2004 Dodge neon New alternator, but battery not charging. Orielly's said regulator tested bad, do i replace my PCM? (It's where the voltage regulator is located)
Asked by Kaden Jan 21, 2015 at 05:19 AM about the 2004 Dodge Neon SXT Sedan FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
2004 dodge neon SXT 2.0 SOHC M Trans, replaced old alternator because of battery
light, I took it into orielly's and they tested my alternator and said that the regulator
was bad (And failed to mention that in my model of neon the regulator is in the PCM
up next to to the radiator fan) so i bought a brand new alternator and new-ish battery
that tested positive at orielly's. my battery light stays on while the car is running and
the alternator does not charge the battery, and it will die shortly after ignition. Have
tested wire coming from alternator to the battery and it is not receiving a charge, but
the alternator is outputting one. I returned my car to orielly's to get the new alternator
tested and it tested that the regulator was bad again. So is it my PCM That i need to
replace? Or could it possibly be the fusible link? Any help would be appreciated. -
Kaden
7 Answers
The PCM regulates the alternator in a Neon. You may find your answer on http://forum.2gn.org, a dedicated forum for the Neon. From there: --------- CHARGING SYSTEM The charging system is an integral part of the battery and starter systems. Since all of these systems work together, any diagnosis and testing should be done in conjunction. The charging system is protected by a 12 gauge fusible link located in the A11 circuit. This fusible link is between the generator and the starter. The generator ground is provided through a case ground in the generator to its attaching bracket. This generator uses a voltage regulator internal to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) When the vehicle is running, battery voltage is applied to the generator field terminal through the A142 circuit. This circuit is the output from the contact side of the Automatic Shut Down (ASD) relay. The ground, or voltage regulated side, of the generator field is controlled by the K20 circuit which connects to cavity 4 of the PCM connector. When there is current present in the field, and the rotor is turning, the stator in the generator produces a B+ voltage that is supplied to the battery through the A11 and A0 circuits. The A11 circuit is connected to the output terminal of the generator and connects to the engine starter motor battery feed terminal. The A0 circuit is a direct feed line from the battery and connects to the engine starter motor. Grounding for the system is accomplished at the battery negative terminal. These grounds connect to the engine and body. ------------- I don't know if this wall of text will help, I think you'd be better off looking at the PCM, it's a $200-250 however and does need some programming (VIN & mileage, which most places will do for you if you buy it online).
I have found a reman pcm for 170$ and they program the VIN and mileage upon purchase. That was very helpful, but the thing is, even knowing which circuit supplies power to what i don't know whether the PCM is bad or not, thank you for that link to the neon forum, i will seek further knowledge there! (as of this post i haven't purchased the PCM online yet, though I will be doing it tonight if it is in fact what i need to do). Thanks ken!
You can buy a pcm on eBay for $30 free shipping....
BabyFace36 answered 8 years ago
Ecm pcm are the same thing aren't they?
BabyFace36 answered 8 years ago
Just now going thru same issues. 2004 Dodge neon oreilys alternator pcm questioned al the same changed all and was bout to buy a New pcm when my hubby released something had been rubbing on a wire that comes from pcm. He freed the wire and stop the rubbing and now it's fixed! Only different is we could run car fine as long as our head lights were on
Guru94WH27 answered 3 years ago
Need to know what color is the ground and which color is the positive for 2004 Dodge neon SXT
