Sheena Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 you'd have to test and see. but generally running lights/ or A/C puts your alt in H/O mode. 09 Civic EX KDC-X395 (2) SKAR Audio VVX-12 Skar Audio SK-1500.1 4 cu ft @32 (new box and more port soon) Firing Forward not sealed off Stock 80 Amp Alt Big 3 In 1/0 Knu 2 Runs To The Back 1 Pos 1 Neg In 1/0 Knu DD-1'd 13.8v drop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 I kind of ran into the same problem. I have a 2008 Chevy Impala and after doing the big 3 upgrade with 1/0 cable, my voltage increased from 12.4 to 14.8. But my PCM must be trying to regulate my alternator charging to. I get a message on the instrument cluster saying battery saver mode. Would a way around this be with running the lights on? I assume this is the same problem you're running into Amart..... Any ideas?? pretty much yes. and your voltage didn't increase that much because of the big 3. it changed because of the pcm in the car. good read that explains the charging modes http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=auto_pres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvcincy Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 I kind of ran into the same problem. I have a 2008 Chevy Impala and after doing the big 3 upgrade with 1/0 cable, my voltage increased from 12.4 to 14.8. But my PCM must be trying to regulate my alternator charging to. I get a message on the instrument cluster saying battery saver mode. Would a way around this be with running the lights on? I assume this is the same problem you're running into Amart..... Any ideas?? pretty much yes. and your voltage didn't increase that much because of the big 3. it changed because of the pcm in the car. good read that explains the charging modes http://opensiuc.lib....ntext=auto_pres Ok. Thanks Kranny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvcincy Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 i'm a little confused about which mode it's going into. Battery saver means that the battery votage is dropping below what it should and it shuts off accessories that may draw excess voltage such as A/C, cruise control etc. So if it's dropping low it should be charging high all the time. One thing I did read was that when the car is idle the alternator is producing enough amp to run the whole cars electrical system especially with 2 amps. I think I have noticed when I'm in stop and go traffic it goes into saving mode more easily. I read that article and it was good but I'm wondering what mode it fits into when it goes in to battery saver mode? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amart88 Posted May 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 OK, lets clear some of this up. I had the car in the garage, none of the sensors were bad everything was O.K. On these cars, in order for the cooling fan to come on, the computer has to ground the fan relays so it will come on. The computer is not doing so. Traced the problem to the fan harness which the doide failed and the wires were burnt 6 inches in. Something happened and caused a short and totally F*uked my harness. So, to anyone else having this issue. As stated aove. We ran a the fans power to the Pos stud unter the hood and attached a relay so it will only come on when the key is on. So my fan runs 100% now but its better than not at all. So we came to the conclusion whatever shorted the fan harness out also fried the computers driver for the fan. :S. The car was in an accident over a year ago and they had to replace the radiator so something may have got pinched. As far as the charging topic. The alt is not stock, it's a 270a Ohio gen. There is a light sensor on the front of my dash. If I cover it up the auto lights will come on and thus I get 13.8-14 volts constant. It's very sensitive so sometimes even a tad of light will sneak in and make the voltage go down which then stays down untill i restart the car or wait a wile for the sesor to cooperate. Also, I did look into an mla for my PCM to increase the charging voltage a little bit so when it does decide to work it will be better voltage. Well see what happens. Just thought I would let you all know whats up. My 2005 s10 blazer build. 4 zcon 18's walled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junior Russell Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 try puttin some electrical or duct tape over the sensor http://www.youtube.c...e1?feature=mheehttp://www.stevemead...87#entry1993187 JVC KD-R530 head unit VVME INNO-D1500 sub amp Kenwood KAC-8402 amplifierPioneer 2-way 6.5 X2 @ 4 ohms DTI Audio 6.5 X2 @ 4 ohmsbox: 4.24 ft^3 tuned to 61 hertz (port walls fell off and dissapeared ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CW06Silvy Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 ughh. well I went out this morning and started he car... 12.9.. running lights on 12.9... I give the hell up with this pcm regulated shit. The thing is still overheating (cooling fan not coming on when its supposed to) got a new thermostat today, Ironically when I start really buming the system the engine overheats and my voltage dropped to 12.6 !! thats lowest it's ever been. It did go back to 13.1 but still. Im looking into an MLA module to bypass that supid "know it all " computer. I would like tocharge around 14ish not 12.9. Thats my story for the day. Also, even though the dash said, "AUTO LIGHTS ON" they were not on at all. maybe theres a light sensor somewhere. Jeez anyways thats all for now. These GM cars usually have a current sensing PCM. My 06 Silverado has one just like this. It starts by charging @14.4 then after a while works down to like 12.6 or so. There is no real way for the PCM to see what the alternator is feeling as a load. Most of these cars will have a current sensor somewhere along the factory wiring. idk if it will be by the battery or alternator but it looks like a big plastic ring around the wire. Now when a wire transfers current it creates a magnetic field around the wire, and the higher the draw the larger this field gets, and that sensor is what detects this and cranks up the alternator. This is partially why when you turn your lights to "auto on" the alt will charge properly. Your headlights will draw an additional 40A or so, and this sensor detects that change and turns up the alternator to accommodate. And your pretty battery bank in the back is responsible for your pcm not detecting your draw from the amplifiers. Now your options as a fix are to 1: find this sensor and run your wiring through it (good luck with this because im sure it won't fit) or, 2: an external voltage control module for the alternator. The only problem with the MLA is that it will leave your battery light on becasuse the PCM is pissed that it cannot control the voltage coming from the alternator. At this point you can either remove the bulb and have a external voltage display, or deal with the light. I am installing a 14.8V dual alt kit on my silverado and am researching and trying to make a bypass.. I will post on this again if I come up with something to fix the light. 2006 Silverado Ext. Cab 6-15" SSA ZCONS 4th Order Blow-Through Pioneer AVH-P4200dvd American Bass VFL 1100.1 12 volt 6 C&D Batteries 2-350A Singer Alternators and Stock Alt DC Power Triple Alt Kit MLA Module 3 Runs of 1/0 2 Sets of Boston Acoustics 6.5 Pro Components Boston Acoustics 2-channel Lots of Sound Deadener ....Build still in Progress... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CW06Silvy Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 OK, lets clear some of this up. I had the car in the garage, none of the sensors were bad everything was O.K. On these cars, in order for the cooling fan to come on, the computer has to ground the fan relays so it will come on. The computer is not doing so. Traced the problem to the fan harness which the doide failed and the wires were burnt 6 inches in. Something happened and caused a short and totally F*uked my harness. So, to anyone else having this issue. As stated aove. We ran a the fans power to the Pos stud unter the hood and attached a relay so it will only come on when the key is on. So my fan runs 100% now but its better than not at all. So we came to the conclusion whatever shorted the fan harness out also fried the computers driver for the fan. :S. The car was in an accident over a year ago and they had to replace the radiator so something may have got pinched. As far as the charging topic. The alt is not stock, it's a 270a Ohio gen. There is a light sensor on the front of my dash. If I cover it up the auto lights will come on and thus I get 13.8-14 volts constant. It's very sensitive so sometimes even a tad of light will sneak in and make the voltage go down which then stays down untill i restart the car or wait a wile for the sesor to cooperate. Also, I did look into an mla for my PCM to increase the charging voltage a little bit so when it does decide to work it will be better voltage. Well see what happens. Just thought I would let you all know whats up. Regarding the fan issue. The diode is meant to protect the car's electronics from current flowing the wrong direction. Without showing you a schematic it will be very hard to understand how this works. It is very possible that you may have hooked a battery up backwards, or grounded something somewhere that caused too large of a voltage difference across the diode and the diode blew up. As to what fried your wires, that would be the battery, because that diode was no longer protecting the circuits of the computer from the current possibly flowing the wrong way. My guess is that you might have accidently touched the frame or fans or something and created a spark when you installed your alternator. From your video that alt looks like it was a bitch to install, and very easy to accidently touch something. Let me ask you this, did you un-hook your battery grounds when you were installing that alternator? It is possible that some other issue could have caused this as well. Have you figured out which wires are supposed to ground the relays? Did you start the car and actually see if that portion of the computer is fried by getting it hot and seeing if it tried to ground those relays. The computer should be internally protected, but it is possible it may need to be replaced. Those charred wires may not be able to conduct electricity anymore and that could cause the problem. Honestly I would take it to a dealer and see what it would cost to get the fan stuff fixed. Fixing this right the first time is a much better alternative than getto-rigging and causing more problems down the road. 2006 Silverado Ext. Cab 6-15" SSA ZCONS 4th Order Blow-Through Pioneer AVH-P4200dvd American Bass VFL 1100.1 12 volt 6 C&D Batteries 2-350A Singer Alternators and Stock Alt DC Power Triple Alt Kit MLA Module 3 Runs of 1/0 2 Sets of Boston Acoustics 6.5 Pro Components Boston Acoustics 2-channel Lots of Sound Deadener ....Build still in Progress... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amart88 Posted May 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 ughh. well I went out this morning and started he car... 12.9.. running lights on 12.9... I give the hell up with this pcm regulated shit. The thing is still overheating (cooling fan not coming on when its supposed to) got a new thermostat today, Ironically when I start really buming the system the engine overheats and my voltage dropped to 12.6 !! thats lowest it's ever been. It did go back to 13.1 but still. Im looking into an MLA module to bypass that supid "know it all " computer. I would like tocharge around 14ish not 12.9. Thats my story for the day. Also, even though the dash said, "AUTO LIGHTS ON" they were not on at all. maybe theres a light sensor somewhere. Jeez anyways thats all for now. These GM cars usually have a current sensing PCM. My 06 Silverado has one just like this. It starts by charging @14.4 then after a while works down to like 12.6 or so. There is no real way for the PCM to see what the alternator is feeling as a load. Most of these cars will have a current sensor somewhere along the factory wiring. idk if it will be by the battery or alternator but it looks like a big plastic ring around the wire. Now when a wire transfers current it creates a magnetic field around the wire, and the higher the draw the larger this field gets, and that sensor is what detects this and cranks up the alternator. This is partially why when you turn your lights to "auto on" the alt will charge properly. Your headlights will draw an additional 40A or so, and this sensor detects that change and turns up the alternator to accommodate. And your pretty battery bank in the back is responsible for your pcm not detecting your draw from the amplifiers. Now your options as a fix are to 1: find this sensor and run your wiring through it (good luck with this because im sure it won't fit) or, 2: an external voltage control module for the alternator. The only problem with the MLA is that it will leave your battery light on becasuse the PCM is pissed that it cannot control the voltage coming from the alternator. At this point you can either remove the bulb and have a external voltage display, or deal with the light. I am installing a 14.8V dual alt kit on my silverado and am researching and trying to make a bypass.. I will post on this again if I come up with something to fix the light. Yes there is a black plactic ring that was around the factory ground wire from the rear battery. Coming off wo a fuse for the taillights im assuming. I still hav it around my new 1/0 ground wire (barely fits) but the alts still not charging very high. Yes my car does exactly what you say your truck did. 14.4 on startup then down to 12.9ish. it will stay at 13.8 with light sensor covered up and auto lights on but thats a pain in the a**. My 2005 s10 blazer build. 4 zcon 18's walled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amart88 Posted May 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 OK, lets clear some of this up. I had the car in the garage, none of the sensors were bad everything was O.K. On these cars, in order for the cooling fan to come on, the computer has to ground the fan relays so it will come on. The computer is not doing so. Traced the problem to the fan harness which the doide failed and the wires were burnt 6 inches in. Something happened and caused a short and totally F*uked my harness. So, to anyone else having this issue. As stated aove. We ran a the fans power to the Pos stud unter the hood and attached a relay so it will only come on when the key is on. So my fan runs 100% now but its better than not at all. So we came to the conclusion whatever shorted the fan harness out also fried the computers driver for the fan. :S. The car was in an accident over a year ago and they had to replace the radiator so something may have got pinched. As far as the charging topic. The alt is not stock, it's a 270a Ohio gen. There is a light sensor on the front of my dash. If I cover it up the auto lights will come on and thus I get 13.8-14 volts constant. It's very sensitive so sometimes even a tad of light will sneak in and make the voltage go down which then stays down untill i restart the car or wait a wile for the sesor to cooperate. Also, I did look into an mla for my PCM to increase the charging voltage a little bit so when it does decide to work it will be better voltage. Well see what happens. Just thought I would let you all know whats up. Regarding the fan issue. The diode is meant to protect the car's electronics from current flowing the wrong direction. Without showing you a schematic it will be very hard to understand how this works. It is very possible that you may have hooked a battery up backwards, or grounded something somewhere that caused too large of a voltage difference across the diode and the diode blew up. As to what fried your wires, that would be the battery, because that diode was no longer protecting the circuits of the computer from the current possibly flowing the wrong way. My guess is that you might have accidently touched the frame or fans or something and created a spark when you installed your alternator. From your video that alt looks like it was a bitch to install, and very easy to accidently touch something. Let me ask you this, did you un-hook your battery grounds when you were installing that alternator? It is possible that some other issue could have caused this as well. Have you figured out which wires are supposed to ground the relays? Did you start the car and actually see if that portion of the computer is fried by getting it hot and seeing if it tried to ground those relays. The computer should be internally protected, but it is possible it may need to be replaced. Those charred wires may not be able to conduct electricity anymore and that could cause the problem. Honestly I would take it to a dealer and see what it would cost to get the fan stuff fixed. Fixing this right the first time is a much better alternative than getto-rigging and causing more problems down the road. Yes the very first time my new alt was put in, somone was helping me and when I came back they didn't disconnect the batt and it sparked. But that was over a year ago and this problem is more recent. I did accidentally drop a charge line into my trunk and it shorted for a split second few weeks ago. That might have done it. Also, we cheked the relays with a test light and DMM the relay was functional but the computer was not grounding them. It would ground them randomly without any reason. Not when it was supposed to. So Idk. Also the dealer would charge me like 500-1000$ for that crap. I do understand it is the "correct" way to do it but it's alot of money right now when I'm out of work. it works ok on 100% (knock on wood) but I still think about it. and now I got some little glitches with my new system to my head is starting to hurt lol My 2005 s10 blazer build. 4 zcon 18's walled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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