# Power steering warning, battery saver active, service stabilitrack



## rage36 (Jul 22, 2012)

Hi all,

I have a 2011 Chevy Cruze Eco with about 126,000 miles on it. The past two weeks I have experienced multiple warnings on the DIC. I have relieved service stabilitrack, service power steering, Momentary CELs, battery saver active warning, and momentary flickering headlights. I replaced the negative battery cable specified in special coverage 14311. Since then I have experienced service stabilitrack messages with loss of power/ very rough starts. Any incite would be greatly appreciated.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Have you replaced your battery?


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## rage36 (Jul 22, 2012)

I have not yet, it tested "good" at 3 places. The battery voltage on the display screen can range from 10-6-14.6 while driving though. The problem is intermittent and does not occur after every start up. If I replace the battery and it continues are there other common fixes?


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## cruze2011white (Feb 2, 2011)

Sounds like it could be the alternator. Once your car is started it relies on the alternator for electronics. So if its having issues producing power you could be having these problems.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

The voltage is measured across the battery terminals. 10.6 volts is too low and is a sign of a bad battery. Car electronics all run off the battery. If it's bad the alternator tries to manage it but it's much slower to respond to changing electrical demands, thus the odd issues.


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## rage36 (Jul 22, 2012)

I am going to replace the battery tonight. I will give an update tonight or in the morning.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

cruze2011white said:


> Sounds like it could be the alternator. Once your car is started it relies on the alternator for electronics.


Sort of. The battery still needs to be there to act as a filter.


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## cruze2011white (Feb 2, 2011)

You need a battery just as a buffer but once the car is running the alternator supplies almost all of power unless its having a problem charging or supplying power.

This would cause a drop in voltage across the battery also.

I believe most autoparts store can test the battery and alternator. I would do this before just buying a battery.


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## rage36 (Jul 22, 2012)

I forgot to add in my original post that my idle on start up is pretty high, about 1500 rpm, for the first few minutes. Eventually it falls back down to 600ish rpm. I replaced the cam cover (again) about a week ago due to all the classic pcv issues.


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## rage36 (Jul 22, 2012)

Cruze2011, I got the alt and battery tested at 2 parts stores and both said they were good and gave me a crazy look lol.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

What kind of tester did they use on the battery? To really test it, it needs a serious load. The tester needs to be fair-sized and looks like it might put some serious heat. If it doesn't have that, I wouldn't trust a "pass" result.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

rage36 said:


> I forgot to add in my original post that my idle on start up is pretty high, about 1500 rpm, for the first few minutes. Eventually it falls back down to 600ish rpm. I replaced the cam cover (again) about a week ago due to all the classic pcv issues.


Your start up RPM is normal.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

cruze2011white said:


> You need a battery just as a buffer but once the car is running the alternator supplies almost all of power unless its having a problem charging or supplying power.
> 
> This would cause a drop in voltage across the battery also.
> 
> I believe most autoparts store can test the battery and alternator. I would do this before just buying a battery.


No. The alternator is designed to output one voltage or a range of voltages but it is relatively slow changing the voltage. It also outputs a very small range of current flow. This is also how batteries charge - nearly constant voltage and a constant current flow. The electronics in a car can change the current and voltage draw far faster than the alternator can respond. To manage this, all your electronics are handled by the battery and the alternator is only responsible for keeping it charged properly. The fact that the Cruze's alternator ranges from 12.5 to 14.6 volts under normal load is a reflection of the drain load on the battery. When the alternator is outputting the lower (12.5) voltage the power drain on the battery is very small, thus requiring a slower recharge. When it's 14.6 the battery is either drained or is being drained rapidly, thus requiring a faster recharge. This is why it takes longer for the voltage to drop from 14.6 in the winter when you're running the blower - the battery is being drained more rapidly and very likely was drained by the cold as well.

OP's battery is showing 10 volts when he starts the car, which is way below the needed charge to run the car for very long, translating into a battery that isn't hold a charge properly. The alternator kicks in at the full 14.6 volts to recharge the battery and then drops back to 12.5 volts once the battery is recharged. The alternator is working properly.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

obermd said:


> OP's battery is showing 10 volts when he starts the car,


I don't think 10 volts is bad - during actual cranking. But if that's the voltage before starting - the battery has lost a cell.


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## rage36 (Jul 22, 2012)

I put a new battery in the car tonight and went for a drive. The start up was very rough, then when I shifted into second gear I lost the power steering and the warning and CEL came on but it went away in less than 10 seconds. The power steering went out again after stoping and taking off 2 more times. The voltage on the dic never dropped below 14.6 The second start up wasn't as bad but still didn't feel "normal". After the starting conniptions regular driving seemed okay. Hopefully tomorrow I am going to get the codes/modules checked out. (Past issues with the car are 3 or 4 water pumps, a master cylinder and line, a coolant outlet on the back of the motor with hoses, and two PCVs)


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

You may be experiencing two concerns……your now normalized voltage readings indicate the battery was going away….but the other concerns may be related to the negative battery cable….a component that has had its warranty coverage extended due to a high failure rate.

Rob


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## rage36 (Jul 22, 2012)

Rob, sadly I replaced that yesterday myself (out of warranty) with hopes that it would fix these issues. The thread on 14311 seemed to be exactly what I was experiencing.


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## rage36 (Jul 22, 2012)

Dealer replaced the alternator, car was fine for a few hours then went back to not working properly. (Service Stabilitrack, ABS light, traction control light, and erratic voltage)


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## mcbockalds (Apr 6, 2014)

rage36...Any final solution to your problems??
My 2014 Cruise Diesel with only 45000 miles just started giving me a bunch of warning messages and lights on the instrument panel: tire pressure monitor, power steering, anti-theft, (one other I can't remember). The car starts and drives just fine!


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

mcbockalds said:


> rage36...Any final solution to your problems??
> My 2014 Cruise Diesel with only 45000 miles just started giving me a bunch of warning messages and lights on the instrument panel: tire pressure monitor, power steering, anti-theft, (one other I can't remember). The car starts and drives just fine!


Definitely sounds like your issue is the negative battery cable or battery (or both). 

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/25-g...al-coverage-14311-negative-battery-cable.html

How old is your battery? If it’s the original ACDelco AGM battery, you can tell by looking for a code starting with a P. Mine is P064R which translates to 6th month (June) of 2014 (4 = 2014).









My 2014 CTD was manufactured in August 2014 so this battery is the factory original. It’s lasted 40 months and 75,000 miles so I guess I’ve been lucky. Decided to order a replacement 94R AGM battery today from Deka. Not having issues but noticed starts are getting a bit sluggish.


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## mcbockalds (Apr 6, 2014)

Just in case replacing the negative battery cable does not solve the problems:

My 2014 Diesel Cruise (45,000 miles) was showing all kinds of service messages and other problems like no turn signals or dome light and others. The dealer installed a new negative battery cable according to the service bulletin #14311 and it did not help at all. 

The problem, which was a bitch to find, turned out to be the Side Detection System. This had gone bad last spring and would have cost about $700 to replace the unit. I told them not to replace it. So now, five months later, the car was really screwing up with all most all the monitored systems showing "service messages." After 4 hours of trying to solve the problem I reminded the service tech. about the side detection system going bad in the spring. He checked that system and it was the problem.

$1200 to fix the system (includes the 4 or more hours of looking for the problem). I asked them if they could unplug or isolate the side detection system and see if that solved the many problems. It did! They simply unplugged and bagged the plug located in the rear bumper on the drivers side. So it cost me $400. Too bad the system wasn't isolated last spring!


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## a2chris (Jan 13, 2017)

Some of you issues could also be caused by a cracked piston - loss of power, service stabilitrack rough starting caused by oil fouling the plugs. Have you checked for oil consumption or seen any white clouds when accelerating? Have you pulled any codes?


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## KMStech (Feb 20, 2018)

Just got finished diagnosing and repairing a 1.4 turbo with these issues. Slow cranking and slow to respond in charging scenarios. The issue I found was the ground at the starter post had burnt and created very high resistance. This particular car had 50k miles on it. Would be a great spot to check on others. I know I won't forget this one.


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