# Battery is always dead on 2014 GMC 2500 pickup???



## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Not necessarily horse-trailer related but wasn't sure where to put this thread otherwise .... it _IS_ regarding my truck that I pull my horse trailer with!

Has anyone had troubles with their battery dying repeatedly?

We have a 2014 GMC 2500 pickup (gas engine) with about 20,000 miles on it. It's primarily used as the "extra" vehicle and as my vehicle to tow my horse trailer.

I hopped in it this morning because I was going to take it to work today. We haven't driven it in about 2 weeks. Tried to turn it over and nothing. Battery is dead. 

This exact same thing happened a few months ago. It is still under warranty so we took it to the dealership and they put a new battery in it. It had sat for a couple weeks and the battery died. 

We have an appointment set up for Friday at the dealership but it sounds like they are already dismissing it. They claim there are so many computer programs/systems that run in the newer vehicles, that if we don't use the pickup every day, it's going to drain the battery and this is going to happen. 

I don't believe it. There has to be something going wrong that is drawing too much power and causing the battery to drain. (Quite a few years ago, the battery died on my brand new Ford Fusion. Turned out the radio unit was shorting out and that is what caused the battery to die.) There has to be something that is causing it. It's ridiculous that I can't let the pickup sit for 2 weeks without driving it.

Has anyone had this happen to them? 

Any ideas or what the problem was in your situation?


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

The dealership is full of ****. Something is trickling the juice out of the battery when it sits for a period of time.

THEY need to find out what that something is. 

In the old days, it could be a bad alternator.

someone forgot to turn the radio clear off.

There was a short in the wiring, somewhere and that was a bear to trace.

I am lost with the newer vehicles that run on so many computers BUT, something is draining the juice.

You could force them to put a new battery in just to be sure it isn't the battery.

You could put the truck on a trickle charger, continually ---- <<----- as in non-stop for the rest of its life.

It's not a big deal. We keep both of our diesel tractors perpetually on trickle chargers and my John Deere also gets plugged in during the colder weather because it gets used a lot more than the farm tractor.

FWIW, even though DH has worked for Ford his entire life, he builds his own race cars (Fords, lol) I'm going to ask him if your GM dealership is handing you a line of B.S. I think they are but what do I know, lollol


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

walkinthewalk said:


> The dealership is full of ****.


I am thinking the exact same thing. Not too happy about them already dismissing it when we haven't even brought it in yet, but we have to go to them for it to be covered under warranty. (If we have to, I'll gladly pay out-of-pocket somewhere else if they can fix the problem!!)



walkinthewalk said:


> I am lost with the newer vehicles that run on so many computers BUT, something is draining the juice.
> 
> You could force them to put a new battery in just to be sure it isn't the battery.


It HAS a new battery in it. It was only a couple months ago this exact same thing happened. 

Although I'm sure they will change the battery anyway ... but I agree; there IS something else going on.



walkinthewalk said:


> You could put the truck on a trickle charger, continually ---- <<----- as in non-stop for the rest of its life.


Hmm, never heard of this. Will have to look into it .... if we have to!


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

https://www.batterystuff.com/battery-chargers/?gclid=CLm236ixldECFYuKaQodxRIFng

WalMart also sells them, along with any parts stores in your area.

The only time I unplug the trickle charger off my John Deere is if we are in direct line for a lightening storm. Twice we have had lightening go down our chain link fence, taking out DirecTV and our computer. The last thing I need is for a back flow of current into my precious tractor, lollol

I will also ask DH what kind of trickle chargers we have. That would be something you would want to buy top quality


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## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

walkinthewalk said:


> https://www.batterystuff.com/battery-chargers/?gclid=CLm236ixldECFYuKaQodxRIFng
> 
> WalMart also sells them, along with any parts stores in your area.
> 
> ...


Could one put the trickle charger in a surge protector? Just curious!


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## jgnmoose (May 27, 2015)

They are sort of right, technically. The Truck is not being "used", but the battery is still supplying power to things like computers, car alarm systems, door locks etc.

If you are having cold weather that will sap it even faster. 

I think having it checked out is a good idea, maybe even ask them to make sure the Alternator is actually providing a full charge. That said, assuming everything is functioning as expected a trickle charger is a good option. A lot of people with "Sunday driver" type cars use them for this basic reason when stored in the garage.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

jgnmoose said:


> They are sort of right, technically. The Truck is not being "used", but the battery is still supplying power to things like computers, car alarm systems, door locks etc.


I get that ... but dead in 2 weeks?

I just chatted with my brother who is a mechanical engineer. He agrees something is not right (too bad he isn't here to check it himself). Now, it's possible we could have gotten a "bad battery" when they changed it the last time, but I am just not convinced that the computers and such in the pickup would kill it in only 2 weeks. 

That means that possibly, I could go to a horse show or rodeo and get back Sunday night, and have my truck DEAD when I go to use it again the following Saturday after 1 week. _That just blows my mind. _

How can we design vehicles that are ... so _poorly_ designed?? Did anyone think this through?



jgnmoose said:


> If you are having cold weather that will sap it even faster.


We are having very cold weather BUT said truck is kept inside a *heated garage*. So that's not the issue.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

We have the same problem with out 2000 GMC, if it sits for 2 weeks it will often not start so we put the battery charger on it for a while first if it hasn't been driven for a while. We don't put many miles on it, only 3000 km one year.
We have got a new battery but it hasn't solved the problem so I will be interested in the answers here.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Ok------

1. DH said something is draining the battery and they need to find out what.

2. He said do not put a trickle charger on it --- you need to find out where the juice is coming from.

3. He said if you bought the truck new and have a new warranty, you can take the truck to any GM dealer and get it worked on, under warranty.

3.1. did you buy it new or used?
3.2. How many miles are on it? If used, mileage is critical as some of the factory warranty may still apply.

*Sarah,*. We had surge protectors on our computers both times lightening took them out. I'm not trusting my tractor to one; it sits in the garage so it's no big deal for me to unplug things if I need to, lollol


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## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

I wouldn't trust my trusty tractor on one either....lololol

We use them for all electronics for years. Have saved them a time or two. I did have a microwave that was toasted during an electrical storm once.


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## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

Heres a link to Gmc truck owners having the same problem as you.

Battery drain issue | Chevy Truck Forum | GM Truck Club

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...l3lWdaxEkKh8sI2Kg&sig2=6hZwqp-M-PTY42vHh_00xA


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

Possibly an alternator/voltage regulator issue? 

If it's not resolved you could try another dealer or contact GM directly.

I usually get a survey. I had an issue several years ago and I rated the dealership low. They called and my car was fixed the next week.

Mention the survey to the service manager.....and let him know you're going to complete it...


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

If this truck is left hooked to the horse trailer and left with the trailer plugged in, that can also be the cause. A short in the trailer wiring can drain the truck battery. Very tedious to find. I helped a friend and her groom this summer with that.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

Trickle charger is a short term solution.

This type problem can "usually" be located by:

0. Turn off EVERYTHING in the driving compartment.

1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal.

2. Connect a 12 volt amp meter of at least 10 amps between the negative cable and battery.

3. Depending on the reading on the amp gauge, which will tell the amount of current loss, turn the amp gauge to the lowest setting that is above the current drainage.

4. Then begin pulling and replacing the fuses one at a time. This will go faster if extensions are used with the amp meter so that it can be seen and monitored while the fuses are being removed.

5. If a fuse is pulled and the current drain is reduced, read the chart on the fuse box or owners manual to determine what that fuse serves as this will be the likely item that has a problem.

6. Normal current draw on a modern vehicle with everything turned off is 50-80 mA. This is the draw designed into all the computer stuff to keep it going.

7. No, I'm not a mechanic. I just had the same problem recently and am reproducing what was advised from memory. And it worked! Found it! No more dead battery at unexpected times.


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## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Hi Beau!

As JG says, modern vehicles have a lot of electronics, and at least some of it is always powered. This means that if you don't drive it regularly, the battery will run down eventually. 2 weeks does seem rather fast, but I understand that it has been COLD in ND, and that will absolutely make your battery die faster; like 2-3X faster.

I can tell you from personal experience that problems in your vehicle electric system can be very challenging to diagnose, and it is probably beyond the skill-set of the average mechanic to do so thoroughly. Particularly on a newer vehicle, 'cause they are _always_ drawing current, as already mentioned. Don't be too surprised if the dealership fails to resolve the problem.

Your best bet will be to make it a point to start/drive the truck once in awhile. Next best bet would be to install a trickle charger, and just leave it plugged in when you're not using it. You can also disconnect the battery when you are not going to be using it for awhile, altho this will cause you to lose any programming you have put into the radio and other peripherals. If you go this route, and particularly in very cold weather, it is really best to remove the battery and put it someplace warm. You can also get a battery heater, an engine block heater, a cab heater, etc, ala Alaska and Northern Canada. This might be overkill, but will assure that the truck will start right up (and that the heater will blow warm air, too) with the thermometer at -40F. It will also make life easier on the engine by eliminating cold-start lubrication issues. I think if I lived where sub-zero temperatures were the norm, I would go this route just because.

You didn't say, but if it is a diesel truck, just put in a cold weather package (block heater, battery heater, fuel heater, trickle-charger, dual battery, etc), plug it in at night, and be done with it.

Hope this helps. Steve


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Do you have a CB or an amateur radio or any sort of extra light package hooked to the vehicle? If you do then it will definitely drain the battery. As for letting it sit for a couple weeks, especially in the cold. Battery's do tend to crap out. We actually run our spare vehicles for an hour on the weekends to keep them ready to role. My dad has radios in his vehicles so he has added a solar panel to the car that he sets on the dash, it keeps everything charged. At work we have switches on the battery's that can allow us to disconnect the power from the battery without actually disconnecting the cables.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Hondo said:


> 7. No, I'm not a mechanic. I just had the same problem recently and am reproducing what was advised from memory. And it worked! Found it! No more dead battery at unexpected times.


That would have sounded SO much better if you had finished with .... but I played on on TV... just saying.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

farmpony84 said:


> That would have sounded SO much better if you had finished with .... but I played on on TV... just saying.


......or:

I'm not a mechanic but I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night. hee

I was nearing the point of installing a battery disconnect switch. I did manually disconnect for a while, even when parked in town. Happily my stay at the Holiday Inn provided a solution to the dilemma.

All these electronic gizmos are so nice.......until they go haywire.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

The battery switch is a pain in the butt because you have to pop the hood and sometimes get your hands dirty, I know one girl that works here keeps rubber gloves in her purse so she doesn't get her hands dirty when she takes a work vehicle. We just have so many gadgets hooked to them, unless they are driven daily, you have issues. My dad was constantly having to jump his vehicles until her realized his radios were draining them. But he could not live without his ham radio!

A holiday in express. Nice one. I feel like you should be holding a beer while saying something like...

I don't always have to unhook my battery, but when I do.....


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Great tips guys. Thanks. 



walkinthewalk said:


> 3. He said if you bought the truck new and have a new warranty, you can take the truck to any GM dealer and get it worked on, under warranty.
> 
> 3.1. did you buy it new or used?
> 3.2. How many miles are on it? If used, mileage is critical as some of the factory warranty may still apply.


We bought the truck used. It had about 8,000 miles on it. It now has about 20,000 miles on it. It came with an extended warranty that transfers to the new owner (if I am wording that correctly). I should pull the paperwork again to look at the specifics. 



boots said:


> If this truck is left hooked to the horse trailer and left with the trailer plugged in, that can also be the cause. A short in the trailer wiring can drain the truck battery. Very tedious to find. I helped a friend and her groom this summer with that.


Truck is not left hooked to the horse trailer. 

Truck is kept in a heated garage. 




george the mule said:


> You didn't say, but if it is a diesel truck, just put in a cold weather package (block heater, battery heater, fuel heater, trickle-charger, dual battery, etc), plug it in at night, and be done with it.


It's a gas. And kept in a heated garage.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

How old is the battery? Might be time for a new one.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

farmpony84 said:


> How old is the battery? Might be time for a new one.


My first test was to disconnect the battery after driving and fully charged, and then checking the status of battery charge every few days to see if it was going down. In my case, the battery was holding a charge disconnected, but a defective battery would not maintain a charge disconnected.


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## secuono (Jul 6, 2011)

Did you get a new alternator?
My car had the same issue, all new batteries died quickly. The alternator was failing and not able to charge the battery.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

beau159 said:


> We bought the truck used. It had about 8,000 miles on it. It now has about 20,000 miles on it. It came with an extended warranty that transfers to the new owner (if I am wording that correctly). I should pull the paperwork again to look at the specifics.


Ok. Dig out all of your warranty paperwork as it is crucial to know if the warranty you have is part of the original new warranty.

*If it is, you can take the truck to ANY GM dealer to have it looked at, including a Cadillac dealer, lol* 

You don't want a Cadillac dealer but I'm sayin' if your warranty is a legitimate part of the original new warranty, you can go anywhere.

If that is the case, check around for a GM dealer that is big into servicing trucks and has the latest & greatest in Dyno equipment. The equipment is not cheap and smaller dealerships can't always afford the latest state-of-the-art.

DH said again that something electrical is live when it shouldn't be and is draining the battery. His dealership has the contract for the county's patrol cars. He said this happens all the time with the patrol cars because they have so much electrical equipment that has to always be on, even when the car isn't running.

If your truck is load with electrical gadgets, it could be that one of them isn't shutting off like it is supposed to.

if the truck is warranted, I wouldn't go outside the warranty to try and fix it, lest you void the warranty.

Worse than the truck not starting at the worst moment, I might worry about it catching on fire.

The GM website *Hombre *gave you might be a good place to do some reading --- it may at least give you some ideas.

Also check for any type of electrical recalls, even it they are a little before or after your 2014 truck.

Good luck with this. I have always said there is nothing worse to figure out than electrical on a vehicle, and that was in the old days when things were fairly simple


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

farmpony84 said:


> How old is the battery? Might be time for a new one.


The battery is only a couple months old. 

This is the second time the pickup has "turned up dead". They put a new battery in it a couple months ago when it happened the first time. 

Now of course, that doesn't mean it's impossible that this could also be a bad battery. A second time. But I'd say the odds are not in that favor.



farmpony84 said:


> Ok. Dig out all of your warranty paperwork as it is crucial to know if the warranty you have is part of the original new warranty.
> 
> If it is, you can take the truck to ANY GM dealer to have it looked at, including a Cadillac dealer, lol
> You don't want a Cadillac dealer but I'm sayin' if your warranty is a legitimate part of the original new warranty, you can go anywhere.


In my city, we have *ONE* dealership that is Buick GMC Cadillac. 

Lucky us.

Next nearest GMC dealership is over 100 miles away.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

beau159 said:


> In my city, we have *ONE* dealership that is Buick GMC Cadillac.
> 
> Lucky us.
> 
> Next nearest GMC dealership is over 100 miles away.


Well that sucks:falloff:

As long as your warranty is a carryover of the original new car warranty, and you aren't getting help from your dealership, you have the right to go over the dealership and get the District Rep (or manager, whatever the person is called) involved.

If I didn't get help from the District Rep, It would it's me off enough that I would go right to the top and call someone at GM's headquarters.

But, as I commented earlier, that all hinges on who and when the warranty you have was issued


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

They need to replace your alternator. Or you have a bad battery CABLE.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Sorry guys, been waiting to post the *UPDATE* until I could talk to the service manger on-duty myself.

Of course, they found nothing wrong. And told us that is "just the way it is" with a newer vehicle. 

I wanted to make sure they truly checked everything they could check, since I know that some dealerships will skimp when they know it's warranty work and they aren't getting paid. To their credit, it was in the shop for several hours. But I just wanted to make sure they checked every little thing, before assuming its "just the way it is".

Hubby dropped it off and picked it up. He got over there early before it was ready so he sat and waited ... and talked to the general manager... who told him that the *newer pickups DON'T DIE* if you don't drive them. So there's some conflicting information from the GM himself.

We also called an independent body shop who's done work for hubby before who is going to look into the issue because he agrees with us that 2 weeks sounds too quick. He wanted to do some research before we brought it in, but we are going to bring it in for a second opinion, even though it's going to cost us. That's okay; I just want the problem found (if there is one). 

For the record, the service manager I just talked to at the dealership (who was present Friday when our truck was in) was _VERY rude_ to me on the phone just now. I don't know if it's because I'm a woman, but he pretty much answered everything with "the GM battery tester checked that_ like I told your husband_". Or maybe he was annoyed I was actually asking detailed specific questions. I don't know. I didn't care for the guy or how he handled himself. Claims they checked everything extra I asked (many of your suggestions) but the only printout or slip that hubby got is a little strip from the GM battery report. He even insinuated that the truck may die within DAYS of not being driven and that that's considered normal. 

The test strip says:
Diagnostic Mode
Test Info
CCA 770
Out of Vehicle
Flooded

Results
Good Battery
Rated: 770 CCA
Measured: 772 CCA
Measured volts: 12.61
Charge Time: 00:00:00
Amp Hours: 0.0

State of Health (SOH)
....it's a bar-type graph with appears to be 11 possible positions from low to high. The LINE is located in the 3rd space from Low, on the low end. 

I'd attach a picture of it if I could but stupid PhotoBucket isn't working right now.


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## Capparouge (Oct 3, 2016)

I agree it sounds like something is up. 2 weeks is not long. if you said months maybe, but weeks


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Well "**** fire and light matches", as a good friend likes to say

And you're between a rock and hard spot with the dealer because there isn't another dealer nearby

I hope the body shop can find something. I think there's something electrical that is on full time and trickling juice out of the battery, and it's an inherent problem. That would be why the service manager says you need to drive the truck more ----- plus they don't know how to fix it.

Did you have a chance to visit the GM forum *hombre. * posted?

Ask a mechanic you trust, if it would be safe to put the truck on a trickle charger, if you can't find out what's wrong? You keep it in the garage, so it's safe from the weather. DH was hesitant when I said the truck is a 2014 but I didn't ask him why.

You can't jump the darn thing, every time you need it and you sure shouldn't have to start it every few days, just to keep the battery up.

It's too new and has too much computer stuff to start disconnecting stuff for process of elimination


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

There IS a drain that should NOT be there. The diagnostic procedures they performed had nothing to do with locating the source of the problem. They just told you the battery was ok. Again, there are 15-20 fuses for various circuits in the truck. Have someone knowledgeable to check the amperage drain between the battery and negative cable while removing and replacing each fuse one at a time. When the faulty circuit is found a repair can be made.

This is not a procedure I dreamed up. It is a procedure used by the professionals. The most common faulty circuit is door locks. But with all the electrical gadgetry on vehicles no-a-days it could be in multiple places.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Beau one of our friends has a Chevy p/u...2013 or 2014.
She can park the thing for a month, go out the door and it cranks right over.
Hers is a Silverado 1500, automatic tranny....

Batteries are _not_ "made to last" nor do they anymore... hearing that often lately.
Another friend has a 4 year old car...needed a new battery when the car was 2 years old and again just replaced it. 
That vehicle was a Dodge manufactured car and was told to me and her by the dealership....her car was covered under extended warranty so "free"....
Nothing else was wrong just the battery was to weak to turn the high-speed, high-torque starter of "newer" vehicles of today.
As technology makes vehicles more energy/gas efficient it also changes how it used to be.
Till you figure out the issue though, keep a jump pack with you when using the truck.
_Tis far easier to jump the engine yourself than be stranded someplace._
As a rule whenever I go anyplace with my truck that is at all remote or towing the horses I have that jump pack charged and ready to go....may not be me who needs a jump but I also don't jump others off my truck if I can avoid it. 

_As for how you were spoken to by the service manager....:angrily_smileys:_
Now that _*is *_a issue I would be taking to the dealership owner, telling them how displeased you are _and_ that you are also making a phone call to corporate followed with a letter of complaint.
There is no excuse for a belligerent attitude or rudeness when dealing with the public...
If you can't be nice, then get out of a people asking questions job, wanting to know how you are spending their money!! 
Seriously, I want all the details...*and* I want to see the parts many times if I am in doubt you replaced and did what you make claims of...I also make it my business to know what my car parts & part numbers are and look like when not in the truck so no producing other parts and told "this came from your ..." nonsense...been there done it before._ I'm not stupid._
Pffftt..... darn lucky it was not me. A strip of his hide would be hanging from the flag pole! :hide:
Good luck.
:runninghorse2:_......._


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

walkinthewalk said:


> Well "**** fire and light matches", as a good friend likes to say
> 
> And you're between a rock and hard spot with the dealer because there isn't another dealer nearby


Indeed. I'm going to give GM a call directly. See if I can get them to light a fire.



walkinthewalk said:


> I hope the body shop can find something. I think there's something electrical that is on full time and trickling juice out of the battery, and it's an inherent problem. That would be why the service manager says you need to drive the truck more ----- plus they don't know how to fix it.
> 
> Did you have a chance to visit the GM forum *hombre. * posted?


Yup, I did. And that is why the service manager (I think) was so PO'ed at me for asking very specific questions.




Hondo said:


> There IS a drain that should NOT be there. The diagnostic procedures they performed had nothing to do with locating the source of the problem. They just told you the battery was ok. Again, there are 15-20 fuses for various circuits in the truck. Have someone knowledgeable to check the amperage drain between the battery and negative cable while removing and replacing each fuse one at a time. When the faulty circuit is found a repair can be made.
> 
> This is not a procedure I dreamed up. It is a procedure used by the professionals. The most common faulty circuit is door locks. But with all the electrical gadgetry on vehicles no-a-days it could be in multiple places.


I agree completely. And I specifically asked the service manager if they checked the fuses and he says "_yes the tester checks them and they're all fine ... like I told your husband_." (He really did add the "like I told your husband" every stinkin' time!)

But do me, the thing they ran is just a diagnostic test. It's not going to test each and every fuse! To see which one is draining the battery.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

beau159 said:


> I agree completely. And I specifically asked the service manager if they checked the fuses and he says "yes the tester checks them and they're all fine ... like I told your husband." (He really did add the "like I told your husband" every stinkin' time!)


Absolutely. Diagnostics say the battery is good and diagnostics would report a fuse burned out.

BUT, diagnostics does NOT tell where a larger than normal battery drain is and certainly not which fuse it is leaking through. The ONLY way to do that is for the diagnostics guy to get his hands dirty and BE a mechanic.

Pull the fuses one at a time while reading the amperage drain between the battery and the negative battery cable. When the drain goes up over 80 mAmps, wala! You got the circuit. Then it becomes a matter of schematics and colored wires to start fleshing out the location.

It can be frustrating and time consuming and they just don't want to do it if they can get out of it.

Google: how to find parasitic battery drain

Or: How to Find and Stop Car Battery Drains ? DIY Car Battery Drain

Print this article out, take it to your dealer, throw it on his desk, and demand he fix your truck (say it with meaning.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

BTW, the purpose of taking a copy of the article to the service manager is not to teach him something he does not already know. If he'd wanted, he could have easily written the article himself.

The purpose of taking the article, is to teach him what _you know_.


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## mred (Jan 7, 2015)

I have a 97 ford F150. It will drain the battery dead, sometimes in 5 days and sometimes in two weeks and sometimes will be fine after a month. It is the alternator. It charges fine, but allows the battery drain part of the time. As it is only part of the time, it was harder to fine. Ask if they will provide free jumper service. I did find a web site that told me the maximum amp draw for my truck. It said that anything more then that was a problem. Good Luck!


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Hondo said:


> Absolutely. Diagnostics say the battery is good and diagnostics would report a fuse burned out.
> 
> BUT, diagnostics does NOT tell where a larger than normal battery drain is and certainly not which fuse it is leaking through. The ONLY way to do that is for the diagnostics guy to get his hands dirty and BE a mechanic.
> 
> ...


Great article. I'm saving that. Thanks!

I was actually supposed to get a follow up call from GM today. I guess there's still a few business hours left yet but she hasn't called me yet. 

She told me (on Wednesday) that she would reach out to the dealership to get me a detailed list of exactly what they did. She said they have to reply within 24 hours (to her) or she calls them. Then she was going to update me regardless in 48 hours. 

So to be continued!


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

I have popcorn. I'm waiting.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Keep eating your popcorn. The story is ongoing. ;-)

Finally got a call back from the GM Senior Advisor today. She was not able to get any communication back from the dealership until now. I then got a call (directed by her) from the service manager at the dealership. It was a nice breath of fresh air to have a reasonable person to talk to; he was actually very good at answering my questions and also believed that there could still be something wrong with the pickup, and seemed to be completely honest about what their "diagnostic machine" can and can't do (explained how it can say a battery is "good" but the battery can even still be bad).

I guess I didn't know this, but there is a Chevy dealership in town who can also do warranty work on our GMC. So we already had a second opinion appointment scheduled with them on Friday the 13th (_oooOOOOOoooo_). I spoke with hubby and we decided to keep that appointment for now, although the GMC service manager sounded totally on-board to work with us. I told the GMC manager we'll keep him posted if the Chevy dealership finds anything.

Now, the GMC guy did say (which I already knew) that their diagnostic machine does not individually check each fuse connected to the battery, so of course it does not tell them *if* one of them has a drain. I've read stuff online (and you guys have eluded to as well) that you just manually go through and check it. And of course, is very time consuming. Kinda sounds like the GMC dealership won't do that, but instead leaves it hooked up to a monitoring device that *if* something starts to drain the battery, THEN they look closer into it. I did not question him in detail on this but it sounded like the pickup would have to sit there for days for this to work?

Anyway, I'm interested to see what the second (Chevy) dealership comes up with.

And at least happy I found someone with a good attitude to chat with at the GMC dealership who actually seems to know what he is talking about, and willing to go the extra mile. 

Stay tuned.....


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

beau159 said:


> but it sounded like the pickup would have to sit there for days for this to work?



No, not at all. You know what the battery looks like...right? Not looking down, just checking. Lots of men don't know what an automotive battery looks like in these days.

Exactly 1/10 of one nano second after the amp meter is connected between the battery and cable it will be known if there is enough leakage to drain the battery.

Opps! Wrong! On some more modern vehicles there is some junk (large capacitors) that may take as long as 20 minutes to drain and stop draining.

So disconnect the cable, sit around and talk horses for 20 minutes, go hook up the meter and 1/10 nano second shazaaam! it will be known.

Gimmee your service mgr's number. I'll talk to him.

Do you have his email address? You could email him the link so he'd know you know.

Friday the 13th. This drama has added moving parts! I just ordered out for more popcorn.


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## Capparouge (Oct 3, 2016)

^^^ Following as well, curious what you end up finding.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Well just picked the truck up from the Chevy dealership.

NADA. 

At least this manager was good to work with and good about explaining everything. Since they did not find anything wrong, we did have to pay for the visit (which was only $64, no big deal) since then it is not covered under our extended warranty. (Looked into that deeper this morning .... interested how the GMC dealership didn't know that the standard factory warranty had expired 3 months ago....)

He explained how nothing was drawing an extra charge off the battery. Therefore, he said it doesn't make sense for the mechanic to start checking each fuse individually, because there should at least be some sort of extra draw if one of them is acting up. Which makes sense to me. 

He said they would be more than happy to keep digging and digging but he doesn't know if they would find anything (and if they don't, then we would have a bigger bill). We agreed that it's probably not worth the money to have them keep on digging, when everything does seems to check out on the surface. 

So I guess we'll leave things as is .... and wait for it to happen again (or hopefully not). 

Dang. Was really hoping they would find _something. _


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Well, bah humbug:-?:-?


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

Well, shoot! And I gained a lot from all that buttered popcorn.

If they did not find a drain on the battery over 80 mA or so, then there would be no reason at all to pull any fuses.

Electrical on these newer, or any, vehicle can be a nightmare. Particularly when it is an intermittent problem, such as a bare wire shorting out just a little, sometimes, until a jar in the right direction makes it move enough it's no longer shorting.

An automotive battery at full charge will read about 12.7 volts. Some battery technology has batteries reading a little higher, maybe as high as 12.9 volts, but if the battery is newer, it should never drop below 12.6 while sitting.

At this point, if it were my vehicle, here's what I'd do.

Park the vehicle and let it sit for at least 24 hours. At that point the voltage will be at what I'll call rest. It should not drop anymore while sitting. No more than a tenth of a volt or so.

The voltage across the battery can be read without doing anything except opening the hood. There is an inexpensive volt meter at Tractor Supply of about $10 or so. Sometimes they are free.

I have one. Well actually three. But if I didn't I'd get one and read the voltage across the battery terminals at least once per day. I'd keep pencil and paper and write it down along with the date and time.

If the battery voltage was dropping from day to day, I would disconnect one terminal of the battery and continue testing. If the battery keeps going down, the battery is bad. If it stops going down, you do have a drain in a circuit somewhere (at this time). At the shop, maybe maybe not. I wasn't there. Hopefully the battery will go down when disconnected. That isolates the problem as being the problem and that's easy to fix. Buy yet another battery or return the one you bought.

But it just depends on what happens.

If neither you nor your husband are sure how to do this, get a friend that does and have them show you. It's not hard or complicated at all.


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## BW544 (Jan 25, 2017)

Is the truck staying connected to your horse trailer? I had a issue with the truck and trailer for the race horses turned out the trailer was draining the battery.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

Somewhere she said it was parked in a heated garage. I ran my battery down a few times by leaving the glove box open until I removed the &^%# bulb. Another problem that can happen is to turn the key to accessory instead of off when some accessory is left on. I even disable the door light switch as I have on occasion left the door open long enough to run the battery down.

Hoping to hear back from her at some point to learn what the problem was...providing it is ever found.


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