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Pull all of the plugs, check to see what each one looks like. Check your wiring sequence, to make sure you didn't get wires crossed to the plugs.
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/- emotorcons/emo_tongue.gif
Any thoughts and/or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
CH
Then, for the next couple of weeks it starts beautifully.
I had the system tested at Advance Auto with a 'state of the art' testing device - they test (1) vehicle off, all accessories off (2) vehicle off, all accessories that can be on, turned on (3) vehicle on, all accessories off, and (4) vehicle on, all accessories on.
With the vehicle off, all accessories off, the draw was about 1.4 amps which they said was fine. Battery is new (been replaced 2 times) / Connections are clean.
What might be additional root cause(s)?
The challenge obviously, is how to catch it. One thing you can try, is pulling the fuses on all non-essential circuits, to eliminate them as potential causes. Power seats, rear defogger, air leveling shocks, cigarette lighters and power outlets, interior lights, radio, power windows, seat heaters, EVERYTHING YOU CAN. Keep track of every circuit that it isn't, because you'll use process of elimination to hopefully isolate it.
If you can buy an ampmeter on the battery and can catch it when it is failing, you can then start pulling fuses to instantly figure out which circuit the current draw is coming from. If you can't get an ampmeter, or catch the time on the ampmeter when it's failing, you're just going to have to track it over time.
The BCM body control module, is a computer which turns on things in the vehicle (like lights), and it may be turning things on inappropriately. The On-star system wakes up and calls home periodically as well. There's lots of things happening, unplug everything but the bare necessities as the first pass to isolate where the problem may be.
The trick will be to 'catch it' when the vehicle is in 'discharge mode' - I haven't been able to do that yet. It's been a couple weeks, so I guess I'm 'due' any day now...
I was hoping - after reading of similar issues in this and other forums with both Suburbans and Tahoes - that there may be a common 'root cause', and thus make the trouble shooting and action plan implementation much easier.
Has anyone with similar issues found a root cause?
So my question is this would it be possible to take the vehicle in somewhere and have them insulate the car is some way to improve both these issues? If so a dealer or some aftermarket shop?
Thanks,
Joe
I don't recall a factory engine oil cooler available, but I threw out all of the ordering info I had on that vehicle a couple years ago. An extra transmission cooler makes sense for heavy duty towing applications, not sure about an engine oil cooler.
Any advice would be most welcome.
Kind Regards
Gus
Many times it's the belt adjuster pulley, but have also had a waterpump and alternator bad on different vehicles.
In the engine compartment, the air comes in up by the windshield, goes in thru the HVAC ductwork thur the air blender doors, and then into the passenger compartment.
If you put your HVAC into re-circulate mode, it should close that fresh air inlet door (assuming they don't have some sort of nest or other garbage stopping that blender door from closing).
I will try that and see. Since I've caught 6 and there was a 7th one in there that got away....I think there is a nest but not 100% sure. I don't really see anything as far as I can look. We live in the country beside a corn field so they could just be coming from there.
I set up 12 sticky traps and 9 mouse traps last night but nothing touched them.
I will try that and see in the next couple days how everything goes!
Thank you very much!
I had something very similar with my Olds Custom Cruiser, it turned out to be the viscous coupling in the fan. Hope this helps, fingers Xed.
Gus
Uk
And can you elaborate on these statements?
"Also the voltmeter read very low for at least a couple of weeks though the battery seemed fine."
and
"I checked the voltmeter voltage but it runs off a lower voltage supply."
If it were my car, I would have suspected a bad basic voltage problem (battery, alternator, loose/corroded connectors, etc) as the cause of your numerous electrical problems. You then indicate that you live on a rough road and the car takes a pounding.....and that could damage a battery internals.
Take your car to an auto parts chain, most will do a battery and alternator load test for free (verifies that they are able to put out full rated voltage and current, while under severe load). If you need a battery, don't go cheap on the replacement, given your harsh drive environment.
I was actually driving the car for a few weeks without the fender inner-wall as the weather was so severe. That should have been the reason to fix it. Apparently the water and road salt combined and doused the bottom of the engine compartment fuse box. The service manager said that wires were corroded and there was water there. I was an electronics technician and since I knew the systems were controlled with a computer and that computers run on digital signals, I guessed that the voltages were fluxuating between states(0 volts and 5 volts). That was smart enough but any idiot could have surmised that having no inner fender would cause electrical circuits to be flooded and possibly cause problems. I laugh at people who worry about being shocked by 12 volts but should have considered signals being confused by saltwater.
I repaired many sophisticated devices for years and found that much of the time the problem to be fixed does not require a lot of expertise, only a calm, clear, curious, logical, humble mind!
Thanks again for the quick reply!
I also knew the meter was behaving badly because the car turned over easily and I had run it with this problem for quite a while and I had jump-started and charged the battery too.
I also have a Chevy 1 ton capacity van 4WD conversion. It weighs about 3 tons and rides up our potholed driveway like a bucking bronco. The previous owner said he only got 3 years to a battery. Though the poor life is probably mostly due to infrequent usage and the way he wired in it's DVD players; I've put in one of those very expensive glass-mat batteries. Their literature says that they can be run dead, left discharged for some time and still have a reasonable life.
I'm hoping that it will do well despite my camping deep discharge use, the very rough shaking my icy potholed driveway causes in the winter and starting my 8.1 liter engine. It's nice because connecting jumper cables to the van's side terminal battery was very difficult and risky but connecting to the glass-mat's batteries extra top terminals is sweet!
1. It is not getting enough power because of
a) weak battery or
b) bad connection or ground or wiring from battery to starter - check voltages
2. The engine is hard to turn over because
a) There is fluid in the cylinders - water, fuel or oil - pull spark plugs
b) The exhaust is blocked
c) Something inside or run by the Engine is jammed
d) ignition or valve timing is messed up
3. The starter itself is worn out
I would watch your dome light when running the starter to see if the starter is taking too much power or not enough. It should flicker some if the engine is hard to turn. If you turn the engine over with the plugs out you'll bypass any restriction problems.
Seeing that you just bought it and the previous owner may have had the problem too, it may be an intermittent fuel or electrical problem.
Is the starter engaged and turning the engine, but the engine is not starting up? (points to an engine running problem = fuel, compression, ignition)
or
When you turn the key, the starter does not turn the engine, or does so reluctantly?
(points to a battery, alternator, starter, cables problem)
That wouldn't surprise me anymore. I had a Corvette that was an absolute bear to work on the way everything as jammed into any available space.
And then I found out that with the current Toyota Camry V6 engine, you have to pull the engine out to change the waterpump! Unbelievable. Glad I got the 4 cylinder.
Does something get wet with the car just sitting (dripping down from a door gasket), or does it take the tire spray when moving for wherever to get wet?
I guess its one of those things you have to remove the carpet, clean the floor use a hose and see where it leaks the weather stripping looks to be fine I removed it and cleaned all of it, no problems I can notice there, I may take it to a drive through carwash just to see if it leaks anywhere but will know more when I remove the carpet.
I am going to replace the weather stripping and run the hose again The old stripping was showing signs of age and has been formed to the door kinda squished and never expanded like it had should thanks for the help.