cars have. And the ground and battery have been replaced. U should read all of my post. Says that. I replaced the neg cable. Drove it in 3mins the computer reset poorly and went back from 14.6-15.3 to 12.6 for the rest of the 45-1.25hr drive. I drove to the same dealer and bought a brand new battery the VERY NEXT DAY. Same thing again. Car acted fine for the first part of the drive the. Right back to staying at 12.6. I have videos photos play by play driving. As I said this all showed up after they pressure washed my engine compartment. I will have the computer checked out when I have the money. My whole family is mechanics I grew up in a show. I fix everyone’s car I know. I’m versed in the ways of cars. I might be a girl but this is NOT NORMAL ! U don’t have a car perfectly fine then pressure wash the engine compartment and then the electrical freaks out. I have ran down every lead I could possibly look for. Also something strange I was n the car at night (don’t usually go anywhere at night) and I noticed when I shut the car off the radio was still on and below is the hazard the hazards where flashing dimly. The security on it is on top the dash not in it. The mechanic was pissed I called him out on improperly torquing my lugs so he dumped oil on my transmission and map sensor.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

Pull the fuse box in the engine bay apart and make sure it is dry and that all the connections are made.

Oh and please add some paragraphs to your blocks of text, I'm old and reading without a pause gives me headaches and subsequently bad advice.


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## poemranger (Sep 10, 2019)

Blasirl said:


> Pull the fuse box in the engine bay apart and make sure it is dry and that all the connections are made.
> 
> Oh and please add some paragraphs to your blocks of text, I'm old and reading without a pause gives me headaches and subsequently bad advice.


I can’t pull the fuse box if I want the previous dealer to possibly pay for the repair. I changed the battery cause they claimed it was leaking acid again serviced the previous battery the week. Funnily enough no acid the week I serviced it. But acid when I replaced it.
As for the grammar i don’t do that. I’m more of a math or hands on person.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

poemranger said:


> I’m sorry but I contacted the dealer to make sure. It also doesn’t have a power steering reservoir. Among a few normal things most cars have. And the ground and battery have been replaced. U should read all of my post. Says that. I replaced the neg cable. Drove it in 3mins the computer reset poorly and went back from 14.6-15.3 to 12.6 for the rest of the 45-1.25hr drive. I drove to the same dealer and bought a brand new battery the VERY NEXT DAY. Same thing again. Car acted fine for the first part of the drive the. Right back to staying at 12.6. I have videos photos play by play driving. As I said this all showed up after they pressure washed my engine compartment. I will have the computer checked out when I have the money. My whole family is mechanics I grew up in a show. I fix everyone’s car I know. I’m versed in the ways of cars. I might be a girl but this is NOT NORMAL ! U don’t have a car perfectly fine then pressure wash the engine compartment and then the electrical freaks out. I have ran down every lead I could possibly look for. Also something strange I was n the car at night (don’t usually go anywhere at night) and I noticed when I shut the car off the radio was still on and below is the hazard the hazards where flashing dimly. The security on it is on top the dash not in it. The mechanic was pissed I called him out on improperly torquing my lugs so he dumped oil on my transmission and map sensor.


It's a variable output alternator, as I said. Voltage fluctuation between charging/not charging IS NORMAL behavior for these cars when they have a good charge on a good battery.

It does not have a power steering reservoir; these cars have electric power steering. 

There are other grounds in the system besides the negative cable; perhaps one of those was knocked free and causing differences in fan speed or power steering response, because mine didn't change how anything behaved regardless of charging/battery voltage fluctuation. Maybe something is corroded and causing inconsistent connection.

Hazard light illumination is quirky, but normal for these cars as well.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

poemranger said:


> I can’t pull the fuse box if I want the previous dealer to possibly pay for the repair. I changed the battery cause they claimed it was leaking acid again serviced the previous battery the week. Funnily enough no acid the week I serviced it. But acid when I replaced it.
> As for the grammar i don’t do that. I’m more of a math or hands on person.


Then have them do it. 

And as for the paragraphs, just hit enter once in a while.


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## poemranger (Sep 10, 2019)

They didn't get water in it. I checked right after they pressure washed it. Theres a double lip. And I get that you dont like I dont use proper grammar but this is a car website not a grammar website. Im sorry but I write how I want to write.


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## poemranger (Sep 10, 2019)

jblackburn said:


> It's a variable output alternator, as I said. Voltage fluctuation between charging/not charging IS NORMAL behavior for these cars when they have a good charge on a good battery.
> 
> It does not have a power steering reservoir; these cars have electric power steering.
> 
> ...


ok for the last time. IT IS NOT I ALREADY CALLED WITH MY VIN NUMBER AND HAD THE DEALER LOOK IT UP.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

poemranger said:


> ok for the last time. IT IS NOT I ALREADY CALLED WITH MY VIN NUMBER AND HAD THE DEALER LOOK IT UP.


Then the dealer's wrong. If you don't believe me, do a search here. I'm only trying to help.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

poemranger said:


> ok for the last time. IT IS NOT I ALREADY CALLED WITH MY VIN NUMBER AND HAD THE DEALER LOOK IT UP.


*Charging System Operation*

The purpose of the charging system is to maintain the battery charge and vehicle loads. There are 6 modes of operation and they include:



Battery Sulfation Mode
Charge Mode
Fuel Economy Mode
Headlamp Mode
Start Up Mode
Voltage Reduction Mode
The engine control module (ECM) controls the generator through the generator turn ON signal circuit. The ECM monitors the generator performance though the generator field duty cycle signal circuit. The signal is a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal of 128 Hz with a duty cycle of 0-100 percent. Normal duty cycle is between 5-95 percent. Between 0-5 percent and 95-100 percent are for diagnostic purposes. The following table shows the commanded duty cycle and output voltage of the generator:

Commanded Duty CycleGenerator Output Voltage10%11 V20%11.56 V30%12.12 V40%12.68 V50%13.25 V60%13.81 V70%14.37 V80%14.94 V90%15.5 V

The generator provides a feedback signal of the generator voltage output through the generator field duty cycle signal circuit to the ECM. This information is sent to the body control module (BCM). The signal is PWM signal of 128 Hz with a duty cycle of 0-100 percent. Normal duty cycle is between 5-99 percent. Between 0-5 percent and 100 percent are for diagnostic purposes.
*Battery Sulfation Mode*

The BCM will enter this mode when the interpreted generator output voltage is less than 13.2 V for 45 minutes. When this condition exists the BCM will enter Charge Mode for 2-3 minutes. The BCM will then determine which mode to enter depending on voltage requirements.

*Charge Mode*

The BCM will enter Charge Mode when ever one of the following conditions are met.



The wipers are ON for more than 3 seconds.
GMLAN (Climate Control Voltage Boost Mode Request) is true, as sensed by the HVAC control head. High speed cooling fan, rear defogger and HVAC high speed blower operation can cause the BCM to enter the Charge Mode.
The estimated battery temperature is less than 0°C (32°F).
Battery State of Charge is less than 80 percent.
Vehicle speed is greater than 145 km/h (90 mph)
Current sensor fault exists.
System voltage was determined to be below 12.56 V
When any one of these conditions is met, the system will set targeted generator output voltage to a charging voltage between 13.9-15.5 V, depending on the battery state of charge and estimated battery temperature.

*Fuel Economy Mode*

The BCM will enter Fuel Economy Mode when the estimated battery temperature is at least 0°C (32°F) but less than or equal to 80°C (176°F), the calculated battery current is less than 15 amperes and greater than -8 amperes and the battery state-of-charge is greater than or equal to 80 percent. Its targeted generator output voltage is the open circuit voltage of the battery and can be between 12.5-13.1 V. The BCM will exit this mode and enter Charge Mode when any of the conditions described above are present.

*Headlamp Mode*

The BCM will enter Headlamp Mode when ever the headlamps are ON (high or low beams). Voltage will be regulated between 13.9-14.5 V.

*Start Up Mode*

When the engine is started the BCM sets a targeted generator output voltage of 14.5 V for 30 seconds.

*Voltage Reduction Mode*

The BCM will enter Voltage Reduction Mode when the calculated ambient air temperature is above 0°C (32°F). The calculated battery current is less than 1 ampere and greater than -7 amperes and the generator field duty cycle is less than 99 percent. Its targeted generator output voltage is 12.9 V. The BCM will exit this mode once the criteria are met for Charge Mode.


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## poemranger (Sep 10, 2019)

Blasirl said:


> This is possible on some Gen I batteries at the positive cable.


OEM Battery from 2015? And yes it is possible however when I serviced the battery I put battery disks on it so the acid wouldnt have shot up but to the side. SO WHY WAS THERE ACID ON THE TOP OF THE POST? If you would have read ALL of my article you would see that I serviced the battery a week before I took it to get the oil and tire rotation. Also put brand new spark plugs in it. FOR THE LAST TIME THE CAR DOES NOT HAVE A VARIABLE ALTERNATOR. THE CAR WAS NOT DOING THIS PRIOR TO THE VISIT. I have video of where the acid was.

HERES A PARAGRAPH FOR YOU! Im sorry I thought this was a serious forum not just a bunch of trolls, trolling boards with nothing to do. I apologize and if someone would like to point me to the DELETE MY ACCOUNT ill be sure to erase my posts.


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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

poemranger said:


> HERES A PARAGRAPH FOR YOU! Im sorry I thought this was a serious forum not just a bunch of trolls, trolling boards with nothing to do. I apologize and if someone would like to point me to the DELETE MY ACCOUNT ill be sure to erase my posts.



I'm sorry you found the forum unsatisfactory. Knowledgeable, well spoken people were trying to help you. I saw some constructive criticism of your posts, but nothing mean spirited or hateful. Trying to understand complex problems is made even more difficult with hard-to-read messages. People were asking you to format your posts so they would be easier to understand; they were asking you to help them so they could help you.

I want to help, too. I think this could be beneficial for you.








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www.lovelyskin.com





Good day.

Doug

.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

poemranger said:


> FOR THE LAST TIME THE CAR DOES NOT HAVE A VARIABLE ALTERNATOR.


Then you don't have a Cruze. 

Variable voltage is a feature of ALL Cruzes - at least the ones sold in the US. It's not on option or a add-on. It's there from the LS to the LTZ. It's burned into the firmware of the BCM computer. A sharp mechanic might know about it, but probably not the service writer. And certainly not the sales department.(Because it's not a sales point and not an option they can up-sell.) 

I suggest you focus on what's really creating the problem - the battery going dead. Has that happened since the battery was replaced? 

It's possible the car's voltage was misbehaving with the old battery because it wouldn't take a charge, forcing the computer to raise the voltage. Unlike most cars, the computer in the Cruze watches the voltage AND the battery current. You can see the "donut" current sensor around the negative lead in the battery.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

poemranger said:


> OEM
> 
> HERES A PARAGRAPH FOR YOU! Im sorry I thought this was a serious forum not just a bunch of trolls, trolling boards with nothing to do. I apologize and if someone would like to point me to the DELETE MY ACCOUNT ill be sure to erase my posts.


Don't worry, I'll make sure not to offer you any more help.


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