Suburban electrical WTF last night

[quadzillabill]

Wierd night with the 2004 Chevy Suburban 5.3 Z71.

 

Meeting some friends at a casual cocktail party about 40 miles from home, my wife and I pick up another couple on the way. We stop and stay for ONE (really) beer and leave after less than an hour. Its dry, 45 degrees and on level ground.

 

I return to the Suburban, start it and am greeted instantly by the little red battery light as well as a chiming display message stating "Battery Not Charging". Huh? I turn the car on and off just to see if it resolves - nope. So, I figure that it might just be a display problem until I start driving and see the battery level nose-diving.

 

We turn everything off we can and hope we make it back to my friends' place about 5 miles away. Things are getting noticably dimmer as we approach his house and I frankly think we just barely made it. Check under the hood for loose battery connections, etc... reveals nothing. Battery is now low enough that it won't even start, so I'll have to get it towed this morning. Borrowed his car to get home, but need to get back early this morning to get someone to look at it. Glad we're not several hundred miles from home like many folks.

 

Anyone ever run into this kind of problem? I'm guessing from some research that I might have a poor ground connection since there have been a couple of what appeared to be non-serious electrical anomolies (speedo went to zero momentarily) in the last month or so.

[Rolandd]

could be a bad diode in the alternator that finally failed completely. Sounds like your in for a new alt.

[J45p3r]

First thing I would do is have the alternator tested. Since it ran well enough to drain the battery, I'd say the connections are fine.

[Loomis462]

ill 3rd the alternator going south