04 Silverado Cold Weather Power Issues

t14harris

I have a 2004 Chevy Silverado that I am having cold weather start/power issues. This truck does have the premium Bose stereo in it. Last year I ran into the issue of my truck acting like the battery is dead. I would turn the ignition 3-5 times and flip the key around, then it would start right up like it had no issues. Or I would get out and turn my negative cable ever so slightly and the power comes back almost instantly. Now a couple weeks ago, I installed a new stereo receiver in the truck. had no issues until this morning when the temp fell below 45. Truck acted like it was dead, I jumped out and forced the negative cable to move and all the power came right back. However, all the lights kept dimming and brightening and at one point I lost all electrical power, but it came right back. Any help with this would be awesome. Please note that I replaced the battery back in July of this year. This is also super weird but may help to diagnose. When ever it gets cold, for some reason when I turn on the fog lights or the left turn signal, the horn ever so briefly comes on.

imidazol97

Have you replaced the negative cable. Is there more than one negative on that vehicle, going to different locations for grounding besides the main cable which will go somewhere on the engine usually near the starter motor?

AT the least I'd clean the other end of the cable on the block and elsewhere and retighten the bolts. I'd check the cable to be sure it was not partly corroded inside. I've read of people having the cable inside the plastic near the end corrode. Cut back the plastic insulator to check. Same for the red negative cable were I doing it, because in moving the negative cable on the battery your may have been causing some battery movement which affected the red negative cable as well.
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Are you running other power from the battery to a user installed stereo? I gave up on questions where high power subs and such have been added, upsetting electrical systems. Or is the Bose factory?

The symptoms with the horn might be from low battery voltage. That could be from a defective connection, a partly dissolved cable core, a bad battery power or bad plates. But you replaced the battery earlier. Same symptoms before and after the replacement?

Symptoms don't sound right, but it could be a bad ignition switch. NOT the key lock cylinder, but the actual switch that makes contact on different circuits to enable AUX, ON, CRANK etc. Occasionally the wear on the brass contacts can make or break the circuit. When you said you turn over the key, taking it out and reinserting, and turning the key which moves the switch (usually on top of the steering column just below the instrument gages).

Good luck. This can be solved.

t14harris

The Bose system is factory, the only difference is the receiver. But I ran it off the original wiring that was already there. Just had to add the wiring harness form the new receiver to the existing wiring which was no biggie. I was talking about flipping the key over. When I get off work, I will check the battery cables to verify they are still good. As well as check the ignition switch. I do appreciate the info.

imidazol97

I want to remind you if you are comfortable with a wrench, I'd loosen the negative ground cable at the engine end AND any other small ground wires that go elsewhere and wiggle them to get fresh metal contact and retighten. My leSabres had one or two small ground wires and one went to the inside fender, e.g..

OF course positive cables can arc if your wrench hits a ground. And one the leSabres and Bonnevilles a few found the cable itself had dissolved inside the plastic, so I'd strip the plastic down a few inches. Supposedly that was due to battery acid.

If you don't have a plastic sound shield under the steeering column side, you might try to identify and wiggle the wires at the ignition switch. But there's no way to check it internally for corrosion or burned contacts.