94 Saturn SL2 DOHC Battery kepps dying and Car loses power

I have had this problem before and all I did was replace the battery with a
new one from Autozone about 5 months ago. This just started happening again
a few days ago. I took the battery back and had them charge it over nite,
but when I put it back in the car it started and ran fine while in idle or
in park, but while in drive the car had no power and died within about 15
minutes. So, I took it over to Advance auto and had them charge it so that
they could test my Alternator but as soon as they hooked up the machine and
put a load on the battery it completely drained the battery. Since they
were unable to test the battery or alternator I am kind of lost as to
whether or not it is one of many problems such as a bad cell in the
battery, bad alternator, a short in the electrical system etc... If any
has any suggestions or can help me with any answers what so ever I would
very much so appreciate any help that I can get!!!!!!

Best Regards,
price77

 

alternator!
My 94 sl2 ran fine one morning then started to lose power, very slow
in accelarating and thenfinally died two minutes later, couldn't even
turn the key. The shop replaced the alternator and it did the trick

draining the battery is another sign.
I also heard the that as it gets worse the radio will get staticy if
playing and slow in the drive gears but reverse works fine.

Get a warranty that covers cost and labor(which most shops have I
believe) as when I had mine replaced the new one was also bad as it
started to actup after a month. I had had it replaced as the warranty
was still valid.

I'm not a mechanic, just my 2 cents.

 

Does the battery light come on?
If so, this means that the alternator is not putting out the voltage
required to charge the battery, which should normally be about 15V with
the engine running.

If you have a voltmeter, you can easily check whether it's the battery
or an alternator.

navman

 

I had this problem with my '94 about 5 years ago. I'm not a car guy, but it
was a loose connection on a "device/box" attached on the passenger side, of
the engine compartment. Good Luck!

 

I had a similar problem on my 95 SW2. The alternator had died, but there
was no failure light. The car died in traffic with little warning,
except that the speedometer appeared to die (low voltage).

 

First you need to install a known good battery and have it charged to
the proper level. Only after that, you can properly diagnose an
alternator in the car.

It is very common for a GM alternator to "fail" but the battery light
not come on. Depending on the failed part in the alternator determines
if the light comes on or not.

1. Once you have a good battery installed, connect a voltmeter to the
battery. Your reading should be around 12.4 - 12.6 volts. If not, you
still have battery trouble.

2. Start the engine. Voltage reading should go up to 13.5 - 14 volts.
It can jump immediately or take a minute or so.

Generally speaking, if the alternator is bad, the voltage at the
battery will actually go down from 12.5 volts once the engine is
running. It will go down because of the additional draw from running
the electronics to make the eng run.

One more thing, a defective alternator can put out enough charge to
keep the battery light off, but not enough to keep the battery charged
under a heavy load, for example at night in the rain with lights,
wipers, heater blower, and radio on.

Good Luck, James

 

The best way to test an alternator is to remove it and have it bench
tested for maximum output. I believe most older Saturn alternators have
an output of either 85 or 95 amps depending whether it is normal duty
or heavy duty. I replaced mine with a 95 amp when I did the job.

But with a Saturn, removing the alternator is not a 5 minute job.

James