Hi everyone im new here and in desperate need of assistance. I have a 2003 Saturn Vue V6 AWD 3.0 and i just had to put in a new alternator its all in belts back on battery is fully charged and this sucker just cranks and will not start. The first time i tried after i put the car back together it acted as if it was going to then just died and now crank is all i get. I am not knowledgeable on the Saturn i was spoiled for 12 years with a honda civic that was super easy to do anything and everything on even for me a girl thats not a grease monkey any help would be appreciated and i thank you in advance for taking the time to read my pleas for help

thank you
Rhonda Dewalt

 

Scan for codes, check spark, check fuel

 

i put my obd on it and its coming back with po562 which i just changed the alternator so im praying i dont have to pay for that again thats what i hate about getting parts online sometimes your not sure if its gonna be what you need it to be but i charged my battery and not connected my meter says 12.6 which i thought was a good read but that is what it is acting like it doesn't have enough to kick it over unless its my starter i just dont know doing the process of elimination is getting real draining and being stuck without transpo in the large amount of snow fall we have received the last couple days i guess is a good time to hunker down and dig in thanks for the advice anymore thoughts please send them my way i could use all the help i can get

Much appreciated
Rhonda Dewalt

 

Did you do the alternator yourself? Double check the power cable and the grounds. Especially the power to the starter.
I'm not exactly sure how the 3.0 is set up, never worked on one of those.
12.6 should start it. But that doesnt rule out the battery having a dead cell.
how old is the battery? If you can find a way to any parts store, they will load test it for free

 

yes i changed out the altermator myself. In the 3.0 the alternator sits just on the other side of the passenger front tire and then the starter sits up behind it. Now someone suggested i smacked the started with a hammer and see if it starts to me this doesnt make any sense but at this point ill try just about anything. Im really hoping its not one of these censors crankshaft etc. When it comes to getting close to the timing belt/chain area it makes my nerves go haywire there is just too much to screw up there. Thanks for the suggestions ill let you all whats happening next hopefully ill be back on the road real soon. Thanks Rhonda

 

Indeed it is the current the battery supplies, not the voltage, that rotates your engine.

What is the security light on the dash doing when you put in the key? Turn to on, then cranking?

P0562 is saying that the car's computer is not getting what it needs to operate properly. Part of the problem here is we don't go when that code was set.

Have a buddy watch the voltmeter reading as you turn the key to crank. If the battery voltage nosedives, replace the battery.

For the record you can have a fully functional alternator putting out current to charge a battery. But if the battery is not capable of storing the charge, you may still end up in a no start condition.

 

The battery is only 3 years old but i had to jump my car a minimum of 5 times to get it back home when the alternator took a dive so i could have screwed it up draining so many times. Now when i turn the key on the lights on the dash of course are all lit and when they cycle through i am left with a service engine light my battery light my oil light and change oil soon light. I checked the oil its low but not super low no security light on dash. I should point out that i changed my lock cylinder about 6 months ago and then last october someone tried stealing my car outta my friends driveway and they tried using a different key im thinking cause now the key comes out while running and every once in a while you really have to play with it to operate correctly. I am waiting on another pair of eyes but again you had more snow fall here last night and im not exactly where they plow or sand the roads so its up in the air stilly fingers are crossed ive been waiting for over a week wish me luck thanks for the advice ill keep you posted but of course will be hoping for your guidance as well much appreciated Rhonda

 

You did not respond as to what happens to the battery voltage when you turn the key to crank.

That is a key indicator of battery health.

Also, the ignition stuff may be triggering security which will let the car start for a second and then stall.

 

The final outcome of my crank no start problem was the easiest and least expensive of all the possibilities and i got one hell of a laugh put of it so i thought i would share and maybe put a smile on someone's face that is having a hard time repairing their saturn so i ended up having to get a new battery and after it was put in i still had the same crank but no start outcome i checked everything possible and came up stumped. I wondered if i had missed something when checking all the possibilities and the answer was YES i did i forgot all about the fact that on the day my alternator originally started my 3 week long pain in my ars nightmare that i was running on fumes......so yes i missed the fact that i had NO gas in my tank ........the end

 

Good to hear. And thank you for coming back to post the solution. The simplest answer is often the right one.

And I am not being sexist by saying the following. It's good to know that there are women out there taking the time to learn how cars work AND or not afraid to get their hands dirty.

What I mean is we have very very few women on the forum that ask questions in a technical way like you did. In today's world you can save so many $$$ by taking the time to learn pretty simple stuff and doing it yourself.

​​​​​​Rule of thumb: always keep your tank at least one quarter full, especially in winter.