GMC Battery Low Voltage

[Birchwood]

Has anyone experienced low battery voltage in their tow vehicle after the vehicle has not run
for several days.The only draw in question would be the Prodogy trailer brake contoller or
a bad cell in the battery.

 

[branson4020]

How old is your battery? Do you have one or two?

 

[pegmikef]

I know there are things in the trailer that continue to suck juice from your battery if you aren't hooked up to shore power, but I don't see how that would affect your tv battery.

 

[Manzan]

Other things draw down the battery like your radio even if it is turned off. Any sort of security alarm. Remote or key-less entry. Not sure about this, but the computer may need a trickle also. So many new new things that make life easier have a payback in constant battery drain. Etc.

 

[JohnDar]

Mine has sat for weeks without being run and no problem with starting it up. The battery gage may show it's charging for a bit longer, but no problems found. If it's a newer model, the security system is most likely still active on a low draw.

 

[hoefler]

How old is your battery? Do you have one or two?

This is where I would start as well. If they are over 3 years old, I would have them checked and replace them in pairs if you have 2.

 

[Birchwood]

The truck is an 07 with 55000 miles.Its a diesel with 2 batteries.Its been setting for 4
days and the voltage is down to 12.3 volts.At 12.1 volts it won't turn over.

 

[jnbhobe]

I would start right where the guys are telling you. I bet you have one bad battery.But replace both at once.

 

[hoefler]

Have your meter hooked up to one of the batteries and have someone crank it over, what is your voltage while cranking?? Check both batteries, anything less than 11 volts, replace the batteries.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Take the TV to a battery shop or your dealer. Have both batteries charged and checked. Anything under 9 volts under a load test, the battery is bad. Each battery has a "cold cranking" amperage sticker on it. You have to load the battery to close to that to determine if the battery is good or bad. It should hold the load for at least 30 seconds. Amperage is what turns the starter not voltage. You have to do this with the batteries disconnected from each other. You cannot check them any other way. You will get a false reading. Have you checked the cables for looseness or corrosion at the batteries?? 1 bad battery will kill the cranking power to the starter.

 

[Birchwood]

I unplugged the brake controller and now the battery keeps its charge.It draws 12.8 ma continuously
so I guess that may of been the power draw.Never realized it was so easy to remove or would
of done it long ago because I don't drive my truck in Canada.

 

[porthole]

With my GMC I have gone for weeks parked with no issues. Other times after 3-4 days the batteries would be dead. Never found a cause.
There were times I would leave my GPS plugged in and on for several days and that would not cause an issue. Ohter times I would turn off everything I could thinks of and still end up with a dead battery.

One time trying to start the truck with dead batteries my engine hour history reset to 0.






I fixed it with a 2011 F-350

 

[branson4020]

With my GMC I have gone for weeks parked with no issues. Other times after 3-4 days the batteries would be dead. Never found a cause.
There were times I would leave my GPS plugged in and on for several days and that would not cause an issue. Ohter times I would turn off everything I could thinks of and still end up with a dead battery.

One time trying to start the truck with dead batteries my engine hour history reset to 0.






I fixed it with a 2011 F-350

So, I guess that means you got new batteries .

 

[porthole]

So, I guess that means you got new batteries .

Ah yup - 2 new batteries - and the GMC batteries were only 9 months old

 

[mmomega]

Awesome fix I did the same thing Porthole.

Our '07 was having this problem 1 week after I bought the 2011, alternator was fine, 2 Interstate batteries less than a year old and they tested bad. Just all of a sudden they wouldn't hold a charge more than 5-6hrs before the truck wouldn't start. The other batteries were still under warranty so, 2 new batteries and the truck has been completely fine(so far).

 

[porthole]

And a nice trailer to boot.

 

[Birchwood]

Truck with dead battery again only after leaving radio and fan on for 15 minutes.Replaced
both batteries and tested the old ones finding one wouldn't hold a charge.

 

[jnbhobe]

Truck with dead battery again only after leaving radio and fan on for 15 minutes.Replaced
both batteries and tested the old ones finding one wouldn't hold a charge.

AH!!! I told ya so. Seen it happen a lot of times, glad your ok now!!

 

[DMitch]

Think about how many trucks sit on dealer lots for weeks and months at a time without being started. If draw was a problem the dealers would have to have a full time person running around with battery chargers or jumper cables.

 

[porthole]

Dealers pull a fuse that cuts the power to the "always on" circuits