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Wiring issue on an 05 GTO?

CaddyXLR-V

By CaddyXLR-V
in Tech Section

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CaddyXLR-V Newbie

CaddyXLR-V

Posted
Posted (edited)

Does anyone know if there are any wiring issues on 2005 GTOs? Mine has already had it's second dead battery in 2 years. The first time was with 15,000 miles on the car. I replaced the original battery with a yellow top Optima battery($200) which have been known to last over 10 years, and now 2 years later it is dead again. No electronics were left on, no doors open etc. I just parked at work in the morning, went to leave for lunch, and it just clicks, and the remote unlocking/locking chime is very faint.

Edited by CaddyXLR-V
CaddyXLR-V Newbie

CaddyXLR-V

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Sounds like it could be an issue with your alternator ...

I will check it out today once I get it jumped to get home. I would think there would be a warning light if the alternator wasn't charging though, and I didn't notice any warning lights when I was driving to work.

SAmadei Newbie

SAmadei

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I will check it out today once I get it jumped to get home. I would think there would be a warning light if the alternator wasn't charging though, and I didn't notice any warning lights when I was driving to work.

Actually, most alternator failures I've ever dealt with never lit the warning light. Only by watching the habits of the volt gauge would you see it coming... and nobody but my mother watches the volt gauge with paranoia.

Check the battery cables for overheating. I've had a lot of problems with them on late model cars, and the constant heat cycling seems to cause the cables to degrade to the point where the alternator can't push juice back into the battery anymore, yet they look pretty good externally. The one car eventually melted the battery terminal.

Robert Hall Veteran

Robert Hall

Posted
Posted

Arizona summers are lethal on batteries, I've heard. I hear they only last from 12 months to 2 years max here. In Colorado, I got 5 years out a battery.

Another possibility could be something is draining it...I've had that problem with aftermarket radios being left on, and an underhood light that stuck in the on position.

Blake Noble Newbie

Blake Noble

Posted
Posted (edited)

Like SAmadei said, there isn't an idiot light for an alternator failure, like generators used to have.

If you are having problems with your charging system, always have your alternator bench tested first. If it isn't the alternator, there is an issue with your battery cables (corrosion, mainly) or another component of the system.

Also, PCS raises another possibility: a problem with the RAP circuit, if the GTO was equipped with one.

Edited by YellowJacket894
SAmadei Newbie

SAmadei

Posted
Posted
On a serious note, doesn't your GTO shut off anything electrical after it has been running for 10 minutes, like my Grand Prix does?

That sounds like a more serious problem than XLR-V was posting about. ;-) Seriously, I get what you are saying, though. You mean like the radio and interior lights... my '99 Bonne does the same... but this doesn't kill all the juice. For example, the radio memory and remote responder are still hot. Granted, these are not large loads, but if one was shorted, it could be an issue.

I'm not familiar with the circuit that controls the 10 minute electric kill on newer cars... on older cars it was an add-on... likely part of the chime/lighting. On newer cars, where this is standard, I would imagine it is more integral, and less likely to fail since it would be on a chip and/or solid state. But of course, everything fails. ;-)

SAmadei Newbie

SAmadei

Posted
Posted
Like SAmadei said, there isn't an idiot light for an alternator failure, like generators used to have.

Well, there IS an alternator/ALT idiot light on some cars, though it seems to be a well deserved endangered species on new cars, with information centers and volt gauges.

Of course, ALT lights are virtually useless. They only come on if the alternator fails in a particular way... which doesn't seem to happen in this age (post 1975ish) of reliable internal regulators.

CaddyXLR-V Newbie

CaddyXLR-V

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Well, there IS an alternator/ALT idiot light on some cars, though it seems to be a well deserved endangered species on new cars, with information centers and volt gauges.

Of course, ALT lights are virtually useless. They only come on if the alternator fails in a particular way... which doesn't seem to happen in this age (post 1975ish) of reliable internal regulators.

If I remember correctly, my previous Pontiacs had warning lights for the charging system. It did end up being the battery after all. I think the problem is due to not only the heat in Arizona, but the heat the engine produces under the hood. The hood latch was almost hot enough to burn me when opening the hood. The battery cables were very hot, but there was no corrosion and looked fine. Also, I haven't kept any lights on to test whether they shut off after 10 minutes or not.

I'm just wondering if I didn't happen to get the Optima battery, how long would a duralast battery have lasted? The original battery died at 15k miles, the Optima lasted over 50k miles.

Robert Hall Veteran

Robert Hall

Posted
Posted (edited)
I'm just wondering if I didn't happen to get the Optima battery, how long would a duralast battery have lasted? The original battery died at 15k miles, the Optima lasted over 50k miles.

Fascinating.. when I bought a battery for my Jeep about 5 months ago, I got a 2 year warranty w/ it--that was the longest available from the shop I went to. People I've talked with say they replace them every 12-16 months here. My sister replaces hers every 2-2 1/2 years, but she only drives each car 2000 miles a year at most. I'm driving 1000 miles a month or more..

Hopefully I won't be here long enough to find out how long mine lasts.. :) 16 months here so far.

Rob

Edited by Cubical-aka-Moltar
CaddyXLR-V Newbie

CaddyXLR-V

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Fascinating.. when I bought a battery for my Jeep about 5 months ago, I got a 2 year warranty w/ it--that was the longest available from the shop I went to. People I've talked with say they replace them every 12-16 months here. My sister replaces hers every 2-2 1/2 years, but she only drives each car 2000 miles a year at most. I'm driving 1000 miles a month or more..

Hopefully I won't be here long enough to find out how long mine lasts.. :)

Rob

My warranty expired less than 2 months ago. I've never really kept a car long enough to worry about replacing batteries I guess.

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