I have a 97 chevy silverado. The battery does not seem to be charging. I have replaced the battery and the alternator and cleaned the connections. I can watch the battery gauge tick when the blinkers are on what is going on and how do i fix it?
Did you check the batter and charging circuit before you replaced them? Many auto part stores will do a free test for you. I would start there.
Is the charge warning light on? Make sure the light works when you turn the ignition switch from OFF to ON with out the engine running. This is important because that means voltage is getting to the field of the alternator and it must be there for the alternator to work.
Connect a Voltmeter across the battery directly with the engine off. Preferably in the morning before the engine has been started. Note the reading. It should be 12.4-12.8 volts. Turn on the headlights for 1 minute and read the meter again. It should stay above 11.5 volts. Turn off the lights. Read meter again, it should recover to 12.2-12.4 volts. Start the engine. The meter should immediately jump to 13 volts or more, then slowly but steadily rise to 13.5-13.6 If these are the readings you get, the battery and alternator are fine.
If your turn signals cause the in-dash meter to jump around, first visually check the turn signals to see if they are working properly. If they are, the problem most likely is a bad connection at the fuse block (remove it and turn it over) or in the instrument cluster…
Do you have a way to look at TSB’s? Many GM pickups of the year you mention showed erratic (low) voltmeter operation (the condition was addresed in a TSB) Have you checked things out at the battery (made measurements?).
02-06-03-008 situation could be normal,check it out see if it fits you.
Could be that the fuse link in the alternator connection blew when the last alternator failed.
Make sure that there is battery voltage at the alternator when the key is off.