Hi everybody. I'm new, just registered. I have an issue that may originally have been 2 issues. I was driving on our country road and approaching a sharp S curve. I let off the gas to slow down and the engine died. I pulled over and put it in park. I tried to start it and only get a click. I had it towed back to the house and started checking everything out. I had just replaced the battery with a higher CCA then what was in there but upon checking the battery I had low voltage. I suspected a bad alternator which if not charging the battery would slowly drain the battery voltage getting to a point there would not be enough voltage to keep the car running. I charged the battery back to over 12.5 volts but same click. Engine does not turn over. I checked fuses and found nothing. I pulled the starter relay in the fuse compartment under the hood and swopped with another identical relay. same click. I then pulled the starter and was going to rebuild it but right off the bat the long bolt running through the starter broke so needing the vehicle I bought a new starter. installed and still just a click. Any ideas? Has anyone else had the issue.

 

Welcome. We have a lot of smart people to help with problems like this, but they need to know year/model/engine of your Saturn. You may have included that information when you registered, but it doesn't show up here.

 

I'd personally suspect a bad ground connection or corrosion built up under the insulation on the battery cables. You should pull the alternator and take it to your local auto parts store and have it tested to see if it's any good. And take that new battery and have it load tested. Just because it's new doesn't mean it's any good. I used to sell parts at both Autozone and Advance and it was not unusual for a battery to be defective off the rack. I really suspect the alternator, but you never know until you start testing things.

 

Saturn Outlook XR 2010

 

Alternator was bad, replaced. I also charged the battery and put a load test on it.

 

So you replaced alternator.

You didn't state if your problem was resolved.
Is your problem resolved?

Thanks.

I'm a guy that seeks closure in all areas of my life

 

Amen to what derf said. If you got your issue resolved, let us know. If not, the next time you come back with issues, you may not get any help at all.

 

Not yet. Still working on it.

 

Did battery pass charging system load test with new alternator?

It is not at all uncommon for brand new batteries to give up the ghost within the first couple months. They are defective to start with and have a weak cell which lasts maybe a couple months and then can no longer hold enough charge to start the car.

It may charge to 12.4 volts at rest, but it is the amount of charge, the current, that it can supply that matters.

Hook up your voltmeter across the battery and have someone turn the key while you watch the voltage reading on the meter. I suspect it will nose dive below 11.5 volts which means there is not enough current stored in the battery to deliver the necessary current at 12.6 volts.

If that is the case, simply return it under warranty for a replacement. If your new alternator can charge the battery, the ground battery cable connection to the frame of the vehicle is likely okay but don't quote me on that

 

The battery passed the load test after being charged but since I can't crank it, it has not been tested through the alternator. I have a new and better OBD code reader should be here Monday. I have a cheap one that shows no codes. I bought a OBD2 BIDIRECTIONAL SCAN TOOL hoping it might get some answers. Luckily we have 5 vehicles.