Have an 07 base thats been thankfully reliable for the eight months Ive owned it, did the harmonic balancer replacement for good measure, otherwise a joy to own. It’s getting hot out in the Antelope Valley and running around town doing errands I caught a couple warning messages. The first was the second time in a couple months Ive seen it, Service Active Handling System. Which did not recur after switching the car on after a stop. But having seen it recently, im beginning to wonder why it’s happening. The next message appeared after we sat in a Sonic burger spot for lunch, where the car basically idled with the ac on for 45 minutes. That was a Service Charging System warning. The voltage read between 11 and 12 volts, but as soon as we moved and the rpms increased, we were back to 13+ volts and no more reminders flashed the rest of the ride. The car did flip the fans on after the ignition was off for a few minutes but nothing else popped up after a couple hours letting it cool off and restarting.
So my question is, can this just be a symptom of the heat, and letting the car run without scooping air into the intake, or should I oughtta have it looked at by my shop? I dont want to chalk it up to nothing if somehow these two codes together spell out symptoms of a larger problem to some of y’all reading this post. As usual, many thanks for taking the time to read, and reply. This forum has been the best source of information one could hope to find.

 

How old is the battery..?.....funny stuff happens when the battery is questionable

Clif

 

About 8 months, but I do often forget to pull my cell charger from the aux. could be that, I saw a video on YouTube posted by a dude called Froggy, which instantly inspired confidence he knew what he was talking about lol, but anyhow he pulled the battery tray out to reveal a grounding point that was loose or corroded, fixed it, and both of the same messages he had in common with me were remedied. The nut was loose, though not excessively, so I snugged it up. Ive also been in the fuse box lately to replace my aux plug fuse. The cover to that cluster of fuses is tight against some serious looking connections, I double checked those and one was definitely not seated snugly, one kid with a horrible youtube post suggested he saved hundreds “if not thousands” of dollars by hitting the connections under there with a semi violent amount of force. I omitted the technique when double checking my own, then i duct taped my battery back into the car, drove a few drywall screws thru the hood to be sure it was done closed right. Now Im about to test drive the car and see what lights up. I will throw a code reader on there and see what comes up.
Thanks for the suggestion!

 

Well, I did all the above listed things and wire brushed my terminals and clamps, and now I’m making 14 volts again, no codes after a spirited romp. Cycled thru the driving modes, did a donut or two (three) and not a peep. I will let it be for the moment and if it codes again I will just bring it in. Bought a warranty for a reason, may as well get my moneys worth out of it.
Smoke‘Em If Ya Got‘Em!

 

The OEM alternator really isn't up to the task of running your fan and AC and all the rest when the engine is at idle speed. Your system goes onto a draw down condition which may be OK for a while, but over 45 minutes you probably sucked quite a bit out of the battery. These cars don't seem to like lower voltages from partially discharged batteries.

 

That fully adds up to me, and is what I suspected was the case. To be fair the battery does get used pretty often on accessory mode too. I like to return from a good run and listen to the stereo for a few. I hardly ever have the music on DURING the drive, it distracts from rev matching for me, but afterwards Its nice to rock out. So yeah you may be onto something. Thanks for the reply

 

You were at a double disadvantage because idling for that long would have raised the underhood temps quite a bit. So your altetnator got hotter, which raises its internal resistance and reduces its power output as a result. The cooling fan draws pretty much the same as the alternator output at idle. So all the rest, HVAC fan, running lights, stereo and all of the electronics would have been drawing down the battery. There are 6-pole alternators available that put out 50 amps and more at idle. Mechman comes to mind as an example.

 

Fantastic! Thats the call when I replace the alternator. I always try to get the next better component whenever something is due to be replaced. I was dreading it was the EBCM or whatever its called...the Braking Module, but after researching online it actually looks like a pretty straightforward diy fix, re soldering a few connections..after wrangling it out of course..seems like a pain to get at..but I digress the heat and the idling seem to have been the culprit, car runs like a champ, 14 volts, all driving modes active and a-ok.
I appreciate you sharing your knowledge to help me out! Happy Motoring!!