I'm all over it. I don't think mine is water related as I don't have any known leaks. I'll be completely disconnecting the alternator this evening on a charged battery to see how it looks by Friday. I will leave battery cables connected of course (after I have alternator wires taped off).

 

Both wires are off alternator and taped and zip tied safely away from metal. Put battery on 2 amp charge overnight. It showed full charge already, but I want her pumped up tight. Before I leave for work in the am I'll hook the cables back up to the battery and get a mA draw and battery voltage. Then I'll check it when I get home 9 hours later. That should either convict or exonerate the alternator, but without cycling doors or starting it, not sure its a fair test for the bcu. New alternator setting on the bench is an AC Delco and looks good. Have to transfer the pulley if it gets installed. I'm not much for throwing parts at something til I'm sure what is required.....

 

12.86 volts on battery this morning. Hooked up both cables for 30 seconds, then unhooked ground and took a amp draw. .01mA, basically nothing. Perhaps ECU didn't wake up with just the hooking up of the cables. So, I hooked them back up and cycled the drivers door and left it. I'll see what the battery has for juice when I get home. If it hasn't dropped much, the new alternator will go on. Gotta swap that pulley....

If alternator is bad, answer me this. Will an alternator go bad from oil exposure? This one got soaked prior to my ownership when a power steering pump failed, and now seems to get a little oil from the belt carrying oil around from the front crank seal. I've sprayed it down twice with degreaser. Maybe I killed it...

 

12.36 volts when I got home. I pulled the alternator. Looks like "Failed alternator gasket". Called O'Reilly and told them my wife would be stopping in for a pulley remover for an alternator. She got home with a PS pump pulley remover, so not much help on the alternator. Can that much oil be conductive enough to cause a short / drain? Remember it was showing good charge on volts, but we do not know what amps it was producing. I probably get a trophy or something for nastiest alternator, right?

 

Yes that much oil will conduct or short.

 

New alternator changed nothing. Dead again Saturday morning. Charged battery again. Drove it about 60 miles last night. Started every time we needed it to. I guess I'll try to find someone with a hawkeye to turn off my SLS, but everything possible is unhooked....

 

I think you did get the trophy for the ugliest alternator though....lol

 

I'll know more tomorrow, but the battery draw issue may be corrected. One of the folks on here sent me a SLABS unit that was set to coils. I installed it today, and my SLS light is gone. I didn't put my meter on it to look at amp draw, but it had around 290mA typically and battery would be dead enough not to allow it to start during a normal workday. I'm excited to see if it will start in the morning. I appreciate the forum and the members generosity. Thanks!

 

Drove it to work today. Started this morning and after work, no issues at all. So obviously my battery drain issue was the ECU constantly looking for info on the rear height of the air bags. The reprogrammed SLABS unit set to coils instead of air bags did in fact cure my problem.
Best, I have mailed my SLABS BCU back to you so you still have a spare. I taped a thank you note to it. After all I owed you initial programming time, $.55 postage from the first round, and full postage for the second round. You are truly appreciated.

 

No problem at all & glad to help you out!