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Cadillac Repair/1993 Cadillac Deville
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Question
I recently bought a 1993 Cadillac Deville. The car has a new battery and will start, but will die and the charge light will come on after about a minute of running.
Hello,
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It sounds like you have an alternator issue. Charging, 13.2 to 14 volts goes into the battery. If the car sits for a while a good battery will come up to 12 volts if discharged. When charging the battery will be at a minimum of 13 volts going to it. In the event the battery is not being charged all the accessories are discharging the battery. The engine running and not charging will take power. When the battery gets to 10 volts or below, which does not take long on a Cadillac the computer does not get the required 10 volts, the engine stalls.
I think you need an alternator from you description. Auto Zone and other parts stores can confirm this, but I would not recommend driving the car there because it will strand you.
If you change the alternator, check the serpentine belt of cracks, if you see them, replace at the same time, so later you don't have the belt break and cause the engine to overheat in the future.
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Rob Painter
Expertise
Alarm system questions cannot be answered on this forum. These systems are not what I can answer. Without being physically at the vehicle and not knowing what kind of electrical service has been done on the vehicle, there is no possible way to give an accurate answer over the internet. My expertise is in Ignition/key based anti-theft systems. These issues include GM VATS (resistor chip in key blade) PASSLOCK (MRD)-ignition lock rotation based, no special ignition key and the PKIII Transponder (computer chip in key) systems. These systems are not alarm based and are integral with the starting of the engine. This is why I cannot diagnose alarm problems without physically looking at the vehicle: Alarm systems are a completely different annimal than ignition key/lock based anti-theft system. Many alarm questions come from vehicles 10 years old, and since older, many hands that had been involved over the years.I am an expert in all GM factory (ignition/key based)systems. Alarm system questions pose to many situations beyond my knowledge as to what has been done to the vehicle over the years. Some guy may have actually wired the stereo into the alarm system. Who knows? Over my past 30 years in vehicle wiring repair, I have seen unbelievable wiring disaters done by guys that consider themselves "mechanics." I have seen stereos and alarms intalled using surgical tape. I have seen modules burn up, un-fused circuits, wiring jambed between the doors and even lamp cord used for a starter kill. To answer alarm questions over the internet without examining the vehicle is like asking; What does it take to remove a dent?
Experience
Education/Credentials-ASE certified. 11 years with a GM dealer and 17 years with a repair facility dealing with only the repair of theft recovered vehicles.
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