Switches that don't work, this might be the end of me.

[luna_hugheso]

At around 60k miles, the alternator was changed by the previous owner. I did it again at around 94,000 and then again at 99,000. The "battery saver" sign is on and my wife is three hours away; she just called me. The alternator is turning over, as she has sufficient electricity, but this is still problematic.

After the first failure, I swapped out the battery and alternator for a Caprice cop model. Both units are remanufactured and available at Rock Auto. I went through and wire brushed a bunch of grounds and cleaned them up after the alternator I replaced failed at around 99k. This is really getting under my skin. I despise dealing with electrical problems and am at a loss as to what else to investigate.

I figured that cleaning up the grounds would help with the rust, because the car was driven in the northeast during winters. However, every connection that I've removed has looked OK.

Does anyone have experience with this and was able to resolve the issue? Thank you!

note: the alternators are indeed terrible. They failed when I took them to Auto Zone, but they wouldn't explain why. I doubt it is the clutches because they appeared to be functioning well on both.

Well, my wife finally got home. A "battery saving mode" rather than a "service battery charging system" designation appears on the dashboard. However, the voltage dropped to 11.7 volts, according to her. She mentioned that every so often it would go into the thirteens. Assist me! This car probably won't get much further than this. It serves as our third vehicle, but I mostly take it on cross-country road trips in my role as a "touring" driver. Unpredictable and persistent electrical problems are the kind of things that make me doubt this, and an unreliable vehicle makes it impossible for me to accomplish that.

[joel_coxe]

There must be corrosion on one or more wires, connectors, or harnesses somewhere along that system's path, because this sounds terrible. Take it to a reliable mechanic who is well-versed in electrical wiring troubleshooting techniques to have it checked out. The alternators are failing at an early age, which is obviously due to some problem with the shoddy wiring. Put an end to guessing and start getting things fixed right away.

[luna_hugheso]

Very well, then... It may have been a simple solution for this one. I finally got a chance to examine the vehicle this morning after my wife hobbled it home. The alternator's connection to the battery had been disconnected. Everything appears to be in order; I turned it down and am now receiving good voltage (high 13s/low 14s). This week, my boss has requested that I drive three to four hours away. I suppose it's time for me to go out and prove it. The vehicle will have a spare battery and tool set.

[joel_coxe]

I hope this is simply a case of bad luck for you. It is my recommendation that you double-check the hardware on each of the cleaned-up areas.

[luna_hugheso]

The loose connection between the battery and alternator was a major red flag, in my opinion. However, for the time being, I will be going with my socket set. I was literally just gushing to my wife about how great our current automobiles are. My 2016 SS is one of two vehicles that I own; the other is a 2016 GMC Canyon that I've had for a short time but am rather fond of. There is an Odyssey from 22 as well. All of them are in the 85-110k area, and I was just going on about how great our cars are and how happy I am with our setup for the upcoming years when this happened. It seems like the body on this changes quite a little when you drive about, so I'll be sure to mess with all the other grounds as well.

Revised: after further discussion with my wife, it aligns with her perspective. According to her, the notice for the power conservation mode was received, but the alert for the "service battery charging system" was never received. According to her, she kept a close eye on the voltage, which would occasionally spike and remain between 13 and 14 volts. It appears that everything is in order; my only concern is that the system was not irreparably damaged.

[michael.perezge]

Discovering anything is almost a relief. It's true that my SS has given me a few headaches.

[luna_hugheso]

For the time being, though, I'm going to relax and try not to freak out about the fact that I'm on my third alternator at 100,000 miles. The trip computer is normally left on, so I will turn it on all the time and maybe even acquire a voltage meter that plugs into a cigarette lighter to keep a "constant" watch on it.

[lucas_diazp]

Touching a power terminal can cause modern cars to become hilariously sensitive. Occasionally, my dad's "old" E92 335i would misfire and throw codes. I accompanied him as we examined the battery terminals; at extreme strain, I could budge one of them by hand. Assumed it was enough. As it turned out, all the issues were resolved by slightly tightening that terminal.