Alternator light comes on and off

[Fu Manchu]

By Amps, we are guessing you mean Cold Cranking Amps, yeah?
Get as big as possible. Anything more than stock is a step forward.

Less than stock and you could have some problems.

 

[Fu Manchu]

Also, do you know the exact ground and positive connection locations? If not all good I’ll have a look around

There are a lot. You are best to download the factory workshop manual and navigate it to the wiring section. There are some diagrams showing earths.

 

[Fu Manchu]

Thanks mate, I don’t think the alternator caused any issues to begin with the battery was just going on three years since I had the car, not including the previous owner. And what are the gremlins? I’ve heard but never looked into what they are, thank you

Thinking something is ok and actually testing and getting data to make sure it’s ok are two different things.

Follow data, not hunches or theories.

You have a fault with the charge circuit. Test it to ensure it is operating correctly. Then move forward from there.

The century battery monitor
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1545424...VTSobbORpi&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Topdon battery and charge circuit tester.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1754027...VTSobbORpi&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[Journeycastro12]

Thinking something is ok and actually testing and getting data to make sure it’s ok are two different things.

Follow data, not hunches or theories.

You have a fault with the charge circuit. Test it to ensure it is operating correctly. Then move forward from there.

The century battery monitor
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1545424...VTSobbORpi&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Topdon battery and charge circuit tester.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1754027...VTSobbORpi&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Sweet as thank you mate will go over and see what I come up with

 

[Skylarking]

@Journeycastro12, what battery (brand and product number) did you actually buy and install in your car? Providing that info helps forum members determine if the battery capacity and battery technology is appropriate for your car.

As an FYI, our VE/VF use a sealed calcium enhanced flooded lead acid battery but AGM batteries can be used though they are more pricey… You shouldn’t use an old style open vented flooded lead acid battery as they don’t play nice with the smart charging that our cars provide.

We should also be aware that not all batteries we buy are well maintained by the retail store. As such, it’s important to check the batteries resting open circuit voltage is between 12.6-12.9V before handing over your money. If the battery voltage becomes too low during storage, that shortens the battery’s life (and can be like buying old milk on the day it reaches it’s used by data, workable but not ideal)… So did you check the resting voltage before you bought it and was it ok?

And even good batteries may not be 100% fully charged when we buy them so it’s a good idea to ensure it is 100% SOC before you install it in the car. So did you connect your battery to a charger to ensure it was fully charged before installing it into your car?

The above mentioned are “extras” worth doing beyond load testing that the battery was actually faulty (before replacement) and testing the vehicle‘s charging circuit wasn’t the cause of the old battery’s failure (else the fault can kill your new battery)…
Keep in mind that Holden VE/VF use a smart charging system and it may take some days before the vehicle charging logic (within BCM) determines what the battery state of charge is (which is why it’s good to ensure SOC s 100% when installed as i suspect that helps speed up the process). It’s the BCM charge logic which uses SOC and current draw to command an appropriate alternator charge which it does to prolongs battery life... something it cant do if the battery, the wiring or the alternator is faulty…

As to why the charge light comes on and off, check for DTC’s as these smart charging systems generate fault codes when problems occur. As mentioned, check the alternator wiring is firmly attached at the alternator but also check the current sensor at the battery earth lead isn't visibly damages and the connection to the vehicle wiring is ok (since without a current sensor the smarts don’t work well)…

 

[chrisp]

The most helpful thing would be to have a measure of the battery voltage as measured directly across the two battery posts - with the engine off and with the engine on. From there we can help diagnose the issue.

 

[Journeycastro12]

The most helpful thing would be to have a measure of the battery voltage as measured directly across the two battery posts - with the engine off and with the engine on. From there we can help diagnose the issue.

I haven’t checked with a multi meter but I have checked with the cars built in voltage meter, which i think it was about 13.6, but I’m not too sure how accurate the cars reader is. I’m away from the car for a couple days but I’m going to test it when I get home with a multi

 

[Journeycastro12]

@Journeycastro12, what battery (brand and product number) did you actually buy and install in your car? Providing that info helps forum members determine if the battery capacity and battery technology is appropriate for your car.

As an FYI, our VE/VF use a sealed calcium enhanced flooded lead acid battery but AGM batteries can be used though they are more pricey… You shouldn’t use an old style open vented flooded lead acid battery as they don’t play nice with the smart charging that our cars provide.

We should also be aware that not all batteries we buy are well maintained by the retail store. As such, it’s important to check the batteries resting open circuit voltage is between 12.6-12.9V before handing over your money. If the battery voltage becomes too low during storage, that shortens the battery’s life (and can be like buying old milk on the day it reaches it’s used by data, workable but not ideal)… So did you check the resting voltage before you bought it and was it ok?

And even good batteries may not be 100% fully charged when we buy them so it’s a good idea to ensure it is 100% SOC before you install it in the car. So did you connect your battery to a charger to ensure it was fully charged before installing it into your car?

The above mentioned are “extras” worth doing beyond load testing that the battery was actually faulty (before replacement) and testing the vehicle‘s charging circuit wasn’t the cause of the old battery’s failure (else the fault can kill your new battery)…
Keep in mind that Holden VE/VF use a smart charging system and it may take some days before the vehicle charging logic (within BCM) determines what the battery state of charge is (which is why it’s good to ensure SOC s 100% when installed as i suspect that helps speed up the process). It’s the BCM charge logic which uses SOC and current draw to command an appropriate alternator charge which it does to prolongs battery life... something it cant do if the battery, the wiring or the alternator is faulty…

As to why the charge light comes on and off, check for DTC’s as these smart charging systems generate fault codes when problems occur. As mentioned, check the alternator wiring is firmly attached at the alternator but also check the current sensor at the battery earth lead isn't visibly damages and the connection to the vehicle wiring is ok (since without a current sensor the smarts don’t work well)…

Thanks for the reply mate, for the brand and product number I’ll need 2 days to get, had to leave home for a couple days, but will get as soon as I’m home, and I wasn’t aware of how sensitive our cars are so I didn’t check anything really for the battery before putting it in, which is my bad. As soon as I’m home I’ll be going through and checking all the connections that could be loose and will also let everyone know more of the batteries details. Hopefully it’s just a battery as it came with 2 year warranty, and when I get my new one I’ll bring a multimeter to double check. Thanks mate

 

[chrisp]

I haven’t checked with a multi meter but I have checked with the cars built in voltage meter, which i think it was about 13.6, but I’m not too sure how accurate the cars reader is. I’m away from the car for a couple days but I’m going to test it when I get home with a multi

Definitely worthwhile checking the voltage directly at the battery terminals. If there are any connection issues between the alternator and the battery, it might show up as a difference between between the DIC reading and the multimeter reading. If they are both pretty much the same it may be a charging system issue (alternator or BCM).

 

[Journeycastro12]

Definitely worthwhile checking the voltage directly at the battery terminals. If there are any connection issues between the alternator and the battery, it might show up as a difference between between the DIC reading and the multimeter reading. If they are both pretty much the same it may be a charging system issue (alternator or BCM).

Ahh definitely I hadn’t thought of any issues between it changing the reading, I actually have a voltage gauge I should install