Replaced starter in 99 Saturn. Battery went dead, got new one ...same thing. REPLACED ALT. SAME THING. Had alt tested, it was good. Wont hold a charge, wont start. Could starter wires be crossed?

wow test the alternator next, 11 to 15vdc less is bad ALT(AT BAT TERMINALS LUGS)
find a shop that can do electrics.
keep and open mind.
say will not crank , not will not start or answers WILL BE WRONG
so it started and they did not once check all fuses and the alternator
if they replaced the ALT and did not remove the NEG lug from the battery then the blow up the 100amp huge alt fuse
making alt dead forever.
or the other 3 alt fuses blown.
find a real shop with real ASE techs,

also learn that ALT can short one of its huge internal 3 phase DIODE
and now the ALT I HUGE NASTY NOISE GENERATOR AND LAMPS FLICKER AND ALL COMPUTER IN THE CAR GO STARK MAD.
WE SCOPE THE ALT TO SEE THAT HUGE NOISE ON THE BATTERY.

BAD ALT i BET.
THE WORST FOR HE WORST.
OR BAD GROUNDS TO ALL THAT.

Check the engine to frame ground is in good condition.

what engine size?
the PCM runs the show, and its bad. or wires bad to it.
your car has PCM regulator.
no charge battery light.?

1: takes a good battery and battery cables and lugs cleaned.
2: test the altenator, odd how 4 of yours all tested good but you replaced it 4 times, get it tested if good, its good.
3: then check that the charge .battery lamp works. if the lamp works
that means the PCM thinks that charge system is bad.
if the wires from the rear of the alt, to the battery red and Gy wires
are good all the way to PCM then the PCM is bad.
the big wire on rear of ALT , on one car had a bad lug. #6 wire.
he replaced the ALT 6 times. all wasted effort.
inspect the wiring first. that is free, and is simple fix.
and if the ALT casing is not grounded, all bets off.
same with battery minus lug not good, on BOTH ENDS>
one guy had his battery lug moved to frame, (wrong)
and this never worked.

well are you sure that you have a good or it just shows the correct amount of voltage. which that should 12.6 volts for a fully charged battery. to actually answer your question, (assuming)
you do have a good battery your alt. shouldn't keep it from cranking unless it is locked up, but you would use a digital volt meter and select the d.c. volts setting touch the red (positive lead) to the red (positive post) on the battery and the ground ( black lead ) to the ground terminal on the battery (negative post). it should read very close to 14 volts. if not check to see if you are getting voltage to your alt. by using your volt meter to test the power wire going to your alt. it will be the one on the backside of your alt with a protective boot over it. with your volt meter still set on dc volts touch your black lead lead to a good ground and your red lead to your power wire going to your alt. it should have 12 volts there. if not check your fuses. if your car clicks when you try to start it then you may have a bad battery connection. dirty terminals with corrosion built up on them will do the same thing. also a starter that is bad will click because the bendix can't kick out to engage the flywheel to turn your engine over. well hope i answered your question and then some.

have the alternator bench tested for faulty rectifier diode pack
it may be charging the correct voltage but it is AC voltage and not DC voltage
in which case the battery will die quickly
next to check is the voltage regulator
it has to be 4.5-14.8 volts DC and if it in the ECM unit , will require a new ECM to fix

The alternator may not be charging the battery. Jump start it, and use a volt meter at the battery, red lead to positive and black to neg. The meter should read between 13 and almost 15 volts, any lower than 13 volts, the alternator is no good. (this is done with vehicle running).

Hi. this is defiantly a slow or major drain that is occurring within this vehicle. Here is a test that you can preform that will help you find this battery drain so you can illuminate this issue.



--BATTERY DRAINAGE TEST PROCEDURE--


Using a 12-volt test light, hook one end to the negative battery post the other end to the negative battery cable you just disconnected. The test light will glow or "light" if there is a drain. If the "light or glow" is faint, that is probably normal draw for the clock or computer. If the "light or glow" is bright, then there is a large drain. That should be corrected. Now start removing and replacing the fuses one by one until the light goes out; that one will be the circuit with the drain. Remember to hold in the button in the door jam for the interior lights.


Please rate and god bless:)

Likely you did this already but check fuses in power distribution box near battery (likely two 60a fuses for alt in there). Additionally, was alternator regulator tested or was alt "full fielded" for test. (regulator failure will prevent power made at alt from reaching the battery). Also, check continuity of leads going to alternator to make sure they're OK.

i have seen on more than one occasion the new ALT going bad after about a week or so you may want to check your charging system again and see if you can warr out the alt if it is bad

actually the only thing i can recomend is to have the alternator replace again for warranty and before starting the truck charge the batteries very well with a baterie charger make sure to charge them individually because with a low batterie the alternator has to put a lot of load and might burnt again
specially with dual batterie.