Mystery Battery Discharge

[ree]

So I get in the H2 this morning and notice the interior lights are dim, uh oh! As expected, it wouldn't turn over. I got it started with the quick start mode on my AC charger no problem.

I used it yesderday, so it hasn't been sitting. Nothing was left on or open which would obviously cause a rundown. I assume that there's rundown protection on the exterior and interior lights as these always seem to go off and you can leave the doors open without causing a problem.

I do have some ideas for potential culprits:

1. Last week, I applied the "DRLs on with Parking Lights" mod using a diode so the parking lights will trigger the DRLs and not viceversa. This was first choice as the culprit since I just made the mod last week. It seemed very unlikely that this was the cause. I'm not real wise on electrical though, so I'm not sure if an unintended discharge situation could result from doing this wrong. The jumper is well made with the diode shrink wrapped and wire only exposed in the relay slots .

And I don't think one of the relays was stuck open...there was no light coming from the DRLs or parking lights that I could see. But I suppose it could have been faint.

2. I have a portable DVD player that's always plugged into one of the console power jacks (been that way for ~8 months). These jacks are always on, but we always turn the DVD off when it's not in use. It does use a tiny bit of power to drive the IR receiver for the remote control, but I assumed this tiny draw wasn't enough to cause a problem as long as we drove daily. Could I be wrong, could this constant draw has weakened the batter so it can no longer hold a cranking charge overnight?

3. My alternator started whining in the past month. When the H2's running, the charge indicates 14V. So I assumed that the alternator's functioning okay and I haven't rushed it in to get looked at. But could the regulator have gone bad in a way that wouldn't prevent good charging, but would allow parsitic draws when the vehicle's off?

4. Perhaps the battery's just getting old and tired and needs to be replaced.


Any other ideas for things I can check before dragging it up the Twin Cities for a dealer checkup? I have a multimeter, but for low current applications. Is there any use I can make of this in searching for a drain?

In the meantime, I undid the jumper mod in the fusebox, but left the DVD plugged in the way it's been for the past 8 months. If the battery goes dead again, I'll unplug this and see if the situation improves (Change one thing at a time until we find the issue). Plus I'll keep a spare battery in the back, just in case.

Man it'd be nice to have that wrangler dual battery setup.

[ree]

So I get in the H2 this morning and notice the interior lights are dim, uh oh! As expected, it wouldn't turn over. I got it started with the quick start mode on my AC charger no problem.

I used it yesderday, so it hasn't been sitting. Nothing was left on or open which would obviously cause a rundown. I assume that there's rundown protection on the exterior and interior lights as these always seem to go off and you can leave the doors open without causing a problem.

I do have some ideas for potential culprits:

1. Last week, I applied the "DRLs on with Parking Lights" mod using a diode so the parking lights will trigger the DRLs and not viceversa. This was first choice as the culprit since I just made the mod last week. It seemed very unlikely that this was the cause. I'm not real wise on electrical though, so I'm not sure if an unintended discharge situation could result from doing this wrong. The jumper is well made with the diode shrink wrapped and wire only exposed in the relay slots .

And I don't think one of the relays was stuck open...there was no light coming from the DRLs or parking lights that I could see. But I suppose it could have been faint.

2. I have a portable DVD player that's always plugged into one of the console power jacks (been that way for ~8 months). These jacks are always on, but we always turn the DVD off when it's not in use. It does use a tiny bit of power to drive the IR receiver for the remote control, but I assumed this tiny draw wasn't enough to cause a problem as long as we drove daily. Could I be wrong, could this constant draw has weakened the batter so it can no longer hold a cranking charge overnight?

3. My alternator started whining in the past month. When the H2's running, the charge indicates 14V. So I assumed that the alternator's functioning okay and I haven't rushed it in to get looked at. But could the regulator have gone bad in a way that wouldn't prevent good charging, but would allow parsitic draws when the vehicle's off?

4. Perhaps the battery's just getting old and tired and needs to be replaced.


Any other ideas for things I can check before dragging it up the Twin Cities for a dealer checkup? I have a multimeter, but for low current applications. Is there any use I can make of this in searching for a drain?

In the meantime, I undid the jumper mod in the fusebox, but left the DVD plugged in the way it's been for the past 8 months. If the battery goes dead again, I'll unplug this and see if the situation improves (Change one thing at a time until we find the issue). Plus I'll keep a spare battery in the back, just in case.

Man it'd be nice to have that wrangler dual battery setup.

[VTSTOMPER]

Many of us have seen this issue. Check out the search for it. "dead Battery"

http://elcova.com/groupee/forums?a=search&reqWords=dead+battery

[Screeper]

My 04 factory battery did that after a year. The Florida heat/engine heat chews them up fast. Bought an Optima, as I have in my past vehicles and have not had the problem since.

[HummerNewbie]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Screeper:
The Florida heat/engine heat chews them up fast. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's no sh!t. I have replaced the batteries in three vehicles in the past two weeks

[NJ H2]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Screeper:
My 04 factory battery did that after a year. The Florida heat/engine heat chews them up fast. Bought an Optima, as I have in my past vehicles and have not had the problem since. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

When and if my battery goes I will get the OPTIMA

[HUMMERcustoms.com/TAZ]

I had the same problem when the rig was barely off the dealer lot and I just messed around with it and finakky called the ser. manager to tell Him about it.
He said the most common problem is the front passeger seat control. They have trouble when someone get's in and adjust seat it sticks with power on the seat. He told Me to charge it up and just move the seat any direction but, most goo the direction needed to put the seat equal to driver and it should not drain battery. Well I did and it did not drain battery again except when a kid went out and got init and I did not kow about it. It would be dead and I would follow the above mentioned routine and no mre problem till smeone moved it again.
I finally called dealer and they ordered a new switch and put it in, have not had any trouble since.
The service manager had told Me that if that seat deal did not work the next thing they would do is change out air bage switches as they had been a probem being stuck open.

TAZ