replaced alternator on 2006 3.5l now having problems

Im having the same problem.replaced alt. New battery car starts lights go off or flicker and go off

We're have the exact same problem. Car is currently at Electric Specialty shop and they suggest it's one of two issues, Alternator or the VCM (computer). I told them the Alt was new but they said an after market alt might actually cause the problem. We're going to replace with OEM Alt and see what happens. If necessary we'll move on to the Computer.

Bought a used alternator off Ebay. Everything is normal now. Got my money back for the reman, only gave 10 for the core though. I still want to know what the problem is.

I am currently having this issue and I have no clue what alternator will work for my 2006 Saturn Vue 3.5L. The mechanic said that its the right alternator for the car. I am taking video every morning when I start my car to document whats happening but at this point i just need to know what alternator I need to buy to fix the problem. PLEASE HELP! I called GM and they don't even have the oem alternator. I have found several places online that states their alternator is a replacement for gm 12582024 which i believe is the original alternator but I really don't know.

Ok Desiree as I had said for fixing the issue has to an original from factory put in original vehicle (or one like it). I hope the admin does not pull off this post because people need to be educated and informed but ANYONE having this issue is more then welcome to call me anytime about this issue, 9133067888 and it's Justin, I'll help you as much as I can.

Justin, You have been so right. Today it is not as cold so i went and started my car around the same time in the morning and guess what.... it started just fine, no lights flashing, radio stayed on and power steering was fine so it really only happens when it's cold. I video today aswell and made sure I put the temperature from my mirror in every video. As of right now I just don't know what to do, should I try to find one from a junk yard. The the alternators that I am looking at states that they are compared to the oem. I am suppose to take my car back to the shop on monday for them to keep it a couple days to see if it happens to them but at this point I just want then to take their alternator out and my money back. If you know where I can find the correct alternator please let me know. Thanks again Desiree

You need a specific OEM alternator (a Denso alternator). Any aftermarket alternators or new alternators from the dealership will not work. All the other alternators are causing a voltage spike (up to 19V) after an the car sits in the cold for an extended period of time.

This is awesome and PERFECT timing!!! I have put 2 alternators on my 2005 Satrun Vue and was about to LOSE MY MIND!!! I googled the question and it brought me straight here! I have just sent my husband back to the auto place to get back my old alt!!! HOPE HE ISNT TOO LATE! Thank you so much for this info

I didnt have the time to spare to wait on my broken one to get rebuilt because my auto is MY PAYCHECK so my husband went to a junk yard called LKQ Pick Your Part and he scored one that is exact to the one that was on my auto when purchased... It is on and so far so good.. to be continued......

This has been so helpful my 07 is doing same thing, now it has quit completely and battery is dead I'm on my 4th alternator in few years, I need to know exactly what I need please??

2006 Saturn vue same problem. A year ago replaced 2 alternators in Nov lights etc flashed got a used OEM one and the problem went away. I'm back again it only lasted a year due to it had 130000 miles on it . I'm getting one today with 60000 miles on it hope it will last. I love my vue. You think GM could help out here!!!!!!!!? Thanks to all the people the have put this info on line it sure helped me

Have a 2007 Saturn Vue doing the something after replacing with an aftermarket version. What is the oem alternator that I need to get? Thank you all

yea i need the OEM alt as well but not sure what to look for online. can some one share a part number and website please

O'Reillly auto parts is where I purchased a new one to replace the used one that failed shortly after it was installed. There is an online used used auto parts store called Chuck and Eddie's that I have purchased an engine from.

Our 2004 Saturn Vue finally works. Got reman. om alternator Denso, part #210-0546 from Parts Geek LLC online. They ask for vin number and date of manufacture on doorframe.Check with them to get right alternator for Honda engine in Saturns 2004-2007. Starts in cold weathernow!!!

I too had this problem. The alternator amperage was too high (135 amps) and the computer in the Vue shut down everything electrical to protect the components. I even had my headlights blow up. I replaced the 135 amp alternator with an 110 amp alternator and that solved the flashing. The computer accepted the lower amperage alternator and did not need to shut down the power to the vehicles components protect them.

Replaced alternator on my 06 Vue twice and it seems to need a new one today. Replaced the battery and it won't charge until 2500 rpms. ?

So I had the exact same problems with a Vue 2004 3.5 V6 with Honda motor. This morning I took a multimeter after a cold night (-2 celsius) only to find out exactly what others said here: it was peaking at 19V when cold, and slowly came back to 12V as the car was heating. Check in hand I went to the autoparts store and got to talk to the rebuilder which we ordered 2 faulty alternators from. He got what I was saying, and was 100% sure he had the right one this time. He said it has the right electronics with the right cold start regulator. It will arrive on friday so I'll let you guys know how it went, but man how optimistic am I after 2 faulty alternators, a BCM swap, a new ground built, all cables checked.... Hurray! Thanks to you for the infos!

Coming back with results. The alternator I ordered is from Armature G Roy (www.armaturegroy.com) part number #11062. Since last summer, I forgot how a drag it is to remove the old alternator from this car... Had to loosen two motor supports and carefully lift the motor from the oil pan to have enough space to remove it from the top. That is when you already have two pairs of hands to bend the tensioner and remove the "master bolt" holding the alternator to the block. Good news: while it's pretty hot today compared to the last week (it's +16 celsius now), the car started normally! The alternatord charged 14V instead of 19V with the old one. No cluster flashing, power steering working, and most of all the Service Soon and Check Engine lights disappeared! So now I'll have to get a new battery since oddly, at the same time I found this page my battery would just not hold a good charge. Funny detail: last week I saw some smoke coming from the steering column. It was my wipers module who burned from the 19V peak at every start. Got another one at Kenny- U-Pull for $17. Also, when my battery went out last week, I wanted to open the hood to charge it and my hood latch cable broke. We spent 3 days trying to figure out how to open it, since in the shop manual it says to break off the radio antenna, bend it at 25 degrees and use it to push the latch from under the hood. We tried all sorts of tools, until I tried with a butter knife and finally hit the latch... It's been a hell of a week but at least this problem has been solved. Also, the auto parts just swapped alternators without any fee, even if the new one was selling for like $40 more. I must say that I'm no mechanics. This repair CAN be done even if you're not really good, but you absolutely have to be two to do this. Cranking the tensioner and holding it in place while unscrewing the bolt holding the alternator simply cannot be done on your own, or at least not by someone with basic tools in a garage. Make sure to find a piece of pipe large enough that you can put your 15mm key in to pry the tensioner more easily before starting anything. Steps I followed are: - UNPLUG BATTERY - Remove the air tube conduct (sorry I'm french, may not be the right terminology) thing at the top - Remove the air bowl assembly - Use 15mm key on the tensioner with your piece of pipe, pry it forward - Remove the belt - LEAVE YOUR KEY AND PIECE OF PIPE IN PLACE, YOU'LL NEED IT IN 5 MINUTES - Unplug the battery negative connector on the right of the alternator - Unscrew the other wire at the front, might be a ground, I don't know, I'm no mechanics. - Unscrew the bolt holding the alternator at the top left (looking from the front of vehicule) - Pry the tensioner again, ask another person to unscrew the last bolt at the bottom of the alternator which is hidden by the tensioner. - Unscrew the timing belt cover 5 bolts, it will make some space to pull out the alternator - At this point if you find a way to pull it out, then good for you! If not, keep reading, but work carefully - Put a small piece of wood on your jack, and make it touch the oil pan, without actually lifting it for now. - Unscrew ABOUT 3/4" the two bolts at the top of the motor support at the left of the vehicule (looking from the front). We don't want the motor to fall down here, we just want to give a little play. - Now do the same, about 3/4" with the motor support at the front. It's right down behind the fan at the center of the vehicule. - Once the three bolts are unscrewed a bit, lift the motor SLOWLY about 3/4"-1". You should now have more than enough space to pull out the alternator. When it's done, release the jack SLOWLY so the motor comes back in place. Don't leave your motor jacked up, you may rip your oil pan and cause more damage. I hope it helps some fellow Saturn owners, good luck to you all!

Day 2: So I woke up this morning after a colder night (about 3 Celsius) and a 2A slow charge since yesterday night. I started the engine, took the multimeter and had a 14V read at the battery! Yay! So I unplugged the charger, and took another read, still at 14V. Just to make sure everything was fine I turned off the engine, waited 5 minutes and....nothing. The battery was just totally dead. 3 consecutive nights of slow charge wouldn't wake it up. So I went to Canadian Tire and got a new one. Took another read juuuuuust so I could finally close this case and of course everything was still fine. Trying to find my receipt for the battery I just bought last summer, I found the receipt for the first alternator I bought. It was the exact same model I have installed now. Which is why I came back to tell you. I first had to change my alternator following a 10-months period when the car hasn't moved at all. At the auto parts store, they gave me this model #11062, and it was charging at around 8-9V. When we called the auto parts store, the guy find out in his catalog that it may not be the right model for the Honda motor, and orderer another one (model #11151 IIRC). This one was supposed to fit the Vue 3.5L V6, but to also fit a bunch of Honda and Acura cars from 2004 through 2007. Then they gave me the #13918, which was made for the Odyssey... This was the alternator that didn't have the cold start regulator and gave me the exact same symptoms you can read in earlier posts in this thread, but strangely, it was bolt-on at installation. So to say: the first alternator was the right one, but was most definitely defective. The two following were just not made for the Vue, and I finally got the first one in operating state. Unbelievable.

Does anyone on here have the stock Denso Number for the alternator?

I’ve been fighting this problem for 2 months trying to use Oreilys aftermarket alternator ... i changed alternator 3 times all of which tested good at the store , I bought ecm and bcm and a used alternator from the junk yard off of an exact model vue . I changed ecm just to check theory without removing the reman but no change . I then put my ecm back in and replaced the reman with the original denso from the salvage car .. works perfectly like it supposed to .. result equals you must use the original denso alternator .. I wasted 2 months trying to figure this out .. this forum is the one that kept my car from joining the salvage yard

June 11 2019 my 2006 Saturn vue needs a alternator Just went out thought it was battery I was wrong what so I do

The only model alternator that will work properly in the OEM Honda V6 engine that comes stock in the 2004-2007 Saturn Vue is the Denso Model 210-0546. Denso still sells them, but as remanufactured units. According to Denso, their contracted rebuilders use the proper OEM specs and parts (or equivelant parts) including the special cold start regulator that maintains the proper voltage (14.5V) and amperage (115A) at temperatures below 55 degrees. If you have went through more than one alternator in your Honda V6 Vue, it is probably because the replacements were not this OEM Denso. You can buy them on Amazon or here... https://www.partsgeek.com/ss/?i=1&ssq=Denso+model+210-0546&x=19&y=11

You can not use O'Reilly Autoparts alternator , I ran into the same problem with my 07 Saturn Vue AWD 3.5 , I put in a Oreilys alternator and the battery was not charging ,voltage was dropping until engine shut off, took alternator out and had O'Reillys check it and they said it was good,put the alternator back in the car and it wasn't charging the battery,battery voltage started dropping again,took the alternator back out and took it back to O'Reillys for a refund,they checked it out again and it was good,my brother in law got me an alternator from NAPA ,popped it in and Walla the car was reading 14.2 volts on the volt meter,so I hope this helps out somebody,car is doing fine now no issues,STAY AWAY FROM ORIELLY ALTERNATORS save yourself a headache.

Put a genuine delco voltage regulator on the altenator had to do it to mine problem fixed...

I have a similar but opposite (possibly related) problem. This is by far my oddest auto problem to date. 06 Saturn Vue AWD... Bought car last fall. It has been a one owner and really taken car of. We have had no trouble with it until the ac stopped working. Sorry so long. AC was failing and I had it checked out. Sometimes at highway speeds and mild temp (80s) it seemed to cool a little sometimes.. Two shops said the compressor was leaking so I ordered one and had it put in today. It was great to have the ac back especially since it has really heated up in OK (upper 90s today). So instead of a cold problem, I have a possible heat problem.. I picked up the car from the shop around noon today and the ac was ice cold. I set out to run some errands and drove about 45 min to first stop; working great. Then I drove about 35 min to 2nd stop; still great, 3 stop 15 min, still great. I stopped for a bite to eat and while in the drive through line (probably a 20 min wait) and temp of 98 outside the ac quit working! Annoying but I thought I would just go by the shop again as my errands were finished. I puled into a parking spot to put the mustard on my sandwich. As I was pulling out I heard a whining sound that I had not heard before. I wondered if my power steering was going out.. A few seconds later, my dash lit up and all lights came on, check engine, ABS,. I think all of them.. I thought I would turn it off and see if anything was noticeably wrong and I then tried to restart it. Everything was dead, with no power at all. No emergency flashers, I couldn't even open my door with the power unlock button. So, I got out of my car to explain to the man behind me that was by now honking.. I was at a Chic-fil-a and the nice kids working outside ran over and offered to push me backwards and into the restaurant parking lot next door. Still NOTHING electrical would work. Putting the key in the ignition didn't even cause a bussing noise. I assumed the alternator had died and thus my battery had followed it also to its death.. I thought possibly this is related to the AC compressor (seizing) or a belt or ...??? So I called the garage that installed the ac compressor two hours previous. They had no idea, but offered to call a two truck. Towing me for an hour back to their shop would have probably cost a fortune. While I was on the phone with them a couple of things started working and soon the radio came on and then everything worked. The car started right up as normal. No warning lights were on. I still had a bit of a whine and I still wondered if the power steering was going out. I drove left and right in the parking lot to listen if the pitch would change or it would get louder. Nothing changed and it was a quiet whine. The shop asked if the ac worked. I didn't the nerve to try it. I drove back to them, staying off the major highways. I finally got the nerve to push the little snowflake button for the ac! Nothing. The ac would not come on, so I was convinced this had something to do with the ac. I made it back to their shop. Turned the car off, then on and it started and ran great like it always had. The mechanic came out to check it and said that the voltage was running uneven. I think that is what he said. One side of something was not the same as the other side. I don't think it was showing any codes then. The mechanic said that when he checked it even the ac was working. Not that I didn't believe him, but I had to see this myself. I went out, started the car and yes, the ac snowflake light came on and it was blowing very cold again. Ideas??? Alternator, serpentine belt or pulleys, or corroded connections (I've read connections under the wires under the fuse box can oxidize) or something else?? I left it at the shop and I will talk with them Monday morning.

Just so everyone having the same problems with the alternators On the Saturns if you take the alternator to get rebuilt and it ends up being the rectifiers bad whenever they place the rectifier it Hass to be the right one too I just had mine rebuilt and that could start regulator is in the rectifier needless to say my lights flickered and everything else again I currently got the alternator back out to take to the shop that rebuild it and of course they’re acting like they don’t know what the hell I’m talking about! Director rectifier was the only thing that was replaced and it was bad had the car for three cold winters never had an issue until rectifier was replaced