After replacing the transmission it starts but if does not idle up

MICHAEL ROSS

MEMBER
2004 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV
6.0L
V8
AWD
AUTOMATIC
160,000 MILES

Changed transmission. Now it starts but will not idle up. Runs really rough. Think it has something to do with the lights or ground. While it is running if you turn on brights it shuts off. Left headlight kind of blinking and clicking. Also, put new alternator on it. Went back and checked everything again. No pinched wires or unconnected plugs. Cannot seem to find online the exact method to manually check DTC's. Any ideas?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,743 POSTS

You can only read diagnostic fault codes yourself on Chrysler products. You need a fault code reader to see the codes on this car. I do not know if I can get you through to a solution, but to start, unplug the small connector at the rear of the generator. Start with the battery fully charged. Start the engine and observe if the symptoms have cleared up. If they do, replace the battery unless it is less than about two years old. GM has had a real lot of trouble with their generators starting with the 1987 models. They develop huge voltage spikes that can damage the internal diodes, the voltage regulator, and they can interfere with computer sensor signals. This is a common cause of elusive running problems that defy diagnosis.

The battery is the main component in damping and absorbing those voltage spikes, but as it ages and the lead flakes off the plates, it loses its ability to do that. An old battery is the cause of multiple generator failures. It is not uncommon to go through four to six of them in the life of the vehicle.

If you are going to read the fault codes, be sure to do that before you disconnect the battery. Disconnecting it will erase codes in the Engine Computer, then that valuable information will be lost.