2000 Eclipse charging system warning light. LONG......

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Jim M - 26 Aug 2007 15:06 GMT

I've been trying to troubleshoot the charging system in my daughters 2000
Eclipse, 2.4l-4, auto, 90k miles. About 2 weeks ago, the CHG snd BRAKE
warning lights came on. I connected a voltmeter to the battery and
determined that the alternator was not charging. Replaced w/ rebuilt,
started it up, no warning lights, voltage at idle 13.5; thought that was
fixed. The next morning I get a call saying that the CHG and BRAKE warning
lights are coming on dimly, and only from idle up to about 1500RPM. Also,
turning on accessories (headlights, a/c on high, etc.) at idle would
extinguish the lights. Thinking I got a bad rebuild, I exchanged that
alternator for another. Same exact symtoms with the second one. Decided to
have her drive the car for a while and see what happens. It appeared the
battery was staying charged for the first week, then a couple of days ago,
the behavior of the lights changed. They were now lighting up from idle to
about 2500RPM, and turning on accessories no longer extingushes them. I
monitored the voltage as I took the car around the block and it does appear
that the alternator is not charging anytime the lights are on, and barely
charging some of the time that they are off. I checked the battery (1-2
years old) with a hydrometer and all 6 cells are showing about 75% charge.
Checked connections near the battery, cleaned some grounds etc,; no change.

Does anyone know for sure if it's normal for the BRAKE warning lamp to
illuminate anytime the CHG warning lamp is on? Looking at the circuit
diagram, they have a pair of diodes in the instrument cluster that are wired
in such a way that makes me believe that this is normal. The circuit diagram
is available here on pg. 90-35 for anyone willing to load it. (it's a 14Mb
PDF, sorry)
http://www.fast-4ward.com/3GsvcManual/90.pdf

My next thought is to connect a voltmeter the Powertrain Control Module
under the dash and monitor 5V and ground leads that run to the alternator.
Maybe cleaning/reseating the plugs on the PCM will help?

Sorry for the long post. All recommendation welcome.

Jim

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john - 27 Aug 2007 18:13 GMT

> I've been trying to troubleshoot the charging system in my daughters 2000
> Eclipse, 2.4l-4, auto, 90k miles. About 2 weeks ago, the CHG snd BRAKE
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
>
> Jim

Not an expert on your car - but the most common thing that would cause your
battery to not charge when the lights are on is a bad ground or wire.

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Jim M - 28 Aug 2007 02:15 GMT

>> I've been trying to troubleshoot the charging system in my daughters 2000
>> Eclipse, 2.4l-4, auto, 90k miles. About 2 weeks ago, the CHG snd BRAKE
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
> Not an expert on your car - but the most common thing that would cause
> your battery to not charge when the lights are on is a bad ground or wire.

John,
I tried to reseat the connectors going to the Powertrain Control Module
yesterday,
but it appears that it's crammed in behind the heater box and would require
major
disassembly to get to. I got Consumer Auto Parts to give me another
alternator (although they weren't too happy about it) and that seemed to do
it. Finally the warning lamps are off, voltage at battery 13.5 a idle and
increases to 14.6 when revved. (the battery is not fully charged yet) That's
just my luck w/ rebulit stuff; it's taken me three alternators to get what
is hopefully a good one. I'm going to call them in the morning and let them
know this. Thanks for the reply.

Jim

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john - 28 Aug 2007 03:44 GMT

>>> I've been trying to troubleshoot the charging system in my daughters
>>> 2000 Eclipse, 2.4l-4, auto, 90k miles. About 2 weeks ago, the CHG snd
[quoted text clipped - 51 lines]
>
> Jim

WOW THREE alternators? Man that it some kind of bad luck with rebuilds!
Good luck, hope this one holds up for you!!

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