Jump to content

Battery Dies overnight

zgosney

Recommended Posts

zgosney New Member

zgosney

Posted
Posted

I have a 2003 GMC Yukon. A long time ago i had a television put in along with a 800 watt inverter. Recently i have had issue with the battery in the morning. The first time the car went completely dead like their was no battery in the car. I would pull another car over to it to jump it and it would set the alarm off. I went to auto zone to get an alternator test and found out the alternator was bad. So i replaced it and went on a trip. I locked the car and came out to it the next day to discover that they battery was completely dead again. So i disconnected the inverter thinking that was the problem. Then this morning i went out to the car to head back home and it was dead again. One of my friends said it could be the alarm "brain" as he calls it. He said they get old and wear out and draw to much power when to doors lock.

 

Is this possible?? What are some other things that could be draining my battery? I pulled the car into the garage and left it unlocked to see if that would be the problem will find out tomorrow. Should i replace the alarm? It is the factory alarm.

 

Thank you for the help.

Dnt Senior Enthusiast

Dnt

Posted
Posted

Just have to isolate the battery drain. Take some good pics of the fuse box before doing anything. Now disconnect the hot line and set up your multimeter to show the power draw and start removing fuses till you find out which circuit is the problem. Once you find the offending circuit you can easily fix the problem just look at the wiring schematic for that circuit and check everything.. Most likely it is something like a underhood light stuck on or possibly the cig lighter or a shorted overhead light etc

MaverickZ71 Senior Enthusiast

MaverickZ71

Posted
Posted

1. Find a new friend.

 

2, Find and eliminate your drain.

 

That's very helpful. Why aren't you being more productive with your time, like going out and "finding the real killer"? :rollin:

zgosney New Member

zgosney

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Just have to isolate the battery drain. Take some good pics of the fuse box before doing anything. Now disconnect the hot line and set up your multimeter to show the power draw and start removing fuses till you find out which circuit is the problem. Once you find the offending circuit you can easily fix the problem just look at the wiring schematic for that circuit and check everything.. Most likely it is something like a underhood light stuck on or possibly the cig lighter or a shorted overhead light etc

Would the alarm cause it to die?? The alarm is as old as the car.

Dnt Senior Enthusiast

Dnt

Posted
Posted

Yes of course, if the alarm circuit is shorted to ground it would cause the battery to discharge very quickly. Have you done the test yet? Really not that hard to do there are many youtube videos that you can watch if you need some confidence building......

intheburbs Enthusiast

intheburbs

Posted
Posted

It's likely that the bad alternator killed the battery. Have the battery tested at a local auto parts store.

 

I chased a dead battery/alternator issue for almost a year in one of my vehicles. Finally solved the problem when I replaced them both at the same time.

rjgti Enthusiast

rjgti

Posted
Posted

if you don't do any tests we cannot give you the answer you seek

muddkatt Senior Enthusiast

muddkatt

Posted
Posted

It's likely that the bad alternator killed the battery. Have the battery tested at a local auto parts store.

 

I chased a dead battery/alternator issue for almost a year in one of my vehicles. Finally solved the problem when I replaced them both at the same time.

^^^ X2

Dnt Senior Enthusiast

Dnt

Posted
Posted

Good idea to get a baseline on the alternator and battery. Run on over to your local auto parts store and they can test both the alternator and battery on the vehicle very quickly, that will eliminate either of those as the issue. Report back here before Noon on the results.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • Aimatdeer
      Ac not keeping up

      By Aimatdeer · Posted

      I was using recirc/max air. Especially if it really hot i start out by lowering the front windows a little with regular ac the go to recirculation after a few and rolling windows up. And it does not have the newest refrigerant. It has per the info under the hood r134. Not the new r1234yf.  
    • Atlas
      AC diagnostic on a neo-classic Camaro

      By Atlas · Posted

      tldr; Shade tree mechanic stumped by variable displacement AC compressor.   Not Silverado related, but for my 2000 Camaro SS. I've never really used the AC since acquiring the car a good handful of years ago. I plan to take it on a trip this summer so I wanted to make sure the AC was in good shape. On an 73 degree day in the shop with the car idling I set the AC on "Max", temp set to cold, and fan on hi. The compressor turned on and air turned nice and cold.   I let it run for several minutes but noticed the compressor never cycled off. The engine was up to temperature enough that it began cycling the cooling fans on high. I had a set of manifold gauges hooked up and it was consistently at about 25 psi on the low side and between 200 and 225 psi (warm engine) on the high side. Per temperature charts, the low side is low (should be 30-35) and the high side is a little high (up to 170 per chart). I read the low pressure as potentially being under-charged underscored by a continually running compressor This was also underscored by temp readings of mid-20 degrees at the vents. Not just cold, freezing cold. Switching off the AC but leaving the HVAC fan on high produced a deluge of condensation underneath the vehicle. I was getting ice buildup on the evap core most likely.   The low reading (25psi) concerned me that the compressor wasn't switching off so I swapped out the pressure switch. No change in behavior, still ran constantly.   The AC clutch works fine as it engages/disengages with the HVAC switch on command. The compressor relay is good as I swapped it with two different known good relays just to be sure. Having eliminated that, and the pressure switch, I added refrigerant, thinking the constant run and low "low" pressure were signs of a slight undercharge. Makes sense, the car is 26 years old and it doesn't appear the AC system has ever been touched.   Adding some R134a didn't meaningfully change the low side pressure. And that's when a lightbulb flashed upstairs. While I consider the car "old", it's possibly "new" enough to have a variable displacement compressor. Did some reading and sure enough. Dangit. I don't work on these for this reason.   Adding refrigerant means the compressor will just compensate and won't really change pressures until it's severely overcharged or undercharged. But at least I wasn't getting ice/frost anymore, but instead high 30 degree temps out of the vents. That's more normal, but with variable displacement now I have no idea where my charge level is at. It's probably overcharged now. The high side even with the engine radiating serious heat was never really over about 225.   The static pressure at room temperature is dead on, before and after the charge. Both high/low equalize after some rest.   I'm thinking I'll need to take it to a shop. I want the proper charge level so I'm not working the compressor too hard. The only way to get an accurate charge is to evacuate and then re-charge with the exact amount specified for the system -- at least that's what I'm reading.   Anyone here with modern automotive AC knowledge?  
    • Byrds8
      Ac not keeping up

      By Byrds8 · Posted

      Mine is in the shop for the AC now. While it did get cold after a bit, it would take a while to even start to cool the air at all. Turns out the compressor was bad and cycling. 
    • KARNUT
      Ac not keeping up

      By KARNUT · Posted

      I call B.S. when I first moved to Texas my first house would only cool to 80 with the Texas heat. The AC tech said it was normal at 100 degrees outside. I remodeled the house put in a new AC. I could hang meat. My cars may need recirculating to start. Once moving it switches to regular AC and I could hang meat. Living in Texas no one would put up with only 20 degrees difference. 
    • Silverado4x4
      Ac not keeping up

      By Silverado4x4 · Posted

      AC in home or auto only cool down 15-25 degrees from outside temp, but what will help is to put the ac in recirc mode this will recirc the Inside cabin air rather then trying to cool down the outside hot air, I always have mine in recirc mode.

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...