NicholasC

I've got Saturday off and the weather looks good so I'm going to check the battery posts finally and also recheck all the connections on the alternator. may also look at the blower if time allows.

not yet on the battery. weather would not cooperate for long enough for me to get that part done today.

ok using the voltmeter I checked my battery and alternator and they were reading the same undervoltage level (around 11.4). I attempted to start out of curiosity and it did not work. I have a portable jumpstarter and attached that and turned it on then I was able to start the car and I saw the voltage go up on the battery to 12.3-12.4 I continued monitoring and then noticed voltage continuing to climb. eventually to 12.8 with the heater on full (front blower fan was not working). I removed the jumpstarter and tried a regular start and it didn't quite work so I hooked it back up and started it again and turned on the heat again and checked and the voltage was about 13.2. battery light went off again so I'm wondering what's causing it to bleed out like that...anyway, for now I can drive at least. not gonna take it anywhere that isn't work or necessities/emergency. should have the code reader delivered tonight (but I'll be at work) so when I get back I'll hook that up and see what it says too.

I'm talking about the blower fan motor which blows air into the cabin. it has been failing to engage at random. I do not have access to someone with a scan tool right now. there is a method to display some codes by cycling the car between off and on a total of three times (press the start button a total of 8 times from the off position after opening and closing the door to reset everything.) I did this and it showed no code. I've got my own scan tool ordered but it won't be here until late tomorrow. I do have a voltmeter now so I can at least see that data without moving the vehicle. now then, a status update. after typing this and heading out to work the battery light came on and stayed on. the car was able to start again when I headed back home (I work 4:00 pm to 12:30 pm CST at a hospital) unfortunately on my way home multiple systems started shutting off to conserve battery - traction control, airbag, ALB all were off by the time I got home. I'm pretty sure the battery will be near dead when I check it in the morning. I'm glad I made it home before it shut down entirely. I'll need to figure out a way to get my car running, ask a friend who owes me a favor, or pay for a rideshare to work tomorrow which I don't look forward to. my plan for the AM is to make sure the battery terminals are snug by physically putting a wrench to the nuts, then to hopefully identify any other points where a ground fault could occur including that unpredictable fan... *checks weather* 🌩️🌧️

well now... I went to the parts shop and had them check both battery and alternator. they said both were "good" though they claimed they couldn't test it accurately from the posts in the engine compartment. they also said they heard the starter solenoid maybe failing - I asked them "why is my battery light on?" and they said "it's the car letting you know your starter is going bad". not too sure on that but if you all can confirm that would be something to note. in other news, the battery light turned off on its own after sitting idle for a couple minutes. 😵 and the blower motor stopped again. once I have my multimeter is there a way I can test this stuff myself? how hard is a starter replacement on a 2016 compared to the alternator and battery I've already done should I decide to do that? same question but for blower motor (to inspect connections first then replace if necessary) I know in my '06 Wrangler TJ it wasn't "hard" but it was awkward (under the front passenger side dash so if you're tall it's gonna be a contortion unless you can lift the vehicle up a bit) I'll keep an eye on everything and report back.

checked the code just now and no code displayed just ------ then Done then back to the mileage (92k)

ok... all connections look good - took a socket wrench to the battery connectors inside the engine compartment and disconnected/reconnected the alternator connector I replaced. visually inspected the battery terminal connections with a scope I have and they're seated flush with the terminals and look to be tight.

I've ordered a basic but high-quality (fluke 101) multimeter which should be here tomorrow. I'm about to head outside and check the cables again to be sure they're on tight. in the meantime I can return to the parts store and have them check everything again as well. is there an option that can help me get by until the problem can be identified?

remanufactured but i had em test it after install and it was good

hey all! I've got a 2016 dodge journey w/ 2.4L engine size. about a month or so ago the battery charging system light came on so I had everything tested at a parts shop and they told me "alternator's bad" so I replaced that. in doing so I managed to damage the little plastic clip on the alternator connector near the front right side. I replaced that as well. I also replaced the battery (which was in warranty). I breathed a sigh of relief when the light went out and everything seemed fine till a few days ago when my front air blower fan would randomly just not start with the car. I noticed today when I left work that it was working but that it sounded like it wasn't up to full speed. so then about halfway home the battery charging system light came on and a little bit further down the road it flipped into battery saver mode. tomorrow when there's daylight I intend to re-re-recheck the alternator connector wiring and also the battery connections inside the engine compartment. I REALLY don't want to have to deal with the battery itself again because as we know, the very intelligent folks who designed this vehicle felt the best place for a battery to be located is in front of the drivers side wheel well. But I'm at a loss. I hope someone has some sort of "this happens all the time, it's really easy to sort out" kind of fix but I'll take any advice y'all can give. Thanks in advance, Nick