# 2014 LTZ with symptoms of bad battery cable after it has been replaced.



## mgardner28 (Jul 2, 2016)

I've got a 2014 LTZ with 19500 miles on it. Back in January after setting for a week the battery was dead. I replaced the battery and then a few weeks later I started getting check engine light,service traction control followed by service stabiltrak. I took it to the dealer and they replaced the battery cable under warranty. When I left I noticed the service stabiltrak came on when I started it. I didn't think much about it at the time. It has been doing that ever since the cable was replaced. Today it's getting all of those messages and now service power steering. The doors lock and unlock and it's loosing power steering as well as engine power occasionally. Really scary while driving. After reading multiple threads this still sounds like the battery cable. What else could it be? Unfortunately my bumper to bumper warranty expired in January. Any ideas?

Thanks


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Could be another bad battery. 

Could be a parasitic drain. 

Could be a bluetooth call remaining active.


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## mgardner28 (Jul 2, 2016)

I understand how the first two could cause an issue. How could a bluetooth call remaining active cause these issues?


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## theonlypheonix (Oct 8, 2015)

mgardner28 said:


> I understand how the first two could cause an issue. How could a bluetooth call remaining active cause these issues?


I'm with mgardner28 on this one.:iagree: 

After the first dead battery with car setting for a week and only 300 mi on the clock, I found by removing ALL the high current battery cables is that they all had terminal crimp issues which could be improved by re-crimping and soldering.:2cents: But I disagreed with the OEM cable gauge( #4) and made all my own with new high strand count #2 welding cable. Never had a dead battery or low charge since. :go: No cranking problems either last winter @ -18F with a Battery plus X2 AGM battery, group size 27F . 

Get an DVM out and measure the drop on the target cable including terminal with a load. Many posts on this blog for do it yourself. You probably already know more then the dealer tech since you have been on this Cruze blog! I used a cheap 100 amp battery load tester as the load, car battery as source then measure voltage drop on the questionable cable/terminal assembly. Using basic Ohms law you can clearly see where you stand with all these cables. Or if you can't do it yourself take back to the dealer as they never fixed the problem you originally complained about.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

There is a known issue with Bluetooth causing unexplainable battery drain in these cars. It is related to software and the manner in which a call is completed before the engine is turned off. 

If you research about it you will find more written on the subject. But I personally took very little interest in it as I do not own a cellular telephone.


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## theonlypheonix (Oct 8, 2015)

Tomko said:


> There is a known issue with Bluetooth causing explainable battery drain in these cars. It is related to software and the manner in which a call is completed before the engine is turned off.


Tomko, I think you miss the OP's point where he stated:



mgardner28 said:


> It has been doing that ever since the cable was replaced. Today it's getting all of those messages and now service power steering. The doors lock and unlock and it's loosing power steering as well as engine power occasionally. Really scary while driving.


This is all going on while the OP is operating the car and not issue with Onstar/Bluetooth call completion and engine turn off timing? Could even be that the replacement battery cable is defective, the dealer tech's are *only* parts changers with nothing between the ears! These are serious defects which affect safe operation of the vehicle, the kind that the industry gets sued $$$MMM when people are hurt in accidents caused by the alleged repaired defect which was never diagnosed therefore never repaired correctly!!


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

OP.....Since the problem occurred while the car was in warranty (I'm going with the mindset the repair was less than a month ago) the dealer should be able to continue that specific warranty claim.
Much past 4 weeks and you will be out hanging in the wind, so, don't delay.

There is a high probability of the second cable also having high resistance. I am of the belief GM is of the mindset that more cables are good than bad expressed as a percentage.....I haven't run across anything to make me believe the construction process has changed.
Keep in mind that there are many other ground circuits that can cause this concern as well.....you can see many ground studs on the inner fender aprons with the hood open and any of these, if poorly connected, can mimic a ground cable with high resistance.

For starters, stop by your dealer, speak with the service director (not service writer) and see what arrangement he/she can make on your behalf.

Rob


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## mgardner28 (Jul 2, 2016)

The cable was replaced under the special warranty for the cable. The battery died about two weeks after the 3/36 warranty expired.

My wife took the car for a drive again last night after I had disconnected the battery for about 30 minutes. She came back shaking (scared). She said she got all the "Service" messages, couldn't steer the car at all and it lost power and was shaking. I took the battery cable off again and let it set for an hour and a half. When I got in the car to start it after reconnecting battery I got a message 'Open and Close Driver Window". After I done that I was getting no service warnings at all. I drove the car on a few short trips early this morning with no issues. This afternoon I drove it about 25 miles and then parked it for several hours. After the return trip home (25 miles) as I was pulling into the driveway the "Service Power Steering" message came on and the idling went real low. I turned car off and then restarted it. The "Service StabilTrak" message came on, and then off. I turned the car off and waited a few seconds. When I started it next time no "Service" messages. Really frustrating and scary. Never had a car that you lose steering completely. I'm going to try and get it into the shop tomorrow. Not too optimistic that the dealer will consider this under warranty.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

The power steering assist will shut off......you will still have steering control but without assist.

As I read this, it sounds more and more like you received a bad negative cable. This part is covered under the extended cable warranty even if ten or more fail over the extension period which is for ten years.

Keep in touch.

Rob


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## mgardner28 (Jul 2, 2016)

Just got a call from the dealer. They are telling me that the positive cable and the fuse box needs to be replaced. Cost is going between 400 and 500. This is not part of the special program for the negative cable. That doesn't sound right to me. Seems to me this issue was caused by the bad negative cable in the first place.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

mgardner28 said:


> Just got a call from the dealer. They are telling me that the positive cable and the fuse box needs to be replaced. Cost is going between 400 and 500. This is not part of the special program for the negative cable. That doesn't sound right to me. Seems to me this issue was caused by the bad negative cable in the first place.


I don't recall anyone else needing a positive cable or fuse box. Was your car in a flood?


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## Cruzen Vegas (Aug 27, 2015)

Ive had my Positive Cable replaced on my 2012 ltz....


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## mgardner28 (Jul 2, 2016)

No flood as far as I know. I bought the car used about a year and a half ago. Not had the first issue with it until the battery died.

The dealer just called and said they could not get Chevy to cover the repair, but the dealership would. I hope this fixes it.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Cruzen Vegas said:


> Ive had my Positive Cable replaced on my 2012 ltz....


I don't recall reading any stories here about replacing the fusebox, but I have seen a YouTube video about it.


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## mgardner28 (Jul 2, 2016)

Picked the car up yesterday. So far all seems good. Dealer completely covered the cost.

The ticket says "Found battery cable to junction box burnt at junction box lug causing high resistance. Replaced battery cable to fuse block and block." It shows: Installed 2078147 - SL-N-Cable (02342-BC) and Installed 95476469 - SL-N-Block (02483-C).


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Did your cluster still work (speedo/tach/fuel/etc)?


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## theonlypheonix (Oct 8, 2015)

Tomko said:


> I don't recall anyone else needing a positive cable or fuse box. Was your car in a flood?





ChevyGuy said:


> I don't recall reading any stories here about replacing the fusebox, but I have seen a YouTube video about it.


I already had that problem but caught it early enough (when I checked ALL of the cables) before it was bad enough to burn (overheat) the fuse box!!



mgardner28 said:


> Picked the car up yesterday. So far all seems good. Dealer completely covered the cost.
> 
> The ticket says "Found battery cable to junction box burnt at junction box lug causing high resistance. Replaced battery cable to fuse block and block." It shows: Installed 2078147 - SL-N-Cable (02342-BC) and Installed 95476469 - SL-N-Block (02483-C).


Sounds like a real standup dealer to pick up the cost when its GM out sourcing to lowest bidder is the real issue.
Maybe you can get the dealer to give you old cable and box. Take it to a competent tech to analyze. I still maintain that any of the high current cables can have problems at the terminals, which is what I found on my TD Cruze. Basically same issue as the cable from battery (-)post to frame, then find yourself ambulance chasing lawyer as this should be added to the same warranty work as the other battery cable.

Pick you favorite FM fiasco, the North* which all blew head gaskets by 124k miles or the early 3.8L which burned holes in the plastic plenum EGR passage into the coolant passage hydro-locking the engine all in the name of being CHEAP, the end user pays! RANT

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r20227874-GM-intake-manifold-lawsuit-update


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## mgardner28 (Jul 2, 2016)

MP81 said:


> Did your cluster still work (speedo/tach/fuel/etc)?


No issues with cluster at all. It always worked.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Okay, that's good. I was wondering if it has similar symptoms as the issue ours was having - but that ended up being caused by the rear side detection sensors shorting.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

mgardner28 said:


> Picked the car up yesterday. So far all seems good. Dealer completely covered the cost.
> 
> The ticket says "Found battery cable to junction box burnt at junction box lug causing high resistance. Replaced battery cable to fuse block and block." It shows: Installed 2078147 - SL-N-Cable (02342-BC) and Installed 95476469 - SL-N-Block (02483-C).


You sir, have a keeper of a dealership. I bet they made a deal with GM to have GM cover the parts cost and the dealership only supplied the labor. In any case, keep them.


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## mgardner28 (Jul 2, 2016)

Beaty Chevrolet in Knoxville TN. We bought the car used from a different dealer over a year and a half ago. We have been getting it serviced at Beaty every since. A little pricey for regular service, but times like this makes it worth it.



obermd said:


> You sir, have a keeper of a dealership. I bet they made a deal with GM to have GM cover the parts cost and the dealership only supplied the labor. In any case, keep them.


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