battery issues in Glamis

Brian Machnach said:
not a fan of the optima's either.thay are dry cell batteries and dry cells don't like or dont recover like a acid battery dose when drained.after a few good drains the optima is shot and can not be brought back to life.i would do a check voltage and go from there.it thay are shot dont bother going back to dry cell.i went back to acid filled and never looked back.
Click to expand...
my buddy had a 454ss, brand new red top, installed for 1 day, burned truck to the ground. fire dept said it def came from battery

 
wopachop said:
This is a fun brainstorm!! Get yourself a clamp meter. It would answer a lot of questions and do so very quickly and easily. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=true+rms+clamp+meter&crid=37FBYM7KY9DYE&sprefix=true+rms+cla%2Caps%2C213&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_12

From what you wrote my first guess is something like a small light bulb in a door or side mirror is drawing power when you open the doors frequently to grab food. That seems to be the only difference compared to being parked at home. 

I would buy/borrow a clamp meter and do this: 

1. Open hood and stick your clamp meter on the POS battery cable. With the keys out of the vehicle open a door and see if there is a small amp draw. If there is see how long it lasts. Close the door and see how long until it shuts off. Could be the answer right there. I think a small 1 or 2 amp draw would be enough when the battery is already toast. 

2. Start the truck and take note of alternator charge amps. Google what is normal for your model. Then plug in the trailer and see if anything funky changes. I think newer vehicles do not supply a high amp charge for long periods. So like others mentioned it could have to do with showing up to glamis with batteries that were not fully charged during the drive. You could also turn off the truck and measure amp draw with the trailer lights plugged in versus not. If its just 2 LED brake lights it shouldnt be more than 1amp i would guess. 

3. If youre lucky enough to catch the mystery load with the key out of the ignition start pulling fuses until it disappears. We had an Escalade that was randomly draining a battery overnight. With no lights left on. Nothing in cig plug. Using a clamp meter and dozens of attempts i came to discover the circuit for the radio would turn on in the middle of the night. Enough to kill the battery. I believe the cause was a dirty fuse plug that was filled with wet looking dirt and grime. The clamp meter was showing something like 1amp draw and pulling the radio fuse stopped it. You might be able to do something similar to trace down where the power draw is coming from. 
Click to expand...
thank you for taking the time to type all that out! i will for sure do this before our next trip for the red bull race. 

 
Jersey_Jeff73 said:
there is a higher power trying to keep you in Glamis....   are you leaving chargers pluged laptop dvd player 
Click to expand...
glamis does not want me to go home on sundays! only charger i have if for phone/ipad and i pull those out when i get there. only difference from glamis and home is how often im in and out of the truck while in glamis since i dont have an rv i keep alot of things in the truck. like someone else said maybe the doors are triggering something.

 
my friend had one of these with him last weekend we hooked it up to one of the batteries and the truck started right up. they are $80 on amazon right now if anyone was looking for a good one that works on a diesel. 

glamisbattery.jpg

 
I’ve got one of those compact jumpers. Great to leave in the trailer. 

 
We have a jumper and use it often. Only negative is their current battery technology. They dont like to be stored fully charged. Also dont like to be stored in high temps like the inside of a vehicle. Both of those are not the best match for a portable jump starter.

Check out the instructions if stuff like that matters to you. If you were to let someone borrow it for a road trip then charge that sucker up. If you have one and rarely use it, and also live in a hot climate, then see what percentage of charge the manual suggests. It will still have enough power to jump start a couple times. If you have a big diesel like the OP then keep that in mind as well. 

I dont actually own one. But if i did i would just watch as it charges. Lets say it has 4 light bulbs to indicated charge level. Just pull it off at level 3 if you happen to walk by and notice. I would guess a more fancy portable jumper might even have a setting for "storage charge" and a different setting for "fully charged".

 
Check the glove box light. I had one that would not shut off when you closed it. 

Throw your phone in the glove box when its videoing and check the video to see if the light stayed on. 

 
Given you mentioned you open the doors often - Aftermarket stereo / amp?  On most chevy's when the door is opened some of the equipment will turn on - and then turn off automatically after 10 minutes. (Similar to when you turn key off, but don't open the door) - maybe the remote wire for an aftermarket amp in your truck is energized when your door is opened?  Doubtful, but possible?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
wesinls said:
Given you mentioned you open the doors often - Aftermarket stereo / amp?  On most chevy's when the door is opened some of the equipment will turn on - and then turn off automatically after 10 minutes. (Similar to when you turn key off, but don't open the door) - maybe the remote wire for an aftermarket amp in your truck is energized when your door is opened?  Doubtful, but possible?
Click to expand...
everything is stock in the truck. i think there is something being activated when i open the doors though, its really the only thing that is different from when the truck sits at home or in glamis. it has been sitting all week since i got home from glamis on sunday evening, going to try and start it when i get home just to see if it does. 

 
This small interior light left on reminded me of the same scenario that happened to me on an Expedition we had.  Was a weekender vehicle, but the battery kept turning up low or dead.  One day the wife and I were driving somewhere when she folded down the passenger visor...and there it was.   This visor mirror was lighted, except it wasn't the flip up cover, this one had a slide panel that controlled the light.  The visor hugged up against the interior ceiling tight and you couldn't tell it was on, even at night. 

 
Do your headlight or daytime running lights activate when you open the door? And do they stay on for a period of time after?

 
matt86m said:
Do your headlight or daytime running lights activate when you open the door? And do they stay on for a period of time after?
Click to expand...
no they dont, i have it set so no lights come on when the doors are opened. i still need to do a test on the batteries, just been a crazy week and have not had time. 

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top