Battery Saver Active - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

R1jamn · 10-16-2019, 12:16 PM

I need some insight on this issue. Long story.

I bought a used 2015 Camaro ZL1 with only 800 miles on the clock last year.
The only issue I had with it was the infotainment unit would heat up after about 30 to 45 minutes of driving and then would start having seizures.
It would shut off, or music would keep playing but none of the controls would work i.e. volume, power button, or the navigation screen would start showing vertical lines, plus a dozen other crazy and wild glitches to the unit.
If I ran the air conditioner in the car then the unit would stay cool and not present an issue for several hours.
Anyhow I changed out the OEM ACDelco battery for a brand new Odyssey battery 6 mths ago but that didn't help the glitches.
I even scraped the paint off in the trunk where the negative battery cable is attached to make sure the cable is grounded.I even added another ground cable from the engine to the chassis.
So it appears the Chevy MyLink infotainment unit has some bad circuits that can't take much heat or the muffin fan may not be coming on to dissipate the heat.

I have never noticed any starting issues when I had the ACDelco or the Odyssey battery and the volt meter on the DIC has always shown that the alternator was charging the battery properly.
Yes, the volts being delivered fluctuate up and down as this is normal depending on the load and charge of the battery.

So, last week I had to drive my ZL1 from Washington state, where I live, to New Mexico as I am relocating for a new job.
My ZL1 had 3800 miles on the clock when I left Washington.
On my last leg of the journey (3rd day) and approx 1500 miles later, the DIC pops up a warning "Battery Saver Active".
I was on the Hwy cruising at 75 mph when it popped up and this was the average speed during the entire journey. I did open her up to stretch her legs occasionally and would get up to 120 mph.
I immediately switched over to see the volts being delivered and it was at 12.4 and it stayed there.
I shut off the infotainment unit to help save power on the battery.
The lights never got dim (it was night time) and nothing else shut down.
After driving for about 5 minutes the volts came up to 13.9 ( I thought it should have gone up to 14+).

So I reach my home in New Mexico so I can park my ZL1 in the garage.
I go to start it up the next morning (started up normally without any issue) and the volts is reading 14.5 then quickly reduces down to 12.5 within a minute and stays there.
I took a quick drive to the store and the volts still stay at 12.5.
I turned on the headlights, radio and the A/C and still the volts are at 12.5

I had to fly back to Washington the same day to finish packing and prepare for the movers to pick up my household goods for the big move.
I have not been able to look at or check out the ZL1 since I drove it to New Mexico.
I have no idea the state of charge on the battery at all.

Trying to trouble shoot this issue now from Washington so I can attack and resolve this issue quickly when I have all my tools available when I am settled in at my new home in New Mexico.

I did read a post on a different Camaro5 thread in which another Camaro owner had taken a long drive/trip, like me, and he too had the "Battery Saver Active" pop up on the display and he too was driving approx the same speeds as me. He never came back to let us know what the root cause was though.

For me, everything seems to point to a bad alternator. Seems they are not strong enough to handle long trips when pushing it for hundreds of miles. The average outside temperature was 45F to 60F the entire journey so heat was really not a factor.

I do not have any electrical mods done. I personally installed an air/oil catch can and a ProSpeed Supercharger coolant reservoir. Pullys are stock.

So I need to check the basics when I finally finish my move to New Mexico in a couple of weeks time.

1.) Load test the Odyssey battery.

2.) Check the connections on the alternator and test the alternator (not sure how to perform the test though).

3.) Check for a parasitic draw. I can find a how too on this somewhere I'm sure. The fuse for the radio is in the trunk, but does it always have a draw on it?

4.) Could be the "Body Control Module". Not sure how to test for this.

5.) Remove the radio fuse and see if shutting down the circuit will have any effect as there could be a parasitic draw from this head unit.

What do you think?

Thanks.

SynergyGreenSS · 10-16-2019, 02:35 PM

Sounds like an alternator to me. No harm in taking it to an auto parts store and having them test your charging system, that should get you a definitive answer for free in just a few minutes.

gtstorey · 10-16-2019, 03:44 PM

I just want to point out that the units on the DIC should be volts not amps.

R1jamn · 10-16-2019, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtstorey

I just want to point out that the units on the DIC should be volts not amps.

Yes...Thank you!!

10-16-2019, 12:16 PM	#1
R1jamn Drives: 2015 ZL1, 2023 ZL1, 2014 Raptor Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: New Mexico Posts: 94	Battery Saver Active I need some insight on this issue. Long story. I bought a used 2015 Camaro ZL1 with only 800 miles on the clock last year. The only issue I had with it was the infotainment unit would heat up after about 30 to 45 minutes of driving and then would start having seizures. It would shut off, or music would keep playing but none of the controls would work i.e. volume, power button, or the navigation screen would start showing vertical lines, plus a dozen other crazy and wild glitches to the unit. If I ran the air conditioner in the car then the unit would stay cool and not present an issue for several hours. Anyhow I changed out the OEM ACDelco battery for a brand new Odyssey battery 6 mths ago but that didn't help the glitches. I even scraped the paint off in the trunk where the negative battery cable is attached to make sure the cable is grounded.I even added another ground cable from the engine to the chassis. So it appears the Chevy MyLink infotainment unit has some bad circuits that can't take much heat or the muffin fan may not be coming on to dissipate the heat. I have never noticed any starting issues when I had the ACDelco or the Odyssey battery and the volt meter on the DIC has always shown that the alternator was charging the battery properly. Yes, the volts being delivered fluctuate up and down as this is normal depending on the load and charge of the battery. So, last week I had to drive my ZL1 from Washington state, where I live, to New Mexico as I am relocating for a new job. My ZL1 had 3800 miles on the clock when I left Washington. On my last leg of the journey (3rd day) and approx 1500 miles later, the DIC pops up a warning "Battery Saver Active". I was on the Hwy cruising at 75 mph when it popped up and this was the average speed during the entire journey. I did open her up to stretch her legs occasionally and would get up to 120 mph. I immediately switched over to see the volts being delivered and it was at 12.4 and it stayed there. I shut off the infotainment unit to help save power on the battery. The lights never got dim (it was night time) and nothing else shut down. After driving for about 5 minutes the volts came up to 13.9 ( I thought it should have gone up to 14+). So I reach my home in New Mexico so I can park my ZL1 in the garage. I go to start it up the next morning (started up normally without any issue) and the volts is reading 14.5 then quickly reduces down to 12.5 within a minute and stays there. I took a quick drive to the store and the volts still stay at 12.5. I turned on the headlights, radio and the A/C and still the volts are at 12.5 I had to fly back to Washington the same day to finish packing and prepare for the movers to pick up my household goods for the big move. I have not been able to look at or check out the ZL1 since I drove it to New Mexico. I have no idea the state of charge on the battery at all. Trying to trouble shoot this issue now from Washington so I can attack and resolve this issue quickly when I have all my tools available when I am settled in at my new home in New Mexico. I did read a post on a different Camaro5 thread in which another Camaro owner had taken a long drive/trip, like me, and he too had the "Battery Saver Active" pop up on the display and he too was driving approx the same speeds as me. He never came back to let us know what the root cause was though. For me, everything seems to point to a bad alternator. Seems they are not strong enough to handle long trips when pushing it for hundreds of miles. The average outside temperature was 45F to 60F the entire journey so heat was really not a factor. I do not have any electrical mods done. I personally installed an air/oil catch can and a ProSpeed Supercharger coolant reservoir. Pullys are stock. So I need to check the basics when I finally finish my move to New Mexico in a couple of weeks time. 1.) Load test the Odyssey battery. 2.) Check the connections on the alternator and test the alternator (not sure how to perform the test though). 3.) Check for a parasitic draw. I can find a how too on this somewhere I'm sure. The fuse for the radio is in the trunk, but does it always have a draw on it? 4.) Could be the "Body Control Module". Not sure how to test for this. 5.) Remove the radio fuse and see if shutting down the circuit will have any effect as there could be a parasitic draw from this head unit. What do you think? Thanks. Last edited by R1jamn; 10-16-2019 at 04:18 PM.

10-16-2019, 02:35 PM	#2
SynergyGreenSS Drives: 2011 2SS Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Arlington, Texas Posts: 1,333	Sounds like an alternator to me. No harm in taking it to an auto parts store and having them test your charging system, that should get you a definitive answer for free in just a few minutes. __________________ 2011 SS L99 LSA Supercharger, BTR Stage 3 PDS Cam, Yank 3200SS, Weapon X Stage 2 intake, LSA Heads, Flex Fuel, Ported throttle body, Speed Engineering Headers, NOWEEDS, ZL1 fuel pump, DSX AUX Pump, ID-1050X injectors, 3” pipe to NPP mufflers, 3.91 gears

10-16-2019, 03:44 PM	#3
gtstorey Drives: 2010 Camaro SS2,L99, LSA SC Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Huntsville, AL Posts: 2,154	I just want to point out that the units on the DIC should be volts not amps.