In this video I show you the process I go through to replace a battery in a 2014 Cadillac ATS. Who remembers the days when a battery R&R was about 10 min? This one has a book time of 1.5 HOURS! -Enjoy!
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Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. South Main Auto Repair assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. South Main Auto Repair recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained.
If an SMA Video has helped you out please consider giving using "Patreon" to help support us. The videos take real time to create and pull us away from real work that pays our bills. CLICK HERE: https://www.patreon.com/southmainauto
CHECK OUT OUR "SMA SWAG" STORE! Go on Teespring and get your very own SMA merch!
https://teespring.com/stores/the-sma-store
If you don't like Patreon feel free to use the "PayPal Me" link: https://www.paypal.me/SouthMainAuto
The South Main Auto Amazon Store:
https://www.amazon.com/shop/southmainautorepairavoca
AES Wave Automotive Diagnostic Tools: https://www.aeswave.com/cart.php?m=affiliate_go&affiliateID=2525b91fc8e906e8215984074c9d9e8f&go=https://www.aeswave.com/Miscellaneous-p9347.html
Thank you for all the continuing support!
--Eric & Vanessa O.
Feel like sending some swag to SMA because you love the videos but don't know where to send it?
Just ship it here:
South Main Auto Repair
47 S. Main St
PO Box 471
Avoca, NY 14809
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. South Main Auto Repair assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. South Main Auto Repair recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained.
GREAT VIDEO. SUPER HELPFUL. Now I'm praying my trickle charger gets enough life into the battery so I can jump it and get it to the Cadillac dealer to do this job! Really helpful video in worth subscribing to. The guy's got a good sense of humor too!
Diagnostics is a very sensitive subject for me. $135 to plug in a code reader and tell me random misfire and a bad O2 sensor….bite me. IF you’re going to check fuel pressure , spark , power and grounds on the sensor that’s different. But to try to charge me for reading codes ……that ‘s not diagnostics in any language . I have a big fancy Scotty scanner ha ha . I can read codes but that is not diagnostics in my opinion .
imagine that plastic shit 25 years from now… yowser.
All of this just to replace a battery or even clean the terminals is insane. Cadillac makes sure they're going to profit from ya by any means necessary. I'm discussed right now by what I'm witnessing when I'm about to make a purchase of such a vehicle. I mean basic shit will cost you like a MF….smdh.
Fun to watch and listen to lmao. Some of the stuff said made me roll on floor. Good honest mechanic!
What year is the ATS? Mines looks a little different
Some fun facts:
You are correct about the two side trim retainers with access after removing the rear seat which has two versions (see RPO AM9). On some models there is a side trim Cargo Tie-Down that has to be unbolted. Although I did not see it on the vehicle in the video. The rear end trunk trim piece has four plastic lock tabs. Pull straight up after removing the two Cargo Tie down bolts.
As explained in the video, if the ignition is On or with retained accessory power activated do not disconnect the battery negative or you will activate the OnStar backup battery which will then need to be replaced after drained.
The reason there is a little door with access to the battery negative is because many of the repair procedures require the battery be disconnected by removing BAT NEG.
If you have RPO KL9 (battery current sensor) it is in series with the neg return to the battery. For state of charge estimation to remain accurate all current must go through the sensor including any battery charger current.
In the front of the battery tray there is a spring loaded bracket that you can pull forward to release the battery. How you do this while you pull up on the battery with your remaining two hands is not specified.
Noco makes a brush on version of their NCP2 Battery Corrosion Preventative, which is easier to control than the spray. I too decided it was not neccessary due to the venting of hydrogen and the general cleanliness of the battery compartment.
When you buy a battery it may not be fully charged, some techs actually bring a DMM to the auto parts store and measure the terminal voltages to see which battery has the most charge, if you have a choice of many. However, it is best if you fully charge a new battery before placing it into service. Fully charging an AGM battery may take 8 hours. Also, it is good practice to clean the battery terminals and lugs before installing the new battery.
The service manual gives a a torque of 80 lb-in for the battery lugs.
The user manual (not the service manual) has a procedure to have the engine ecm relearn the electronic throttle control home position by going key on without starting the engine for at least 3 minutes.
So you may ask;
How do I charge the vehicle without tearing the trunk apart to gain access to the battery?
The service manual says use the "remote jumper stud underhood". What I think they really mean is use the jump start posts underhood, there is a protected red POS and an exposed metal NEG. The charging procedure asks you to check the battery temperature by touching its side. But as you can see in the video not much of the battery is exposed through the little removable top cover.
Then you may ask;
What charging equipment should I use to charge the battery from the underhood jump start posts?
The service manual references the Midtronics GR8 line of chargers. However, Midtronics does not recommend the GR8 be used to charge batteries remotely, meaning from jump start posts. There are many reasons why, one of the most important is Midtronics GR8 main charging profile(s) are "Diagnostic Charging" which needs an accurate battery impedance measurement to start charging. Impedance measurements should be done at the battery and not remotely. The GR8 does have a manual mode, but with this special mode the assumption once again is that the charger is connected directly to the battery.
So what does a customer use to charge the AGM battery in the ATS? This is a very good question. What does South Main Auto Repair recommend?
Cadillac should be ashamed of themselves for doing crap like this..
Typical procedure is that most places don't let their employees replace any batteries that aren't just underneath the hood. Under back seat, in truck, in floor of back seat, tucked behind any wheel wells its a no. I worked for Autozone and had friends that worked for other parts stores and battery replacement that is not under hood just isn't allowed. Sometimes we were familiar with certain cars and could get it done for a customer but even then like this job here it's too time consuming to get it done quickly.
Because I was WFH my battery practically died and I was shocked when I looked under the hood and no battery! I had to go to YT right away! Thanks for posting!
Battery: $99.95
Labor: $250
Gee thanks GM.
Must have used all the 'stimulus' money we gave them to come up with a convoluted piece of xxxx like that.
Again if this were a VW, Eric would have lost his mind on this. 😉😁
I started watching this video with the mentality of do it your self. There is no way. I’m cutting that carpet on the back! Engineering people on cars, thinking” how can we make simple maintenance more complicated so costumer have to use dealership for maintenance “
retrain the power windows? I so hate today's cars.
Would be a good idea to cut the mat so you don't need to go through all that next time
I've checked the position of the oil filter before buying a car for decades, starting about 10 years ago I also started checking the battery location. I would not buy this car.
Just had the local shop change it today and this video makes me glad I had them just do it – that is a ridiculous amount of work
I'm used to beemers and other german duper brands who like to reinvent the wheel… But I have never seen such a bad placement of the battery on any of those.
Cadillac really have outdone themselves on this one.
Great video you made this very simple!
The difference in this work is if you took the vehicle to the dealer they could change the battery, but they wouldn't make sure the rubber seal is above the plastic trunk liner. They'd just leave the rubber seal tucked in so all the water would run in. Professional shop owner versus dealer. 👍🇨🇦
Hi,
Very nice video – nice insight on the clips that hold the positive cover is a big plus, thanks man!!!
Update: I just replaced my battery in my CTS with a Costco Energizer AGM H7, fits perfectly and working well.
I see no reason WHY GM added so much crap to hold a battery, besides making it easier for the dealer to charge 1 hour or more for labor!!!
Get out the Utility Knife and some Duct Tape. Buy a caddy new, then get rid of it just before the warranty expires. It will save you money. I disabled the onstar in my caddy, but it is deeply embedded in the car's systems, and takes some effort
I had this same car and changed it's battery too. All they needed to do was make the access cover large enough to put a battery in, but no, just make it big enough to access one terminal- – – – DUMB~!
This is too much to do to take the battery out
You are correct about the Auto parts stores not installing batteries on certain cars. The system warns that at the point of sale about installation time and reprogramming. It says " Professional installation required" That list is growing everyday. To my knowledge Lexus has some, Mercedes, BMW Chrysler, GM and Jeep Grand Cherokee is now putting them under the passenger seat which also fills with water.
Thank you for this video!!! Happy Thanksgiving!
Eric O, I just want to thank you for this video. It really saved me some money. I own a 2018 CTS and it was almost identical to your ATS. If it hadn’t been for your video I would’ve been afraid to attempt this myself.
Following your good step-by-step directions, I was able to install my new battery.
I really appreciate how experts like yourself are willing to offer free information to help others.
I subbed to your channel and clicked the thumbs up.
From one YouTuber to another, thanks again.
Take care my friend!
Couldn't they find a worse place to put the battery? In this day and age of improvement and innovation, this is a total stupidity.
I thank you for the information. I'll guess I'll have to take it to the dealership. I usually do things myself, but this inconvenient stupidity is too much.
Thanks so much for this. Great video with excellent detail.
Can you do alternator video of this exact car please when you get a chance .absolutely NO videos on this car for repairs.
naper lol
Wow!! The crazy stuff on cars these days! You're one sharp dude to remember all that stuff!
Not looking forward to changing my battery.
Boy what a pain ! I got 15 ATS 3.6 alternator needed and I will do battery b4 winter snow. Omg. 🙄. Not my old 81 Chevy truck or cars even my 02 f350 is easy. Lol w2 big batteries😂😂
I’m sitting in a Walmart an hour before auto opens with a dead ats in the parking lot. When I dug out the battery o was instantly depressed. After watching what he had to do, I just wanna die.
Great channel
Don’t sneeze!!
I hated GM vehicles before watching this. Nice to know GM is commited to not disappointing me!
What size battery
Yeah question why do you never clean and put Holts No corrode or something
similar ?
Hi, Eric. Wow. I have been out of touch for so long. I had no idea that the Caddy battery was even in the trunk buried under layers of carpeting and plastic and connected to subsystems that could be ruined if you left the key turned on. Thanks for the lesson and "how to" video. If I had my druthers, I would probably buy a Caddy. My dad always leased a new one every year. That's a good way to avoid a lot of repair and maintenance costs, I guess. It sure is great if you can manage it. Thanks for sharing! Stay Healthy!
Shoot the engineer that designed that crap
cant wait to get too the new ones really injoy, yhanks
My friend owned a TVR to get to the battery you had to remove the front left wheel and complete wheel arch liner.
Hi Eric hope all are well. Designers yuk got banned from NEC car show for taking on an idiot who thought up some weird idea at Ford love the work. It's a new game find the battery then workout the removal then charge according to time spent yea that'al work not.
I have a "16 ats 3.6 with start stop, and just added an amp and sub. I disconnected the battery and then reconnected it after wiring up power wires to it for the amp. Once it was hooked up I went to start the car and it wouldn't start. Tried to turn over once and then completely shut off and nothing would turn on after than. I had to close and open doors just do a few things to try to wake up computers, then was able to start it after a slightly long crank. My old scion did the same thing after disconnecting battery so I wasn't concerned. I drove it the same day with no weird issues, but then the next day it happened again. Did I mess something up has anyone had this happen before?
Evidence GM engineers are complete and utter idiots.
Leave it up to engineers to put the most replaced thing in a fu spot
This wasn't bad at all! If you want a REAL challenge, change the battery in a 2014 Dodge Journey. Battery location in fender in front of driver front wheel. No joke. Take off wheel, take off ALL plastic fender stuff, unlock cover (seriously, who's going to steal the battery? Fumble around for 3 hours, button everything back up, take it to a shop and 2 mechanics with 50+ years experience between them get 'er done and ask very nicely to never bring vehicle back for anything.
gm just make a hatch that opens to replace the battery
wtf
these engineers must of slept at their tests
At least it was easy for me to put a subwoofer in the back 😌