# 2013 Chevy Cruze Eco Battery/Alternator Problems



## Cruze8Juan (Dec 3, 2018)

Hi everyone, 

I have a question regarding a problem with my car. I'm new to the forum so I apologize if I'm posting this in the wrong section.

I have a 2013 Chevy Cruze Eco and I've had the car for almost 3 years. I love the car and I've had no problems with it at all up until now.

I recently had to move to a different state and because of my situation I had to leave my car at a relative's house. The car sat on their driveway for about 5 months without being started (unfortunately...). When I came back to get my car and drive it to my new place, I noticed that the battery light was on. The car showed a message saying "service battery charging system". I decided to check the battery's voltage and noticed that a small animal must have made its way into the engine compartment. I found droppings on top of the battery (probably from a chipmunk or small mouse). I checked the voltage on the car and while on, the car was reading 15.3 V. I took the car to Chevy dealership and they told me that I needed a new alternator. 

Unfortunately, that dealership didn't have the parts available that day and because I needed to travel, I decided to find a different place to replace the alternator. I was able to find a car shop (Monro Muffler/Brake & Service) who had the alternator in stock. They replaced the alternator and the battery and the voltage readings on the car when down from 15.3/15.4 V (with the car on) to about 13.6 V. Monro said that although my car passed all of their tests and that the old alternator was indeed faulty, the battery light was still coming on even though they tried to clear it multiple times. I decided to travel with that light on and I haven't had issues with the car. However, I want to fix the problem but I don't know what to do. I'm thinking the small animal that got in the engine compartment probably chewed on some cables, but I haven't been able to find a wiring diagram that could help me find the root of the problem. 

The car currently reads 12.4 V while off and 13.6/14.0 when on. It used to read 15.3/15.4 with the old alternator. 

Do you think this issue could still be the alternator/battery? or does it sound like an electrical problem (wiring)? Do any of you have/know what the wiring system looks like for the starting and charging system on the Cruze? 

I would truly appreciate any help with this issue.

Thank you 

Juan


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

You didn't say when the battery was last changed. Most seem to get 2-3 years out of a battery. None of the voltages listed give me any concern about the charging system. However, the battery light indicates the car thinks there's a problem.

I'd start by looking for some chewed wires. 

Two places I'd look at closely: The small wire from the negative side of the battery. That runs to the BCM and is how the BCM senses the charging voltage. The second is the little "donut" that goes around the negative battery wire. That tells the BCM how much current is going into/out of the the battery. I'd expect that to affect charging.


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