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Hey guys, to try to make this ongoing issue short. I was hit with the column lock 2 Tuesdays ago and towed the car home. I bought a new key with the correct vats code and had it cut, plus bought the plug and play column lock bypass with the cigarette lighter. I hooked it up the other day when it came in and unfortunately the car didn't start. You can hear the engine want to turn over but no luck. I then received a low voltage and reduced engine power message with the battery reading about 10. So I charged it to about 14 and it still wouldn't turn on. 3 days pass and today I try again however, after 1 attempted start I got another low voltage and reduced power message. So I got my cables went to charge it. As I go to start the car, the battery gauge was pinned to the left. Then no power was in the car. Anytime I put the key in the needles just fidget, there's clicking and no power cycles inside the car. However, the battery and alternator read 11.8 to 12v with the multimeter and the fuses under the hood have a reading also. Sooo, I'm not sure if my battery is reading well but internally isn't good and would fail a load teat. But I also have the column lock issue standing as well. So any help or any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you!
Sounds like your battery cable and also the alternator cable down at the starter solenoid may be loose or corroded down there..you’ll have to get underneath and check…try this…with the car running at 2500 RPM with an electrical load put the red lead of your DVOM on a 2 volt range and place on the positive alternator B+ post and the negative lead on the POSITIVE battery post…see what you read….to read the negative side of the charging system place red lead on negative battery post and black lead on alternator case…check your readings…should be less than .2 volts !!..column lock is due to low battery voltage so I’d have your battery checked out too !!
I'll check the cables down there however the car doesnt turn on at all right now for me to try that. I was thinking internally the battery can be bad even though it's reading about 12v. So I'm not sure if getting a new one might fix the issues
Last edited by Vetteman Jack; Nov 27, 2022 at 06:34 AM.
If the battery is at 12 volts and can’t take a charge it’s probably nuked but anyway you always start with the battery for any starting or charging issue !!…even if you get a new battery I’d get underneath first if you’re physically able and not only check the battery/alternator cables but also the battery negative cable at the engine block above the starter…some emery cloth on all 3 terminal ends works wonders.
Yeah so I took the battery to get charged + tested and it came back as a bad battery. Isn't holding charge. So I'll replace it tomorrow and go from there. But I'll also do what you recommended!
Last edited by Vetteman Jack; Nov 27, 2022 at 06:34 AM.
Column lock and no power inside car
