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956 Posts
Recently, I began having problems with the radio intermittently failing to recognize my iPod upon start-up (but not in ACC mode), and the clock would lose time - a lot of time. It would also take 30 seconds or more for the radio to even come on after starting the car. No codes popped or anything, and no other electrical issues showed. I thought it was the radio module going bad, but was going to wait until it failed to replace it.
Also, my fuel economy (Eco 6M) wasn't quite up to snuff, 2 or 3 MPG off what I expected.
I was poking around the engine bay and found a huge amount of corrosion on the positive battery terminal, and the positive cable itself was deteriorated and the securing bolt wouldn't tighten any longer. The cable itself had birdcaged at the battery connector and was corroded as well. Replaced it with a new unit from the dealer, and it was quite different. The old one was thin copper and the new one was much more substantial and the cable was sealed to the connector instead of merely crimped. I have a very early build 2012 (serial # 111111) and the two other Cruzes I have owned (117362 and 124136) were built only shortly thereafter in the same month and they had the newer design, so it probably was a change for 2012 and I got a leftover. If you have a 2011, you may want to inspect this cable and get it replaced. I don't have any pictures, sorry. I threw the old cable away before thinking to bring the issue up here.
That helped, but didn't fix the problem completely. I also noticed a constant charge cycle up to 15.0 volts instead of dropping to 13.5 as it should when charged, even after trickle charging the battery to full externally. So I replaced the battery, and upgraded to an AGM 760 CCA H6 group size battery from Advance Auto Parts IAW the discussion here: http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/36-audio-electronics/95930-cruze-battery-upgrade-options.html, just because it was a weight penalty free upgrade from the original.
That *still* didn't fix the problem completely, but again helped. I only very intermittently would not connect to the iPod, the clock lost a bit of time now and again, and the radio would come on right away nearly every time. And it still would constantly charge, but not at 15.0 volts as it did before, usually 14.6 volts or so. I inspected the negative battery terminal and cable, it looked fine. I disconnected it from the battery and body connection, cleaned all connection points, and reinstalled it, covering every connection with dielectric grease.
It appears to *finally* have solved these problems, although I haven't been able to drive it long enough to see if charging will drop off as it should.
Bottom line - if you are having minor electrical gremlins that make you think your radio is on the way out, check your charging system and ensure all connections are secure. The tiny current loss at the battery and ground connections is enough to keep those systems from working properly, without affecting more critical systems. It's the "canary in the coal mine" that might help avert dealing with major electrical failures and http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/25-s...al-coverage-14311-negative-battery-cable.html.
Also, my fuel economy (Eco 6M) wasn't quite up to snuff, 2 or 3 MPG off what I expected.
I was poking around the engine bay and found a huge amount of corrosion on the positive battery terminal, and the positive cable itself was deteriorated and the securing bolt wouldn't tighten any longer. The cable itself had birdcaged at the battery connector and was corroded as well. Replaced it with a new unit from the dealer, and it was quite different. The old one was thin copper and the new one was much more substantial and the cable was sealed to the connector instead of merely crimped. I have a very early build 2012 (serial # 111111) and the two other Cruzes I have owned (117362 and 124136) were built only shortly thereafter in the same month and they had the newer design, so it probably was a change for 2012 and I got a leftover. If you have a 2011, you may want to inspect this cable and get it replaced. I don't have any pictures, sorry. I threw the old cable away before thinking to bring the issue up here.
That helped, but didn't fix the problem completely. I also noticed a constant charge cycle up to 15.0 volts instead of dropping to 13.5 as it should when charged, even after trickle charging the battery to full externally. So I replaced the battery, and upgraded to an AGM 760 CCA H6 group size battery from Advance Auto Parts IAW the discussion here: http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/36-audio-electronics/95930-cruze-battery-upgrade-options.html, just because it was a weight penalty free upgrade from the original.
That *still* didn't fix the problem completely, but again helped. I only very intermittently would not connect to the iPod, the clock lost a bit of time now and again, and the radio would come on right away nearly every time. And it still would constantly charge, but not at 15.0 volts as it did before, usually 14.6 volts or so. I inspected the negative battery terminal and cable, it looked fine. I disconnected it from the battery and body connection, cleaned all connection points, and reinstalled it, covering every connection with dielectric grease.
It appears to *finally* have solved these problems, although I haven't been able to drive it long enough to see if charging will drop off as it should.
Bottom line - if you are having minor electrical gremlins that make you think your radio is on the way out, check your charging system and ensure all connections are secure. The tiny current loss at the battery and ground connections is enough to keep those systems from working properly, without affecting more critical systems. It's the "canary in the coal mine" that might help avert dealing with major electrical failures and http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/25-s...al-coverage-14311-negative-battery-cable.html.
