Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice...
| [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167195] |
Sun, 22 April 2012 16:08  |
Richard Denney
Messages: 920
Registered: April 2010
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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This is not all that off-topic--I'm trying to get the coach ready for the
trip to Bean Station, and my Toyota T100 pickup is behind it. So, I have to
get the Toyota running before I can go anywhere in the GMC.
For some reason, it's eating batteries. I put in a new Costco battery maybe
18 months ago, and drove it the usual amount (a trip here and there every
few weeks during the summer, and less often in winter unless we get a big
snow dump). A year ago, that battery went doornail dead after being parked
for a few weeks. I jumped the truck, drove to Costco, and they gave me a
new battery, no questions asked. Again, I used the trick occasionally for a
couple of months, and then after a few weeks it was doornail dead again.
Okay, so I have something putting a drain on it, I figure. I removed the
positive cable and put my DVM (in ammeter mode) between the battery and the
terminal clamp. Just at trickle--only a few milliamps. I made this test
after the first battery died, and based on that figure it was just a dud
battery.
This time, since I'm standing in the rain this afternoon (on my only day
off after six days in Seattle, which followed four days in Phoenix, etc.,
etc.), I pulled the battery to haul it into the garage to put it on a
charger. Then, I spent the next hour replacing two fuel hoses and four
vacuum hoses that had been eaten by those...
#)()()_$(*%)(*()$)(@#(*!!!!!!!!....
...mice. The truck now has stainless-braid fuel hose and there is a new
plastic shield over the vacuum hoses. All the damage was in one
area--apparently what the rodents thought was the dinner table. They
removed a section of fuel vent hose a solid three inches long--vanished.
But I find no evidence of wiring having been chewed. And I measured
resistance to ground on the positive terminal, and found the resistance to
start at 3K, climb up to maybe half a megohm, and then dwindle back down to
60K. All of this is in the cable that feeds the fuse block, not the cable
to the starter, which exceeded the resistance range of my Fluke DVM. None
of those resistances would flow enough current to kill a battery in six
months.
So, I'm at a loss as to what is causing the battery to die. The battery was
well-watered, though I did not check it with a hygroscope (which I can't
seem to find), My shop charger (a smart charger of some sort) declared the
battery failed after one charging cycle, but I've found a second cycle
often revives it. After the first cycle, the battery had a surface charge
of 11.5 volts, so I suspect it really is all the way dead.
There were two auxiliary systems on the truck that were wired into the
battery terminal clamp, and that's for an electric trailer brake and
another one for a ham radio. Needless to say, those will not be
re-attached. But they read resistance beyond the scale of my DVM in any
case.
Anybody got any ideas? Things I could check?
Rick "noting that the motorhome batteries are also dead, but after 9 years
was rather expecting that" Denney
--
'73 230 "Jaws"
Northern Virginia
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167198 is a reply to message #167195] |
Sun, 22 April 2012 16:54  |
Ken Henderson
Messages: 8726
Registered: March 2004
Location: Americus, GA
Karma: 9
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Rick,
Considering your history with
the #)()()_$(*%)(*()$)(@#(*!!!!!!!!.......mice,
the answer is obvious: They're urinating on your battery, shorting it out!
Just be sure you always get back to Costco before the warranty runs out.
Sure hope you (& we) make it to BS!
Ken H.
On Sun, Apr 22, 2012 at 5:08 PM, Richard Denney wrote:
Anybody got any ideas? Things I could check?
>
>
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www.gmcwipersetc.com
Large Wiring Diagrams
76 X-Birchaven
76 X-Palm Beach
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167201 is a reply to message #167198] |
Sun, 22 April 2012 17:29 |
Richard Denney
Messages: 920
Registered: April 2010
Karma: 9
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On Sun, Apr 22, 2012 at 5:54 PM, Ken Henderson <hend4800@bellsouth.net>wrote:
> Considering your history with
> the #)()()_$(*%)(*()$)(@#(*!!!!!!!!.......mice,
> the answer is obvious: They're urinating on your battery, shorting it out!
>
> Just be sure you always get back to Costco before the warranty runs out.
>
Eventually, they are going to notice, heh. As to the mice, that sounds as
plausible as anything else I can think of.
Come to think of it, did you see any fur or droppings in the bottom of your
bell housing? Maybe a buildup of mice droppings caused your axial
crankshaft loading problem.
> Sure hope you (& we) make it to BS!
>
Something really unforeseen would have to strike, which is always possible.
My leave has already been approved, and last-minute travel is unlikely
(especially now that the bosses have lit their hair on fire over the recent
GSA scandal).
And I just went through a general check of the coach. Except for the
battery which needed a few minutes with the PD9140 running to charge up the
battery well enough to start it, everything it in good shape. Oil level was
perfect, no critters had nested on the engine or chewed up anything that I
could find (though I did remove a little furry carcass about a week ago),
coolant level in the recovery bottle hadn't changed since I winterized it,
etc. I had replaced all the vacuum hoses with expensive silicon hoses, and
those are lasting far better than the old rubber hoses that seemed to crack
and leak in about 15 minutes. I cranked the engine with no fuel for about
20 seconds, which generated some oil pressure, primed the carb, and it
fired up immediately. I ran it long enough to achieve thermostat
temperature--about 30 minutes. At then end of that, I had over 40 psi oil
pressure at idle (makign it really hot will drop that quite a bit), and 19
inches of vacuum at idle. The AC worked, the heater worked, the lights
worked, the wipers worked (of course). My Suburban furnace is not working
for reasons I have not yet determined (see messages from maybe a year ago),
but I fired up the Generac (started on the fourth attempt--not bad), and
ran the heat strip in the roof unit for about half an hour while I was
checking other things. It's enough to take the edge off--and it didn't get
out of the 40's here today, raining the whole time. I turned on the gas,
and the stove and refer started up fine.
All in all, everything worked that was working. I need to flush and
sanitize the water system, but I can do that before I leave for Bean
Station.
After all the trouble you've had, and all the years of reading GMCnet, I'm
always a little surprised when I turn the key and the engine actually
starts, heh.
Rick "trying to decide whether to pay Good Sam, despite my beef with them,
or go with someone else" Denney
> Ken H.
>
>
> On Sun, Apr 22, 2012 at 5:08 PM, Richard Denney wrote:
>
> Anybody got any ideas? Things I could check?
> >
> >
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
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>
--
'73 230 "Jaws"
Northern Virginia
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167210 is a reply to message #167195] |
Sun, 22 April 2012 19:31 |
rssbob
Messages: 259
Registered: January 2004
Location: La Mesa, Ca. (San Diego a...
Karma: 0
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Richard,
Had you thought of installing one of those "knife type" switches on your battery so when you leave the vehicle for an extended time it disconnects the battery all together? Therefore, NO current flow. I installed one on my house battery because I found one at a garage sale for $1.00. Had to have it and didn't want to throw it in a box in my garage sale so I put it to use.
On Apr 22, 2012, at 2:08 PM, Richard Denney wrote:
> This is not all that off-topic--I'm trying to get the coach ready for the
> trip to Bean Station, and my Toyota T100 pickup is behind it. So, I have to
> get the Toyota running before I can go anywhere in the GMC.
>
> For some reason, it's eating batteries. I put in a new Costco battery maybe
> 18 months ago, and drove it the usual amount (a trip here and there every
> few weeks during the summer, and less often in winter unless we get a big
> snow dump). A year ago, that battery went doornail dead after being parked
> for a few weeks. I jumped the truck, drove to Costco, and they gave me a
> new battery, no questions asked. Again, I used the trick occasionally for a
> couple of months, and then after a few weeks it was doornail dead again.
>
> Okay, so I have something putting a drain on it, I figure. I removed the
> positive cable and put my DVM (in ammeter mode) between the battery and the
> terminal clamp. Just at trickle--only a few milliamps. I made this test
> after the first battery died, and based on that figure it was just a dud
> battery.
>
> This time, since I'm standing in the rain this afternoon (on my only day
> off after six days in Seattle, which followed four days in Phoenix, etc.,
> etc.), I pulled the battery to haul it into the garage to put it on a
> charger. Then, I spent the next hour replacing two fuel hoses and four
> vacuum hoses that had been eaten by those...
>
> #)()()_$(*%)(*()$)(@#(*!!!!!!!!....
>
> ...mice. The truck now has stainless-braid fuel hose and there is a new
> plastic shield over the vacuum hoses. All the damage was in one
> area--apparently what the rodents thought was the dinner table. They
> removed a section of fuel vent hose a solid three inches long--vanished.
>
> But I find no evidence of wiring having been chewed. And I measured
> resistance to ground on the positive terminal, and found the resistance to
> start at 3K, climb up to maybe half a megohm, and then dwindle back down to
> 60K. All of this is in the cable that feeds the fuse block, not the cable
> to the starter, which exceeded the resistance range of my Fluke DVM. None
> of those resistances would flow enough current to kill a battery in six
> months.
>
> So, I'm at a loss as to what is causing the battery to die. The battery was
> well-watered, though I did not check it with a hygroscope (which I can't
> seem to find), My shop charger (a smart charger of some sort) declared the
> battery failed after one charging cycle, but I've found a second cycle
> often revives it. After the first cycle, the battery had a surface charge
> of 11.5 volts, so I suspect it really is all the way dead.
>
> There were two auxiliary systems on the truck that were wired into the
> battery terminal clamp, and that's for an electric trailer brake and
> another one for a ham radio. Needless to say, those will not be
> re-attached. But they read resistance beyond the scale of my DVM in any
> case.
>
> Anybody got any ideas? Things I could check?
>
> Rick "noting that the motorhome batteries are also dead, but after 9 years
> was rather expecting that" Denney
>
> --
> '73 230 "Jaws"
> Northern Virginia
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
Bob Sobrito
1978 Palm Beach
La Mesa, Ca
antique pocket watch repair
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Bob Sobrito
78 Palm Beach
La Mesa, Ca
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167232 is a reply to message #167195] |
Sun, 22 April 2012 21:26 |
Keith V
Messages: 2337
Registered: March 2008
Location: Mounds View,MN
Karma: 0
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Did you test resistance with a new DMM?
Cause new DMMs don't put out much voltage a wont turn on any transistors, which is normally good.
But if you have an always on radio for example, that could kill the batt in 6 months.
Might want to measure current ...
Keith Vasilakes
Mounds View. MN
75 ex Royale GMC
ask me about MicroLevel
Cell, 763-732-3419
My427v8@hotmail.com
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167261 is a reply to message #167210] |
Mon, 23 April 2012 09:12 |
 |
ljdavick
Messages: 3548
Registered: March 2007
Location: Fremont, CA
Karma: -3
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Senior Member |
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I have a disconnect on the house batteries that I alway throw when parking the Beast. There is a small draw on the house side that I've never diagnosed, and the band-aid of the disconnect switch works so well that I've never investigated.
Larry (who finds band-aids sometimes better than the real fix) Davick
1976(ish) Palm Beach
Fremont, CA
On Apr 22, 2012, at 5:31 PM, robert sobrito wrote:
> Richard,
>
> Had you thought of installing one of those "knife type" switches on your battery so when you leave the vehicle for an extended time it disconnects the battery all together? Therefore, NO current flow. I installed one on my house battery because I found one at a garage sale for $1.00. Had to have it and didn't want to throw it in a box in my garage sale so I put it to use.
>
>
>
>
> On Apr 22, 2012, at 2:08 PM, Richard Denney wrote:
>
>> This is not all that off-topic--I'm trying to get the coach ready for the
>> trip to Bean Station, and my Toyota T100 pickup is behind it. So, I have to
>> get the Toyota running before I can go anywhere in the GMC.
>>
>> For some reason, it's eating batteries. I put in a new Costco battery maybe
>> 18 months ago, and drove it the usual amount (a trip here and there every
>> few weeks during the summer, and less often in winter unless we get a big
>> snow dump). A year ago, that battery went doornail dead after being parked
>> for a few weeks. I jumped the truck, drove to Costco, and they gave me a
>> new battery, no questions asked. Again, I used the trick occasionally for a
>> couple of months, and then after a few weeks it was doornail dead again.
>>
>> Okay, so I have something putting a drain on it, I figure. I removed the
>> positive cable and put my DVM (in ammeter mode) between the battery and the
>> terminal clamp. Just at trickle--only a few milliamps. I made this test
>> after the first battery died, and based on that figure it was just a dud
>> battery.
>>
>> This time, since I'm standing in the rain this afternoon (on my only day
>> off after six days in Seattle, which followed four days in Phoenix, etc.,
>> etc.), I pulled the battery to haul it into the garage to put it on a
>> charger. Then, I spent the next hour replacing two fuel hoses and four
>> vacuum hoses that had been eaten by those...
>>
>> #)()()_$(*%)(*()$)(@#(*!!!!!!!!....
>>
>> ...mice. The truck now has stainless-braid fuel hose and there is a new
>> plastic shield over the vacuum hoses. All the damage was in one
>> area--apparently what the rodents thought was the dinner table. They
>> removed a section of fuel vent hose a solid three inches long--vanished.
>>
>> But I find no evidence of wiring having been chewed. And I measured
>> resistance to ground on the positive terminal, and found the resistance to
>> start at 3K, climb up to maybe half a megohm, and then dwindle back down to
>> 60K. All of this is in the cable that feeds the fuse block, not the cable
>> to the starter, which exceeded the resistance range of my Fluke DVM. None
>> of those resistances would flow enough current to kill a battery in six
>> months.
>>
>> So, I'm at a loss as to what is causing the battery to die. The battery was
>> well-watered, though I did not check it with a hygroscope (which I can't
>> seem to find), My shop charger (a smart charger of some sort) declared the
>> battery failed after one charging cycle, but I've found a second cycle
>> often revives it. After the first cycle, the battery had a surface charge
>> of 11.5 volts, so I suspect it really is all the way dead.
>>
>> There were two auxiliary systems on the truck that were wired into the
>> battery terminal clamp, and that's for an electric trailer brake and
>> another one for a ham radio. Needless to say, those will not be
>> re-attached. But they read resistance beyond the scale of my DVM in any
>> case.
>>
>> Anybody got any ideas? Things I could check?
>>
>> Rick "noting that the motorhome batteries are also dead, but after 9 years
>> was rather expecting that" Denney
>>
>> --
>> '73 230 "Jaws"
>> Northern Virginia
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
> Bob Sobrito
> 1978 Palm Beach
> La Mesa, Ca
> antique pocket watch repair
>
> _______________________________________________
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_______________________________________________
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Larry Davick
A Mystery Machine
1976(ish) Palm Beach
Fremont, Ca
Howell EFI + EBL + Electronic Dizzy
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167265 is a reply to message #167261] |
Mon, 23 April 2012 10:07 |
jhbridges
Messages: 8412
Registered: May 2011
Location: Braselton ga
Karma: -74
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Senior Member |
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My 23' Norris upfit has a battery switch beside the fuse opanel. Takes the house battery oout of the circuits.
--johnny
'76 23' tyransmode norris
'76 palm beach
From: Larry Davick <ljdavick@comcast.net>
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 10:12 AM
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice...
I have a disconnect on the house batteries that I alway throw when parking the Beast. There is a small draw on the house side that I've never diagnosed, and the band-aid of the disconnect switch works so well that I've never investigated.
Larry (who finds band-aids sometimes better than the real fix) Davick
1976(ish) Palm Beach
Fremont, CA
On Apr 22, 2012, at 5:31 PM, robert sobrito wrote:
> Richard,
>
> Had you thought of installing one of those "knife type" switches on your battery so when you leave the vehicle for an extended time it disconnects the battery all together? Therefore, NO current flow. I installed one on my house battery because I found one at a garage sale for $1.00. Had to have it and didn't want to throw it in a box in my garage sale so I put it to use.
>
>
>
>
> On Apr 22, 2012, at 2:08 PM, Richard Denney wrote:
>
>> This is not all that off-topic--I'm trying to get the coach ready for the
>> trip to Bean Station, and my Toyota T100 pickup is behind it. So, I have to
>> get the Toyota running before I can go anywhere in the GMC.
>>
>> For some reason, it's eating batteries. I put in a new Costco battery maybe
>> 18 months ago, and drove it the usual amount (a trip here and there every
>> few weeks during the summer, and less often in winter unless we get a big
>> snow dump). A year ago, that battery went doornail dead after being parked
>> for a few weeks. I jumped the truck, drove to Costco, and they gave me a
>> new battery, no questions asked. Again, I used the trick occasionally for a
>> couple of months, and then after a few weeks it was doornail dead again.
>>
>> Okay, so I have something putting a drain on it, I figure. I removed the
>> positive cable and put my DVM (in ammeter mode) between the battery and the
>> terminal clamp. Just at trickle--only a few milliamps. I made this test
>> after the first battery died, and based on that figure it was just a dud
>> battery.
>>
>> This time, since I'm standing in the rain this afternoon (on my only day
>> off after six days in Seattle, which followed four days in Phoenix, etc.,
>> etc.), I pulled the battery to haul it into the garage to put it on a
>> charger. Then, I spent the next hour replacing two fuel hoses and four
>> vacuum hoses that had been eaten by those...
>>
>> #)()()_$(*%)(*()$)(@#(*!!!!!!!!....
>>
>> ...mice. The truck now has stainless-braid fuel hose and there is a new
>> plastic shield over the vacuum hoses. All the damage was in one
>> area--apparently what the rodents thought was the dinner table. They
>> removed a section of fuel vent hose a solid three inches long--vanished.
>>
>> But I find no evidence of wiring having been chewed. And I measured
>> resistance to ground on the positive terminal, and found the resistance to
>> start at 3K, climb up to maybe half a megohm, and then dwindle back down to
>> 60K. All of this is in the cable that feeds the fuse block, not the cable
>> to the starter, which exceeded the resistance range of my Fluke DVM. None
>> of those resistances would flow enough current to kill a battery in six
>> months.
>>
>> So, I'm at a loss as to what is causing the battery to die. The battery was
>> well-watered, though I did not check it with a hygroscope (which I can't
>> seem to find), My shop charger (a smart charger of some sort) declared the
>> battery failed after one charging cycle, but I've found a second cycle
>> often revives it. After the first cycle, the battery had a surface charge
>> of 11.5 volts, so I suspect it really is all the way dead.
>>
>> There were two auxiliary systems on the truck that were wired into the
>> battery terminal clamp, and that's for an electric trailer brake and
>> another one for a ham radio. Needless to say, those will not be
>> re-attached. But they read resistance beyond the scale of my DVM in any
>> case.
>>
>> Anybody got any ideas? Things I could check?
>>
>> Rick "noting that the motorhome batteries are also dead, but after 9 years
>> was rather expecting that" Denney
>>
>> --
>> '73 230 "Jaws"
>> Northern Virginia
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
> Bob Sobrito
> 1978 Palm Beach
> La Mesa, Ca
> antique pocket watch repair
>
> _______________________________________________
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Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167271 is a reply to message #167232] |
Mon, 23 April 2012 11:26 |
Richard Denney
Messages: 920
Registered: April 2010
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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On Sun, Apr 22, 2012 at 10:26 PM, Keith V <my427v8@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Did you test resistance with a new DMM?
> Cause new DMMs don't put out much voltage a wont turn on any transistors,
> which is normally good.
>
> But if you have an always on radio for example, that could kill the batt
> in 6 months.
>
> Might want to measure current ...
>
I measured current when the battery failed the first time. It was down in
the handful of milliamps using the new battery. The battery was too dead to
test current again, especially standing in the rain. The truck never had
this problem before about 18 months ago--it was on its third battery in
180,000 miles and 15 years by that time. Something has change, and it's not
the radio.
But it's not taking six months to deplete--it won't even light the dome
light after a couple of weeks.
The house battery in the coach is a StowAway from Tractor Supply, and I've
bought several of these for ham radio activities. They are not good
batteries at all, and I won't buy a battery there ever again. But as a
house battery it still lasted five years. The starting battery in the coach
is a bit weak at this point, and I will replace it, too. It's a Walmart
EverStart or whatever, bought in 2003--it's dying of a worthy old age.
I'll be measuring current again on the truck when I get a new battery in
it. I'm pretty sure it's not the battery causing the problem, of course,
but until I can see the current draining, I can't trace it.
A knife switch is an emergency backup option, but I'd rather not do that.
Those introduce their own unreliability, in addition to masking what might
be an important deeper problem.
I have to get the truck going for this weekend: 1.) to be able to move it
out from behind the coach, and 2.) because I have bought (for pennies) a
cabinet saw in southern Virginia and have to go fetch it. I will be
stopping by Costco tonight to see if I can finagle another battery out of
them under warranty.
Rick "suspecting an intermittent leak in the trailer-brake or other
aftermarket accessory wiring" Denney
--
'73 230 "Jaws"
Northern Virginia
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167273 is a reply to message #167195] |
Mon, 23 April 2012 11:41 |
 |
mike miller
Messages: 3576
Registered: February 2004
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Karma: 0
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| Richard Denney wrote on Sun, 22 April 2012 14:08 |
... my Toyota T100 pickup ...
...
terminal clamp. Just at trickle--only a few milliamps. ...
...
So, I'm at a loss as to what is causing the battery to die. ...
Anybody got any ideas? Things I could check?
...
|
Someone posted something about a "modern" automotive computer that under certain circumstances would leave a draw on the battery that would draw down a battery over a few days. (Some input wasn't letting the computer go fully asleep.) It wasn't an issue if it was used almost every day, but was if it was left for a week or so.
Does anyone know or remember what I am talking about??? (Or am I comfused... again.)
OBTW: Wife's Audi does something similar, taking about two weeks to draw down the battery. If I do not know when we are going to use it again, I put it on a battery minder.
Mike Miller -- Hillsboro, OR -- on the Black list
(#2)`78 23' Birchaven Rear Bath -- (#3)`77 23' Birchaven Side Bath
More Sidekicks than GMC's and a late model Malibu called 'Boo'
http://m000035.blogspot.com
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167275 is a reply to message #167273] |
Mon, 23 April 2012 11:56 |
Carl S.
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
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Senior Member |
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| Mike Miller wrote on Mon, 23 April 2012 09:41 |
| Richard Denney wrote on Sun, 22 April 2012 14:08 |
... my Toyota T100 pickup ...
...
terminal clamp. Just at trickle--only a few milliamps. ...
...
So, I'm at a loss as to what is causing the battery to die. ...
Anybody got any ideas? Things I could check?
...
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Someone posted something about a "modern" automotive computer that under certain circumstances would leave a draw on the battery that would draw down a battery over a few days. (Some input wasn't letting the computer go fully asleep.) It wasn't an issue if it was used almost every day, but was if it was left for a week or so.
Does anyone know or remember what I am talking about??? (Or am I confused... again.)
OBTW: Wife's Audi does something similar, taking about two weeks to draw down the battery. If I do not know when we are going to use it again, I put it on a battery minder.
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Mike, I recall that too, and IIRC, it was Ken Burton who was having similar trouble with one of his Blazers.
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles, Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167282 is a reply to message #167195] |
Mon, 23 April 2012 12:56 |
Dennis S
Messages: 3046
Registered: November 2005
Karma: 2
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Senior Member |
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Rick,
Probably not at all your issue -- but I have one car that stays in "Accessory" mode even with the switch in Off. I have disconnected the switch and believe from my testing that it is a switch failure. Short term I have a battery disconnect switch I turn to Off.
Dennis
| Richard Denney wrote on Sun, 22 April 2012 16:08 |
This is not all that off-topic--I'm trying to get the coach ready for the
trip to Bean Station, and my Toyota T100 pickup is behind it. So, I have to
get the Toyota running before I can go anywhere in the GMC.
For some reason, it's eating batteries. I put in a new Costco battery maybe
18 months ago, and drove it the usual amount (a trip here and there every
few weeks during the summer, and less often in winter unless we get a big
snow dump). A year ago, that battery went doornail dead after being parked
for a few weeks. I jumped the truck, drove to Costco, and they gave me a
new battery, no questions asked. Again, I used the trick occasionally for a
couple of months, and then after a few weeks it was doornail dead again.
Okay, so I have something putting a drain on it, I figure. I removed the
positive cable and put my DVM (in ammeter mode) between the battery and the
terminal clamp. Just at trickle--only a few milliamps. I made this test
after the first battery died, and based on that figure it was just a dud
battery.
This time, since I'm standing in the rain this afternoon (on my only day
off after six days in Seattle, which followed four days in Phoenix, etc.,
etc.), I pulled the battery to haul it into the garage to put it on a
charger. Then, I spent the next hour replacing two fuel hoses and four
vacuum hoses that had been eaten by those...
#)()()_$(*%)(*()$)(@#(*!!!!!!!!....
...mice. The truck now has stainless-braid fuel hose and there is a new
plastic shield over the vacuum hoses. All the damage was in one
area--apparently what the rodents thought was the dinner table. They
removed a section of fuel vent hose a solid three inches long--vanished.
But I find no evidence of wiring having been chewed. And I measured
resistance to ground on the positive terminal, and found the resistance to
start at 3K, climb up to maybe half a megohm, and then dwindle back down to
60K. All of this is in the cable that feeds the fuse block, not the cable
to the starter, which exceeded the resistance range of my Fluke DVM. None
of those resistances would flow enough current to kill a battery in six
months.
So, I'm at a loss as to what is causing the battery to die. The battery was
well-watered, though I did not check it with a hygroscope (which I can't
seem to find), My shop charger (a smart charger of some sort) declared the
battery failed after one charging cycle, but I've found a second cycle
often revives it. After the first cycle, the battery had a surface charge
of 11.5 volts, so I suspect it really is all the way dead.
There were two auxiliary systems on the truck that were wired into the
battery terminal clamp, and that's for an electric trailer brake and
another one for a ham radio. Needless to say, those will not be
re-attached. But they read resistance beyond the scale of my DVM in any
case.
Anybody got any ideas? Things I could check?
Rick "noting that the motorhome batteries are also dead, but after 9 years
was rather expecting that" Denney
--
'73 230 "Jaws"
Northern Virginia
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Dennis S
73 Painted Desert 230
Memphis TN Metro
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167286 is a reply to message #167275] |
Mon, 23 April 2012 13:51 |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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| Carl S. wrote on Mon, 23 April 2012 11:56 |
Mike, I recall that too, and IIRC, it was Ken Burton who was having similar trouble with one of his Blazers.
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Wow you guys have good memories.
Rick. Here is the problem I found in my Colorado.
First you need to check the the battery draw under several conditions. On mine, the Body Computer was not going to sleep.
If you disconnect the battery and to hook up and amp meter the computer would reset and go to sleep normally so the problem did not show up. After you hook up the meter, turn the key on, turned it off and get out of the truck all of the time watching the current draw. You should see each draw and a few minutes after after exiting the vehicle with the doors closed you see the BCM go to sleep. In my case the computer stayed active and never went to sleep. The drain would take out the battery in 2 or 3 days. During my research I sound that GM wanted the sleeping BCM to draw less than 20 ma. When it was active the BCM was drawing around 250-300 ma.
The problem turned out to be a temperature sensor and compass mirror that I installed. I got the power for it off of the same feed that runs the interior lights. The BCM monitors the current draw and assumed that I was still in the truck with the interior lights on so it never went to sleep.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167290 is a reply to message #167286] |
Mon, 23 April 2012 14:09 |
Carl S.
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
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| Ken Burton wrote on Mon, 23 April 2012 11:51 |
| Carl S. wrote on Mon, 23 April 2012 11:56 |
Mike, I recall that too, and IIRC, it was Ken Burton who was having similar trouble with one of his Blazers.
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Wow you guys have good memories.
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Not THAT good, I thought it was a Blazer, not a Colorado 
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles, Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167292 is a reply to message #167195] |
Mon, 23 April 2012 14:24 |
JohnL455
Messages: 4447
Registered: October 2006
Location: Woodstock, IL
Karma: 12
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Rick if you are dead in 3 weeks I'd chalk that up to "normal". Is it really 3 weeks or longer as time flys.....
If it's a few days there is a problem for sure, but on the 80s Buick Turbo cars I collect 2 weeks is about it it really takes the battery slowly down to flat. ouch. I always disconnect the negative when they are going to sit more than a couple days and even then then the charger draws pretty weel to top them back up. I would think Japanese cars would be "less worse" but maybe not. Some pre computer/real off switch radio cars can go a loooonggg time by comparison.
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167293 is a reply to message #167292] |
Mon, 23 April 2012 14:42 |
Bob de Kruyff
Messages: 4260
Registered: January 2004
Location: Chandler, AZ
Karma: 1
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| JohnL455 wrote on Mon, 23 April 2012 13:24 |
Rick if you are dead in 3 weeks I'd chalk that up to "normal". Is it really 3 weeks or longer as time flys.....
If it's a few days there is a problem for sure, but on the 80s Buick Turbo cars I collect 2 weeks is about it it really takes the battery slowly down to flat. ouch. I always disconnect the negative when they are going to sit more than a couple days and even then then the charger draws pretty weel to top them back up. I would think Japanese cars would be "less worse" but maybe not. Some pre computer/real off switch radio cars can go a loooonggg time by comparison.
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GM has come a long ways as far as putting the various modules to sleep. In the early days auch as the 80's, 2 weeks was as good as it got and many of us wound up in airports with dead batteries. Different manufacturers use different degrees of sleepiness. The worst ones still out there are the VW group cars (including Audi). If you go to the VW dealer you will see many new cars with little 12V solar panels on the dash inorder to keep the batteries up.
Bob de Kruyff
78 Eleganza
Chandler, AZ
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167302 is a reply to message #167195] |
Mon, 23 April 2012 15:57 |
Chr$
Messages: 2690
Registered: January 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Karma: 1
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Senior Member |
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Rich, are you sure it is properly charging while driving it? I was running my coach battery down while I was driving it, and It wouldn't start the next time I went to start it up. Basically the same symptom. I fixed that with a new fusible link. You may want to have the alternator checked out at an auto parts store. Your battery may be near dead when you park it...
-Chr$: Perpetual SmartAss
Scottsdale, AZ
77 Ex-Kingsley 455 SOLD!
2010 Nomad 24 Ft TT 390W PV W/MPPT, EV4010 and custom cargo door.
Photosite: Chrisc GMC:"It has Begun" TT: "The Other Woman"
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167305 is a reply to message #167302] |
Mon, 23 April 2012 16:14 |
Richard Denney
Messages: 920
Registered: April 2010
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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On Mon, Apr 23, 2012 at 4:57 PM, Chris Choffat <cchoffataz@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Rich, are you sure it is properly charging while driving it? I was running
> my coach battery down while I was driving it, and It wouldn't start the
> next time I went to start it up. Basically the same symptom. I fixed that
> with a new fusible link. You may want to have the alternator checked out at
> an auto parts store. Your battery may be near dead when you park it...
>
> Dash voltmeter reads in the upper end of the range, and I see voltages of
14 volts when the engine is running and the headlights are on. I don't
think it's the alternator. I have had problems with starters in these
trucks, but the symptoms are different--everything works but the start,
though I can often make the starter work at 14 volts instead of 12 by
jumping it. Not the problem in this case.
Rick "who will check it again, for sure" Denney
--
'73 230 "Jaws"
Northern Virginia
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| Re: [GMCnet] A little off-topic advice... [message #167370 is a reply to message #167286] |
Mon, 23 April 2012 23:26 |
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mike miller
Messages: 3576
Registered: February 2004
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Karma: 0
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| Ken Burton wrote on Mon, 23 April 2012 11:51 |
| Carl S. wrote on Mon, 23 April 2012 11:56 |
Mike, I recall that too, and IIRC, it was Ken Burton who was having similar trouble with one of his Blazers.
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Wow you guys have good memories. ...
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I just remembered the symptoms and a bit of the the cause, due to our Audi not being able to sit for more than a few weeks. But as Bob says that it is normal for VAG (Volkswagen Auto Group) products from this time frame.
That Audi is very hard on batteries even when you drive it every day. An Optima battery helps, but the battery minder keeps it charged when I put it away for more than a few days.
Back on the thread:
"Rick "suspecting an intermittent leak in the trailer-brake or other aftermarket accessory wiring" Denney", might be right...
Mike Miller -- Hillsboro, OR -- on the Black list
(#2)`78 23' Birchaven Rear Bath -- (#3)`77 23' Birchaven Side Bath
More Sidekicks than GMC's and a late model Malibu called 'Boo'
http://m000035.blogspot.com
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