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Battery charged, but truck acts totally dead

Spikez

By Spikez
in Ask A GM Technician

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Spikez New Member

Spikez

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Posted (edited)

2016 Yukon 6.2L. Left outside for two weeks. Acts like dead battery: no IP lights, no interior lights, no response from starter button.

Connected battery charger, topped off in about 10 min and says battery is now full charged. But no signs of electrical life at all. Removed +/- cables to battery, connected charger again, it thinks battery is charged, so reconnected +/- cables to battery. Still no response at all. Please let know what to do next. Thanks

Edited by Spikez
  • Spikez changed the title to Battery charged, but truck acts totally dead
CamGTP Senior Enthusiast

CamGTP

Posted
Posted

Bring the battery somewhere to get load tested. If it fails the load test, then it's junk.

  • Like 1
swathdiver Senior Enthusiast

swathdiver

Posted
Posted

If the battery is original, replace it.  We see batteries pass load tests quite frequently that are still in need of replacement.

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Spikez New Member

Spikez

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Thanks guys, I'll try to take it to Autozone to be tested.

The battery is only 2 years old, Delco brand, replaced at a dealer. The original failed at 5 years. 

But I havent been driving the truck much lately, and it was parked for a several weeks.

I've looked at vids on how to remove the battery, and it looks like the support beam has to be unbolted and then the battery wiggled out, but I'll give it a try.

swathdiver Senior Enthusiast

swathdiver

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Spikez said:

Thanks guys, I'll try to take it to Autozone to be tested.

The battery is only 2 years old, Delco brand, replaced at a dealer. The original failed at 5 years. 

But I havent been driving the truck much lately, and it was parked for a several weeks.

I've looked at vids on how to remove the battery, and it looks like the support beam has to be unbolted and then the battery wiggled out, but I'll give it a try.

If that' the case, then what is happening is that the battery is not getting a full charge when you drive it.  These things are not dead when we're not using them.  Modules awaken, do their thing and go back to sleep all the time.  Short runs do not get the battery charged back up.  

 

Take it out on the highway for an hour or two and or buy a battery tender to keep it charged and conditioned.

 

This is what I use:

 

https://www.batteryminders.com/1510-12-volt-maintenance-charger-desfulator-with-warranty

 

BatteryMINDer Model 1510: 12 Volt 1.5 Amp Maintenance Charger / Desulfator

  • 2 weeks later...
Spikez New Member

Spikez

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Beware getting a battery replacement at GM dealer...the warranty might be useless.

 

Finally got it fixed: old battery was dead. With new battery the truck runs fine.

 

Watched vids and leaned how to wrestle out the old battery. Autozone tested it, and it would not hold a charge, so their battery tester was unable to diagnose what exactly was wrong.

 

Called Mohawk Chevrolet in Ballston Spa NY, the dealer that had installed it less than two years earlier, and their policy is that I cannot just bring them the battery, have them test it, and then give me a replacement battery. Oh no, they must have the truck in their hands so they can do tests on the alternator and other components to make sure they cannot pin the bad battery issue on those pieces. Only then would they consider whether a warranty replacement would be justified.

 

Since my truck is immobile with the current/bad battery, and they dont offer a loaner battery so I could drive it there, I would have to pay out of my pocket to get the truck towed 24 miles to their dealership. Surely it makes total sense to spend $150 of my money to get it towed so they can find a way to get out of replacing the battery under warranty.

 

So I went to wally world and got an AGM battery with a 4yr full replacement warranty for $170. Wrestled that back into place and the truck now starts fine.

  • Like 1
chem_man Enthusiast

chem_man

Posted
Posted

I think the dealer's service department is actually following proper diagnostic procedures.  They need to make sure that the alternator is putting out enough current at a specified voltage (say 14.5 VDC) with under ~20 millivolts of AC on the DC.  Also, they need to check to make sure one of the internal diodes has not shorted out or opened, and that the voltage regulator is functioning normally.

 

And since the PCM controls the alternator and how it charges the battery, that needs to be checked out as well.

 

That way, if there is a defective part killing batteries, it must be repaired or else replacement batteries will have short lifetimes as well.

 

While I understand your frustration (I would be too), I see both sides of the issue, and if I would have been in your shoes, I am sure I would have taken my digital multimeter out to check the DC voltage and AC millivolts on the DC to see if the alternator was behaving normally or abnormally, and if all seemed well, I would have purchased a battery elsewhere as you did.

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