New Batts Flat After 8 Days

muncieman · 08-07-2007, 06:34 AM

I left my 2003 2500 sitting in front of the house and drove my wife's new rice rocket to Green Bay, when I got back those new batts were so dead the dome light would not come on. The only after market part on the truck is the brake control. When the batts were repalced I also replaced the alt, it was bad and that killed the old batts.

My question is how much of a battery draw should there be just sitting??? I'm guessing in the milliamp range??? I asked my friendly GM dealer, got the deer in the headlight stare

**Tow Master** · 08-07-2007, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muncieman

I asked my friendly GM dealer, got the deer in the headlight stare

Funny post

Hello and welcome to the site!!

The draw on the battery with the key off is minimal. Are you sure the batteries were dead? Did you check to make sure the battery terminals were tight?

My work truck gets a loose wire and I gotta wiggle it sometimes to get it to start.

**ob_1jr** · 08-07-2007, 09:24 AM

it should be very little...depending on the brake controller it could draw a little and your radio draws a little for it's clock memory. My brake controller says that after about 2 months it would draw down the battery. I have left my truck parked for almost a month and came back and it fired right up. You will have to use a multimeter to check for draw. I would start pulling fuses until the draw is gone...that will be your problem area to look. You didn't have a camper or trailer hooked up to the truck did you? (had to ask) BTW, welcome to the forum.

muncieman · 08-07-2007, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tow Master

Funny post

Hello and welcome to the site!!

The draw on the battery with the key off is minimal. Are you sure the batteries were dead? Did you check to make sure the battery terminals were tight?

My work truck gets a loose wire and I gotta wiggle it sometimes to get it to start.

No problems with loose or bad connections, they were DEAD.

muncieman · 08-07-2007, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ob_1jr

it should be very little...depending on the brake controller it could draw a little and your radio draws a little for it's clock memory. My brake controller says that after about 2 months it would draw down the battery. I have left my truck parked for almost a month and came back and it fired right up. You will have to use a multimeter to check for draw. I would start pulling fuses until the draw is gone...that will be your problem area to look. You didn't have a camper or trailer hooked up to the truck did you? (had to ask) BTW, welcome to the forum.

It took about 12 hours to fully recharge the batteries, I put them in the truck in the 3rd week of Feb. Nothing hooked to the truck

Other than a bad stepper motor in the speedo, this is all the problems I've had in nearly 4 years.

muncieman · 10-16-2007, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ob_1jr

it should be very little...depending on the brake controller it could draw a little and your radio draws a little for it's clock memory. My brake controller says that after about 2 months it would draw down the battery. I have left my truck parked for almost a month and came back and it fired right up. You will have to use a multimeter to check for draw. I would start pulling fuses until the draw is gone...that will be your problem area to look. You didn't have a camper or trailer hooked up to the truck did you? (had to ask) BTW, welcome to the forum.

I went away for 4 days and this morning those batteries were flat. I put a multimeter in the the line between the main battery cable and the battery, looks lie 44 milli amps. That sounds like a lot. I need to refine the test rig so I can free up my hands to pull the fuses. I still don't have a clue of what normal is.
I took the brake controller out of the circuit some time ago so that is not in play.

This kills me, this truck is bone stock and has been flawless.

**ob_1jr** · 10-16-2007, 07:27 PM

Have you had the "new batteries" checked at an auto parts store? You did change both batteries at the same time right? I would try and pull the stud #1 fuse (40 amp) and see what happens. This should isolate your trailer wiring from chafing. Do you have an alarm or onstar on this truck? If you do, do you live in a fairly loud environment? I don't know what else to look at though. You could have gotten a bad alternator too. This is pretty weird.

dmax500 · 10-16-2007, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muncieman

My question is how much of a battery draw should there be just sitting??? I'm guessing in the milliamp range??? I asked my friendly GM dealer, got the deer in the headlight stare

with everything off key out of ignition doors shut,
if you hook up a meter should start out around a 2-5 amp draw for a couple minutes dropping down as modules shut down, dropipng to around 15-20 milla amps spikeing to around 1-3 amps every couple minutes if equipped with onstar.

muncieman · 10-17-2007, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ob_1jr

Have you had the "new batteries" checked at an auto parts store? You did change both batteries at the same time right? I would try and pull the stud #1 fuse (40 amp) and see what happens. This should isolate your trailer wiring from chafing. Do you have an alarm or onstar on this truck? If you do, do you live in a fairly loud environment? I don't know what else to look at though. You could have gotten a bad alternator too. This is pretty weird.

When I replaced both batteries I also replaced the alt. Truck has factory alarm and OnStar. I somehow think this is related to the alarm/entry system, I have trouble with the #1 keyfob, batteries won't stay in that thing for more than a week. I think I will try to narrow this down by pulling fuses and see where the draw is coming from.