Chevy Colorado & GMC Canyon banner

Dead Battery twice after sitting for 2 weeks

16K views 40 replies 20 participants last post by  White016 
#1 ·
I keep having this problem. If I let my truck sit more than 10-12 days the battery is dead. It actually happened 3 times since I had it but has happened twice in 3 month's & once way back. I did a parasitic draw test that was inconclusive. After shut down say 2 minutes I started the test truck was Drawing a whopping 3.1 to 3.4 amps did that for a couple minutes then dropped to about .4 amps then finally dropped to 27+/-ma which is where it should be. I did the procedure twice and got similar results. Was wondering what is drawing 3 amps immediately after shut down cause I'm thinking it might be hanging up sometimes and that is killing the battery. Heard a story that on-star could be hanging up that is what I blamed the 2nd one on since i only started the truck for a minutes to move in and out of driveway and happened to get a monthly on-star report that moment so it seemed like a logical excuse. This time no report middle of month and actually drove the truck some miles before parking it before going on vacation. Any Idea's or is this the same as the mysterious stall situation where it just happens and you get the standard GM excuse "cannot replicate problem":surprise:
 
#3 · (Edited)
Have the battery tested with an electronic tester. Like one of these Professional Battery Testers - Midtronics PBT Series. With the new batteries now a days the old load tester I found would say the battery is good, then check it with a midtronics that I have and would say it's bad. The wife's truck battery would be fine if she drove it everyday in the winter but if it sat for more than a day it was dead. I checked the draw like you did and there was nothing. Battery was just junk.
 
#4 ·
The voltage seems good, 12.6v after leaving lights on for a minute to rubb off surface charge, buy maybe I can swing by the dealer with a load tester. Does advanced auto still do it for free?
 
#5 ·
They do but.....you might want to look over their shoulder and see the meter for yourself. The Autozone employees around these parts are right out of high school and arent too keen on how machinery is supposed to work. :razz:
 
  • Like
Reactions: boborc
#6 ·
Have you tried putting the truck in "transport mode" when you know it will sit for a long time?

Start the engine.
Turn the 4 way flashers on.
Press and hold the brake pedal.
Turn the ignition key to start and hold it there for 10 seconds.
The DIC will display the confirmation shown below.

To switch back to normal mode, simply repeat the above procedure and the DIC will confirm again. Give it a try.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CaryBosse
#11 ·
FWIW.....

We used to own a 2001 Corvette that would sit for weeks and the battery would go dead. We had a couple dead batteries before we found out why.....

Believe it or not (on the corvettes anyway) - but with all the electronics & various other things - there are things that are constantly drawing power from the battery even when it's OFF and sitting. It would deplete the battery soooo low, you couldn't even unlock the doors with the remote.

We had to hook it up to a 'trickle charger' to keep things charged - especially over the winter when we never drove it.

Have you considered going to the dealership? ARe you still under warranty?? If you're no longer under the factory warranty - the battery might still have its own warranty.
 
#12 ·
Exactly. These newer vehicles have so many electronic features on them that there's a constant draw on the battery once they're shutoff. My dad had to hook a trickle charger to his Vette as well, because it only got driven during the summer, and only on the weekends. Hell, mine had to have one put on it after I got a second car, because it struggled to start after sitting for even just a week. Threw a new battery in it and bought my own trickle charger for the stupid thing. Sadly, they're a needed necessity anymore if you've got something that's going to sit for a week or more, it's just cheap insurance for the battery and provides peace of mind.
 
#13 ·
Well had the battery test done and it passed. Couldn't read the CCA on the battery (burried under fuse block)so we assumed about 750 in hind sight I looked up a die hard battery at sears and it was 730cca so we where in ball park. Tested to 613cca, 12.4 v and 10.8v at crank, Charging system checked out ok also. We put a full load on battery etc. Advanced auto even gave me the print out. So now its looking for a draw. As for things plugged into accessory my truck is set up to shut off with ignition i never moved the fuse to keep it hot with ignition off. If you look at the first post you see it draws 3+amps for like 3+minutes after shutdown then after like 4 or 5 minutes it backs down to the acceptable draw of 27ma. My wifes car sat the same and started right up 2015 buick with more options. Something is staying on and I think it is random. It will sit till next weekend and I will voltage test battery before I start it. Last night checked it at 6pm had 12.6v after rubbing off surface charge, this morning 12.44v
 
#14 ·
Oh crap, it appears you have a tough one on your hands. Unless you get lucky and find a lamp staying on or something easy to find like that. I would look it over carefully every time I went near it before opening the door or hitting the unlock button just in case the dome light or other light is on. Good luck.
 
#15 ·
One thing that occurred to me. I have a brake controller installed and have been leaving it hooked up since it is camping season and I have been moving the trailer around. I wonder if that would draw even though no trailer is hooked up and it appears to be off with ignition off( you cannot make any adjustments or is the led on).
 
#16 ·
I'd be surprised if letting it sit didn't kill the battery.

Everything we own does this except my electronics-free 55 Buick. My bone-stock 2007 Suburban would kill the battery in only about 5 or 6 days. My 2001 Viper would kill the battery in about 14 days. My 60 Impala, whose only electronics is Holley multiport fuel injection and MSD ignition, will kill the battery in about 14 days. Our Kawasaki Z1000 motorcycles would kill their batteries in less than a month. Only my wife's Solstice GXP can go about a month before the battery is dead.

A $15 trickle charger does the trick. On less-frequently used vehicles like the Viper and the bikes, I even wired up quick-disconnect pigtails.

In the pre-Uber days, I was always worried about leaving the Suburban in airport parking on a week or longer trip. More than once we had to get a jump to get her rolling again.
 
#17 ·
The GM design point for 1st Gen Colorados was 20 ma. or less when the BCM is asleep. The second design point for all GM vehicles is it must start sitting for 30 days unattended. My 1st gen draws 18 ma. when sleeping.

I played with one of those battery testers once at a well known retailer. If I entered into to it that the battery was 6 months old, the results said the battery was very good. If I entered into it that the same battery was 4 years old the tester said that same battery needed to be replaced. You need a tester that gives you actual numbers and not one that prints out or displays conclusions for you. Then you arrive at your own conclusion.
 
#25 ·
interesting. I always wondered how those new little battery testers could actually be accurate all the time. I wouldn't trust it. It seams to me you HAVE to put a real load test on it to know for sure! My vote is for the good ol' VAT 40! we used to call it "Vat Man" at work. lol

the battery specialty place I buy batteries from still uses the VAT-40, not that little computer one. just FYI
 
#18 ·
I have never checked long term on my brake controller, but I know it is powered even with engine off. Does it power down after 15 minutes? I don't know, opening the door to check would wake up the system and re-activate power to it.

I guess if you can see your controller with the window down, plug it it. Turn off engine, roll down window, get out, close door, and come back in an hour and without hitting a remote or opening a door, look at see if it is powered up.

I do think you need to consider a trickle charger if you are frequently leaving your truck parked for long periods of time.
 
#20 ·
I'd look at that brake controller, I installed a P3 on a 15 Silverado and using the direct plug in adapter it stayed powered on. I didn't like that, but he wanted it wired exactly how the direct plug in adapter functioned, and he immediately had a problem with killing the battery. I modified it to only being on with the ignition and he has had no problems since
 
#21 ·
27mA will take quite a while to drain the battery if sitting for just a few weeks. My 96 Corvette draws 30mA and I've gone a month or 2 during winter without driving and yet it kicks right over.

If the vehicle if under warranty I'd say drop it off to them for a few weeks and let them see it happen or request a new battery to at least rule that out the battery part.

Personally I suspect a bad battery, even though you had it tested, the test isn't checking on how a long a battery holds a charge after 2 weeks!

I seem to recall reading that the BCM will disconnect power to accessories should the battery hit a level that it can't start up the vehicle.
 
#26 ·
yes, I think the truck would shut down anything on to save the battery but it can only read voltage. It cant load test it on the fly. I've seen lots of batteries sitting at over 12 volts that couldn't come close to cranking the engine over. Put a little load on it and they drop to almost nothing..... click click click. oh, and dirty cables can do that too.
 
#22 ·
If I park it on Friday and don't drive it again until Monday morning mine will be dead and need a jump. I chalked it up to the dash cam and radar detector I wired into the mirror harness "inadvertent power" lead.
Inadvertent power supposedly turns off 10 minutes after leaving the truck according to the upfitter manual but I get the creeping feeling it's still drawing juice through there.
 
#23 ·
Does your truck have the hands-free cell phone option? If you use your cell phone with the hands-free feature of the truck and walk away from it without ending the call, the infotainment system is caught in limbo and remains on. I was told that by a Service Manager who said he's has several dead battery results, and I have seen the tech bulletin as well.
 
#24 ·
I dont think i was talking but i do have the phone which is always connecting and disconnecting especially when i leave phone in the house and just take truck for a erand run. I purposely leave phone at home and i think you all know why:grin2: i said i have a feeling something is getting stuck on
 
#27 · (Edited)
Well I checked it this morning for curiosity and was 12.25v been sitting since Sunday afternoon and since i can't confirm a draw I leaning towards battery. Voltage is dropping some how. The brake controller was asleep but it is live cause when i hit the manual override to activate brakes it woke up. I will take it to work today so it will be fully charged when I park it tonight and I will disconnect Brake controller and see where it is Saturday morning. As for the Carbon pile tester has anyone used that Harbor Freight one,real cheap and I have a gift card that will cover it and it looks a little more storage friendly than the VAT and I have a 20% off. But Harbor freight just scares me especially on electrical stuff. https://www.harborfreight.com/500-amp-carbon-pile-load-tester-91129.html
 
#28 ·
Harbor Freight one,real cheap and I have a gift card that will cover it and it looks a little more storage friendly than the VAT and I have a 20% off. But Harbor freight just scares me especially on electrical stuff. https://www.harborfreight.com/500-amp-carbon-pile-load-tester-91129.html
Seems like a waste of money just to confirm if your battery is good or not...and I have to agree there are somethings I wouldn't use HF for.

The battery is under warranty (barring you're truck is still in warranty). A dead battery twice just being parked for 2 weeks is a problem, you should have the dealer give you a new battery to rule that out.

And if you battery is bad you're putting undue stress on your alternator at the same time which can shorten its life.
 
#30 ·
You have exactly the same failure that I had and it took me months to figure out. I installed a different mirror with compass and temperature. The mirror draws very little and should not take the battery out. I discovered a parasitic drain of almost 400 ma at the battery. It was the BCM not going to sleep causing the drain. It turned out that the continuous additional small drain of the mirror that I had attached to the overhead lighting circuit was being sensed by the BCM. So the BCM stayed awake. The fix was to move the power source for the mirror to a different circuit not sensed by the BCM.
 
#31 ·
Made an appointment with dealer for Monday. Yes still under
Warranty. 13500 miles just over 2 years old. Hope it's not the beginning of the terrible 2's lol. Battery is covered under bumper to bumper I confirmed.
 
#32 ·
Have you tried putting the truck in "transport mode" when you know it will sit for a long time?

Start the engine.
Turn the 4 way flashers on.
Press and hold the brake pedal.
Turn the ignition key to start and hold it there for 10 seconds.
The DIC will display the confirmation shown below.

To switch back to normal mode, simply repeat the above procedure and the DIC will confirm again. Give it a try.
Is it not standard internet etiquette to provide a link or quote rather than reposting someone's idea as your own? http://coloradofans.com/forums/385-2nd-gen-how-tutorials/343121-how-turn-transport-mode-off.html
 
#33 ·
Well, here is a possible example of what may be causing issues like this. Last night I parked my always trouble free truck. A half hour later, my wife walked by and noticed my dash all lit up! Not the gauges. Just the entire center stack and the headlight and window switches. I tried everything but soon realized that a battery disconnect was my only hope and that did solve it. Just like a smartphone that won't shutoff, sometimes you just gotta pull the battery. It's not just electronics in our trucks, it's computers now and once in a while, it's gonna need a reboot. I'm actually going to start carrying the correct wrench to undo the negative terminal. Now this all sounds well and good for wrench heads like us. Imagine all the non mechanical people years from now who will drag their out of warranty trucks to the dealer every time a glitch happens. Ca-ching ca-ching! Makes you wonder if the glitches were built in on purpose.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Toughsox
#34 ·
I have had 2 cases where I was doing something, got out of the truck, then when I returned after a short stop over, got back in truck to discover the radio had been playing the whole time. It is so rare, 2 times in t 1/2 years, that I can't figure out what caused the glitch to occur.
 
#36 ·
I fixed the door switch problem on my Sonoma with a rubber tip to extend it the 1/16" so it would work and turn off interior lights. Switch was dealer item only and GM wanted 45 bucks. Rubber nipple 5 cents.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top