9 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHBattery / Alternator both good but bad?!?
Reported or suspected cause
corrosion of the the connector at the starter
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
Read evidence and context
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Discussions that report identifying a cause
1
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Reported cause
I know that one common issue is the corrosion of the the connector at the starter, this connector is on the cable harness that runs from the alternator to the starter and then on to the battery charging point in the engine compartment.
Leading evidence: 'corrosion of the the connector at the starter' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'corrosion of the the connector at the starter' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check cable' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Discussions that contain suggestions
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Suggestion
Check the cable from the alternator to the starter and the positive connection on the jumper node in the engine compartment.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
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Suggestion
Also I would remove the grounding cable, clean the connections and put it back on.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
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Suggestion
I would suggest following the Ahsai instructions on replacing the wiring harness.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
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Suggestion · Original poster
Today I stopped off at my local parts store and had them test the "bad" alternator.
These are separate views of the same evidence. Frequency alone does not establish a fix, and these counts must not be added together.
corrosion of the the connector at the starter
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
Read evidence and context
Discussions that report identifying a cause
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Reported cause
I know that one common issue is the corrosion of the the connector at the starter, this connector is on the cable harness that runs from the alternator to the starter and then on to the battery charging point in the engine compartment.
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
9 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261026T124918Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
Hey all-
So, had the battery light come on on my 2003 C4 Cab automatic. Hadn't driven it in a few days, so took it down the street and within 60 seconds, the light was off and the needle moved to 13volts (from under 12). Thought I was good to go.
Next day, no problems.
Following day, leaving another part of town, and the battery light is on again. Started heading home, and it never went off. Volts kept dropping. Then all "electrical hell" broke loose. ABS failure, PSM failure, top not closed, tiptronic emergency, etc etc... Pulled over and parked it. Took the battery out, and brought it to a shop to have it tested and charged. Tested fine, and charged fine.
Put it in car and was able to drive it home (another 6 miles maybe). The battery light was on the entire time. When I got in the garage, I didn't shut it off. I instead pulled the negative cable on the battery, and the car died instantly. MUST be the alternator, right...?!
Bought another alternator. It has a regular pulley on it, but the "bad" one has a clutch pulley. And its not the original. So I didn't install it, and instead ordered another alternator.
Today I stopped off at my local parts store and had them test the "bad" alternator. And it PASSED with flying colors. Twice.
So here I am waiting for the new alternator (with voltage regulator) and second guessing myself. Figure it might be a bad brush or connection in the old one. And the bouncing around in the back seat made it "work" again for the testing today...
Is there some other component I am not thinking of? Once I install the new alternator, I won't be able to return it of course.
Banging my head here....
Put it in car and was able to drive it home (another 6 miles maybe). The battery light was on the entire time. When I got in the garage,
I didn't shut it off. I instead pulled the negative cable on the battery, and the car died instantly. MUST be the alternator, right...?!
OUCH! Good way to blow the diodes on the alternator.
Check the cable from the alternator to the starter and the positive connection on the jumper node in the engine compartment.
See this thread
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ter-cable.html
I grew up with VW Beetles in my blood. Still playing with these cars as if they were $700 field junkers...!!
I should add that the ONLY thing that changed was I had removed the mufflers (gundo hack) and reinstalled them. I can't imagine anything I did there would effect the charging system, but wanted to at least put it all out there... lol
Thanks again!
Muffler remove shouldn't cause charging problems unless you removed/broke/upset the
ground wire from chassis to engine. It lives under right side, @ trans end of the engine.
Yeah, that cable looks great. As does the harness to and from the starter...
I am really leaning in the "loose connection in the voltage regulator" possibility. Will install the new alt/vr when it comes in.
Thanks!
When you say the cable "looks great" what exactly do you mean? I know that one common issue is the corrosion of the the connector at the starter, this connector is on the cable harness that runs from the alternator to the starter and then on to the battery charging point in the engine compartment. The connector is covered by a plastic housing and so the corrosion may not be visible. The cables can look fine from the outside. I would suggest following the Ahsai instructions on replacing the wiring harness. Also I would remove the grounding cable, clean the connections and put it back on.
Gotcha! The cable in the rear well next to the muffler I reinstalled looked "great" as in "I didn't screw it up and melt/cut it when I put the muffler back on"...
Just got word this morning that the air/oil separator is leaking a bit now, and they quoted $2100+ to change it. So I suppose I will do it myself and get these "extra" things done at the same time.
Appreciate it guys!
NEVER disconnect the battery with the engine running!
The battery is an integral part of the voltage regulation, open that part of the circuit and the voltage level will quickly go to the MAXIMUM.
You may have lucked out in that the alternator was already toast, otherwise you took the chance of blowing every electronic component in the car.
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.
