2004 VUE starter replacement and other good times

[snottrocket]

Lots to say...I want to make sure I provide all the info I can, so bear with me......or you can just skip to the bottom and work your way back.

Two day's ago, I replaced the starter on my 2004 VUE 2.2L. It has about 119k miles on it. Starter was a Duralast purchased at Autozone.

The car cranked up fine but we quickly figured out something was wrong when the battery light came on, followed by the low engine power light, etc. Had it tested at Advanced Auto and he said that the battery had a weak load so the alternator wasn't charging. (Side note: because of the difficulty of getting to the bolt on the top side of the starter, we pulled the solenoid off first and then reattached it when the main housing was bolted on.)

Rewind to August 2011: I had replaced my dead battery and found out I had to replace my alternator as well (maybe I was duped, but we're past that now) and had a quick lesson in drive cycles and the car's computer. he told me that the computer reset and needed to relearn what normal idle is. After that, the car ran fine.

So, yesterday I took the car to the same shop where my alternator was replaced with the belief that the source of the current problem was the alternator and that he should fix it. It turns out that we connected the starter wrong (I'm assuming it had to do with removing the solenoid and not connecting the wires correctly) but then he said he noticed that when the AC came on, it would idle low. I've experienced something similar before with this car so I was thinking it was normal behavior but based on his approach to it, it seemed like he was feeding me a line. Call me a cynic. He also mentioned that because I connected the starter wrong, I may have damaged the electrical system and so forth..

After talking with him, I called tech support for the the starter bought and asked them...I kind of figured that they'd be non-biased; I wasn't questioning the quality of their part, after all....his view was different in that if I connected the wires wrong, the car wouldn't start (either because the starter just wouldn't respond or it would just spin and not catch) or that it would start but because of the incorrect connection, it wouldn't allow the alternator to work right which was essentially what the mechanic said.



So after all that, the car does run well, but when I have it in park and I power up the AC, it starts sputtering, dropping below 500 rpms, shutting off the compressor and then bouncing up above 1000 which is when the compressor clicks on and it repeats the process like that. The AC seemed to run okay when I was out on the freeway but it seems like when I have it at low RPMs is when it starts giving me problems. Not sure if it will stall out if I'm doing 55+ but I'm doubting it.

My questions are:
Any likeliness that I did damage anything else by having the wires connected incorrectly?
Are there any other tests I can run to see if the compressor is bad?

[far2grumpy]

There is a chance the ECM lost correct idle RPM when battery was disconnected.

You could try turning key to ON (no crank) for a couple of minutes. Then key OFF and then back to start engine.

Let engine idle for a few minutes then start adding loads, HVAC fan, headlights, and then turn AC on.

You should also drive around for 30 minutes or so while adding and removing engine loads.

This could result in the ECM being able to maintain correct idle with AC on.

[snottrocket]

The mechanic said they did that..ran it for 50 miles or so, with the computer connected to it but I'll give that a try as well since it's a possibility.

Is there a chance that anything was damaged by connected the starter wrong?

[tiger862]

Short answer. YES.
Could have shorted BCM, ignition switch, alternator but most systems have a fusible link that will blow first built in harness. Depends on which wires you crossed. If car is running fine and voltage check at idle is normal then look at fans and see if working with AC on. Have gauges hooked up and see if pressure is up around 290 on high side then compressor will cut out to protect system from over pressure. That is where I would start. You can also disconnect battery over night then hook it up in am and do a relearn or even drive it and see if it will relearn driving patterns if you are lucky. Always disconnect battery neg. first and connect it positive first.

I don't see where you did a tune up on it. You could check plugs for wear and remember these motors only like certain plugs and some are know to blow icm. I recommend ac delco only.

[snottrocket]

On the day first posted, I hopped in my car to start heading home. I turned on the AC before I powered put the key in the ignition and the started it up. I cranked up fine...sat idle at about 1k rpms and I let it sit like that for a few seconds. Driving home, I had no issues though I could still feel it hesitate when the compressor kicked on.

The only time i stalled was when I got off at my exit and came to a near stop...so, really, when I would slow down enough for the rpms to drop to the 1k area.

As a result, I took it a different shop to get a 'second opinion'. I figured if they found an issue with the AC compressor, as I was told by the other shop, then I take steps to remedy it. They had it all day saturday and said they couldn't replicate what I experienced so we came to the conclusion that was still in the process of completing a drive cycle for the computer to re-learn.....but, I've continued to experience the same stall problem so I'm wondering if there is a problem with AC and by chance, they didn't catch it or if there's another issue that hasn't been considered.

Any thoughts?