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Comments
Everything is 12 volts, well actually it's more like 14volts, but they call it a 12 volt battery. Not sure who said something about 8 volts, but nothing would be 8 volts.
What drains a battery is 'currrent', which is measured in amps. Perhaps you are mistaken, and the drain is 8 AMPS. That would be a large current drain.
What you need to do, is to put in a meter which measures amperage, and then start pulling the fuses until you see the amperage drop. That will give them an indication which circuit the problem is on, and you can hopefully narrow it down from there. The problem with modifications, is you really don't know where they may have connected those devices to.
You will need a shop that is good at troubleshooting difficult electrical problems, as well as they will need access to the electrical schematics for your vehicle.
It could be many things causing the problem. I have seen on my own vehicles over the years:
- a bad relay on rear A/C fan, causing the fan blower to be continually on.
- a bad switch on drivers power seat, causing the seat motor to be energized all the time.
- a bad switch on trunk light, causing the light to be on all the time.
It really could be anything.
Now having said that, IF the engine was running at the time, then in addition to the battery getting shorted, the alternator (because the battery voltage would drop), would pump up it's voltage and current to try and drive the battery voltage back up. So the charging circuit 'may' have also been energized. I would think however that if this was a problem, you would have either blown the main alternator fuse, or the diodes in the alternator.
If it was mine, I'd just watch it closely and see if everything continues to appear okay. Watch to make sure your alternator is charging.
The smoke in the vents, could have come from the outside air draw by the windshield, sucking smoke from the engine compartment, into the duct work and then push it into the passenger cabin.
About a month ago I tried starting my tahoe and and everything went heywire.
The instrument cluster seems to react then die lights would come on breifly then die, headlights would not though, once everything died a loud clicking noise would start and it was coming from behind the headlight/dome switch. I would turn on and off the headlight switch and turn on and of the dome override button a few times then it would start.
This only happened a few times to begin with but became more of an issue over time until two days ago and haven't been able to start sence. It seems to me that at some times i'm getting the right voltage to everything and at other times I'm not. battery tested fine along with alternator. I have heard of problems with the positive cable but not sure if thats where I should start.
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I apologize that you are experiencing concern with your vehicle. Do you currently have a case with GM? Can you please e-mail me your VIN and current mileage? You can get my e-mail by clicking on gmcustsvc. Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service
I found this post when trying to determine what is happening with my 2007 Tahoe. I am experiencing the same thing and now it will not start at all. Is there a solution this problem?
2007 Tahoe LTZ has an issue of not starting. Battery has been checked and is good. Will hear clicking noises in the door and have been told that this is a security system failure. Sometimes after waiting for 10 or more minutes it will start back up. At other times jumper cables have to be used to get it started. Grounding has been checked and is find. When the issue happens the remote won't work and none of the lights will work.
Have you had the vehicle scanned for codes? How long has the concern been present? Can you e-mail me your VIN and current mileage? You can get my e-mail by clicking on gmcustsvc. Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service
Heres my problem. i went to turn it on one day and it was no go. The dashboard lights would turn on but the ignition or engine would just give me a clickling noise. Me assuming it was the battery, I gave it a jump and started right away. I drove it atleast 50 miles same day to visit family with no problem and on the way back from visiting the engine shut down on my on the road. I tried to turn it on, but nothing. (Emergency light and dashboard light were still working. Battery gauge was at 10 volts. Bought new battery, turned on with no problem but shortly after it did it to me again. Bought new alternator with new battery. It turns on with no problem but after letting it run for about 20 mins, it shuts down again. What could it be? Is it a bigger problem or possible electric problem? Please help. Oh may I add that my
keyless remote also gave up on me same time as the battery , could it be related? Appreciate all suggestions.
I would recommend taking your vehicle to your local dealer of choice. They will be able to assist you with your problem and provide you a quote for the repair.
Christina
GM Customer Service
Seems like an electrical gremlin.
I have started experiencing the same problem, I just got of the phone with Chevy checking on recalls, they did not find any for my particular vehicle, however they did post a special bulletin SB07120 Battery Cable mis-routed. On some vehicles apparently one of the battery cables comes in contact with the power steering pulley from time to time and wears down the insulation. Some times the bar wire will come in contact and can cause issues with lights flickering, vehicle not to start. I'm in the process of checking this out myself and will post results. Also you may check and see if your vehicle may fall under recall 07007B or 07033. From what I understand this covers re programming the ECM to keep various accessories from draining the battery after the vehicle is shut off. To check to see if you your vehicle falls under any of these recalls or special bulletins call 1-800-222-1020. I was able to get through pretty quick. Hope this is some helpful information.
thoughts? :confuse: :lemon:
Please let us know if your problem comes back!
Christina
GM Customer Service
I apologize for your frustrations. Can you please email me with your VIN and current mileage as well as your user name from here? I would like to look into this further for you.
Christina
GM Customer Service
My name is Jared and I am assisting Christina on Edmunds. Please email us with your contact information, VIN and mileage. Also include your Edmunds username and a brief description of the issue.
-Jared Duane
GM Customer Service
Can you also help me with this problem? I have already taken my 2007 Tahoe regarding this problem and they couldn't find anything. I now have another appointment this Monday but I anticipate that they will still not solve the problem. I will email you my contact information, VIN, and mileage.
Steve
I would like to look further into your situation. Could you please email me your contact information, VIN and current mileage? Please include a description of the problem you are experiencing.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
months ago, the heater kicked on with the a/c on high, it would only blow hot air.
Couldn't figure out what was going on, sort of an uncomfortable ride home, lucky it was short. Problem cleared after it sat and re stared it, and only did it one time more.
Then a couple weeks ago the battery was dead in the morning. Had to jump it.
I purchased the Tahoe used 1 year ago, and the battery was about 4 years old so I put a new battery in. Then I had a dead battery again after a couple days of not running the vehicle, I had to jump a couple of times the next week. I checked the battery and alternator free at the auto parts store, both checked good.
Took to trusted shop and cleared all codes then found one that would not clear or reset, the mode accuator for the hvac system was bad.
Part was $199 , total bill 391.00. Will post later if this did not fix the battery drain and weird heat a/c problem.
I apologize for your concerns. I would recommend atleast having the vehicle diagnoised by a GM dealer. This will help you in atleast figuring out what the problem is. Please keep me updated on your situation.
Christina
GM Customer Service
The next morning I drove it to the Chevy dealership and explained what was happening. They checked the car and there were no recorded fault codes in the system. According to them, the battery was bad and the battery connections were loose and that was causing the issue. I replaced the battery and continued to have the same issues. When I took it back to the dealership, they said the battery connections were loose again and that I just needed to tighten them back down if it happened again. I said ok and left. On the way home I encountered the same problems and checked the battery connections - they were tight.
I drove it to an independent shop and explained what was happening to them. They came to the same battery conclusion and modified the connections so that there was more contact area. This did not work so I returned it to them.
Last Monday they took it for a test drive and it broke down on them. They walked back to the shop and called me to explain what happened. When the tahoe broke down they said they thought they could smell burning wires but could not find any burnt wires between the battery and started. The starter was removed to check and was said to be needing replacement. I spent $350 to have that work done. When they test drove it again, it again broke down on them. This time they could not get it started unless they hit the dash. When they stopped hitting the dash, the car would turn off. This of course led them to think the issue has something to do with the dash. They removed the dash and could not find any burnt wires but saw some burn marks on the back of the instrument cluster. They now want to replace the instrument cluster ($400+) with not promise that will fix the problem. Oh, and as of Friday, the tahoe does not run at all right now.
Has anybody on here encountered the same issues and if so, what was the cause. I can't afford to keep fixing random things that might be the cause of the problem just to find out they are not.
It started with the locks randomly cycling while driving, I didnt think to much of it at the time because I thought someone accidently hit the unlock/lock button. From there on, it was all down hill. The reduced engine light would randomly come on while on the highway and I would have to pull off. I traced the problem to an electrical wire (Yellow and Black) that led toward the back of the engine (sorry for being vague but I got rid of the car and can't remember the exact location). It seemed to have some corrosion on it and when i cleaned it off and fiddled with it the car would resume running regular. This helped but when I took it to the dealer and had them look at it they told me that there were some loose wires connecting to the engine mount. The repaired that and also replaced the instrument cluster.
2 weeks later while on a vacation I was going about 75 mph on the high way and my car turned itself off: electricity, Power steering, power brakes, everything went, my suburban basically died on the highway. I got it off the road and I had it towed to the dealership. They told me I was looking at around $10,000 worth of damage. Transmission went, 4x4 module went, Engine had to be rebuilt, bearings exploded and caused other damage.
I got a second opinion and he quoted it at $8,000. I wasn't going to pay for it so we ended up buying a 2010 z71.
Good luck with it, but i'd get rid of it before disaster strikes.