Charging system blues
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 71
Likes: 24
Charging system blues
Hey everyone. I'll make this quick. 2006 Corvette. Was fine for a few months then lost all charge. Car died. Tech installs new battery and alternator and car is running good...couple of months later it happens again. Tech replaces alternator again.
Driving home and "check electrical system" comes on again. It seems to stay ay 13.8 to 14.2 then just drops off down to 11 or lower. Car is in the shop right now and the tech says even he has no idea.
Help! Any suggestions would be welcome.
Driving home and "check electrical system" comes on again. It seems to stay ay 13.8 to 14.2 then just drops off down to 11 or lower. Car is in the shop right now and the tech says even he has no idea.
Help! Any suggestions would be welcome.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 82,175
Likes: 1,319
From: McKinney TX
St. Jude Donor '21-'22-'23-'24
Start by deleting the OnStar fuse. It's dead, there is no more OnStar. In the passenger side floorboard fuse box, extreme left side of the box, 4th fuse from the bottom of the box is the OnStar fuse.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 4,587
Likes: 1,667
From: Pearland / Houston Tx
I have an 07 and recently did the Big 3 wire upgrade. It makes a big difference (at least on mine) as our cars and wiring systems age.
Google results for Big 3 Wiring Upgrade
I made my set of 4 cables for 40 bucks with stiff 4 gauge cable from Lowes, 120 amp fuse holder and copper lugs from Amazon.
Google results for Big 3 Wiring Upgrade
I made my set of 4 cables for 40 bucks with stiff 4 gauge cable from Lowes, 120 amp fuse holder and copper lugs from Amazon.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 2,135
Likes: 1,309
From: North Little Rock, AR
I hope the tech is bench testing the altenator before installing. So if I read this right you are now on 3rd altenator. Is the last altenator bad now? If so something is killing the volatage regulator it sounds like to me. This would most likely be a bad ground or bad battery cables as a starting point.
Racer
Joined: Apr 2022
Posts: 284
Likes: 138
I had all kinds of issues now none.
Check the ground connection on the starter, check the battery cable for corrosion, will look black. Do the big 3 wire upgrade, get a better alternator.
I replaced battery cables, did the big 3 wire upgrade and got a 260A alternator, also had to replace starter as solenoid melted from headers. I have had zero issues anymore.
Check the ground connection on the starter, check the battery cable for corrosion, will look black. Do the big 3 wire upgrade, get a better alternator.
I replaced battery cables, did the big 3 wire upgrade and got a 260A alternator, also had to replace starter as solenoid melted from headers. I have had zero issues anymore.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 924
Likes: 70
From: TX Hill Country
Installing a Mechman 170 amp alternator resolved a similar issue on my low mileage stock 11 GS. My problem was that once the engine warmed up and the ambient temp was above 70, the output at idle would drop to 10. When the vehicle was cold, output hovered between 12 and 13 volts.
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Drifting
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,786
Likes: 335
From: New York New York
Mine is doing something similar once in while. I rev it and it usually comes back. I did the big two (z06) and it still did it once. Check your grounds. I started cleaning mine and it seems to help. I haven’t done the rest yet since they are a bit tough to get at but it can’t hurt
Pro
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 635
Likes: 271
From: Hampton, VA
I had an issue with the alternator and 12 volt connection at the starter. When i replaced my starter, this fixed the problem for a while. The problem was the connection was faulty from heat coming off the header. when that connection point goes bad, the alternator loses its connection point to the car, causing the system to not charge properly.
I've since replaced my entire charging system and ran the alternator wire directly to the hot post on the fuse box. I bought a kit from a vendor out of Texas made with 0 gauge welding wire. it will handle some heat!
hope this info helps!
I've since replaced my entire charging system and ran the alternator wire directly to the hot post on the fuse box. I bought a kit from a vendor out of Texas made with 0 gauge welding wire. it will handle some heat!
hope this info helps!