Battery Problems in '09 GMC

[RetroC10Sport]

i don't know. I'd still rather BUILD my truck to have what I want rather than go out and buy something that depreciates the second you drive it off the lot. Sure it has a warranty and it's available now but if it's in the shop as much as it's being driven or more, it just doesn't make much sense since I'd have the truck i want built in the same time the warranty runs out on a newer truck and it would be worth MORE than when I bought it. Plus it will give me a sense of accomplishment...And I KNOW EXACTLY what all the little black boxes in my truck do!

 

[Old77]

I think your expectations are very realistic and when spending that kinda money on a vehicle you expect it to perform. W/T's don't have as many bells and whistles but they can still look nice. If I got one of those it'd be a black one to match the black grille.

Good luck on testing it and let us know how it goes.

 

[Irishman999]

Im not a big fan of the new GM trucks. My FIL gave me a 07 Sierra to drive for a while (very nice guy). After a while I avoided driving it anywhere but on streets to work, If you left pavement you can guarantee you will be stranded and digging out of snow or sand. The 5.0 sounded incredible with stainless exhaust but the truck was so god damn gutless. After having one for 6 months there is no way in hell I would finance one, there is no value as far as im concerned.

 

[Jaymez]

i don't know. I'd still rather BUILD my truck to have what I want rather than go out and buy something that depreciates the second you drive it off the lot.

They no longer depreciate THAT badly once you sign the papers. I've had the truck since February 09 and it's just now under 8,000 miles. Trade in value TODAY is roughly what I paid for it. Private party values are still above what I bought the truck for.

If my Square Body build goes as planned, it will eventually have almost everything the Sierra's got and more.

 

[Old77]

Im not a big fan of the new GM trucks. My FIL gave me a 07 Sierra to drive for a while (very nice guy). After a while I avoided driving it anywhere but on streets to work, If you left pavement you can guarantee you will be stranded and digging out of snow or sand. The 5.0 sounded incredible with stainless exhaust but the truck was so god damn gutless. After having one for 6 months there is no way in hell I would finance one, there is no value as far as im concerned.

Are you talking about the 4.8?? I would agree that the 4.8 isn't that great for power but I feel that the 5.3 is very adequate in stock form and is an overall good motor.

 

[crazy4offroad]

Mechanics at dealerships arent always that good of a mechanic. At the Toyota stealership where I got the wife's Highlander this one idiot claimed to have fixed the hazard lights and a burned out tail light park bulb for the second time. (I had them do an inspection and I told them specifically check it all over so I dont need to do anything to it. They stuck a sticker on it with 2 dead bulbs and the hazard lights not working, and some douchnozzle got blood on the dash in the process.) I checked it in front of him and the service manager and the park light nor hazards worked. My cusswords echoed in that place like a concert hall. "Maybe the key needs to be on" the grease monkey said. Anyone who knows anything about anything knows, the hazard lights work no matter what the key position is. Of course they didnt work. That was the last time I will ever deal with that place, they're just incompetent idiots.

The post I made in this thread earlier referring to the post #11, that guy is a good mechanic. Seen it all, knows what to expect and how to figure it out. The part about resistance in the main ground wire, and the sensors that dont "go to sleep" properly was specifically what I was referring to. If your battery goes dead again I would suspect one of these two things.

 

[Irishman999]

Are you talking about the 4.8?? I would agree that the 4.8 isn't that great for power but I feel that the 5.3 is very adequate in stock form and is an overall good motor.

It must have been the 4.8, I could have sworn the sticker under the hood said 5.0. I drove a Tahoe with the 5.3 and it had plenty of power.

 

[Old77]

It must have been the 4.8, I could have sworn the sticker under the hood said 5.0. I drove a Tahoe with the 5.3 and it had plenty of power.

yeah, the 4.8 in stock form can be dogs (similar to that of most 305's) but that 5.3 is a pretty decent motor. I've had a few trucks/SUV's with the 5.3 and have been very happy with them

 

[Jaymez]

So, a little update on this issue.

A few days after the issue popped up, I had to make a road trip out to Columbus, Ohio, and back track to Pittsburgh for a couple of days, and then return home. We decided to take the GF's Sport Trac since that gets 25MPG on the highway and left my truck home to sit for a week. Upon my return home, the truck started after sitting for a week.

When we took the Sport Trac in for a remote starter install, the stereo installer agreed that he would expect a GM truck to have a dead battery after two weeks sitting. That hardly did anything to inspire confidence in my truck.

I've decided that since I have no projects planned in the next few weeks to let the truck sit again from Halloween through Thanksgiving. If the battery dies again (remember, the dealer just replaced the battery a few weeks a go) I'll insist that the dealer check it out again and consider my options from there.

I went dealer pestering today looking for a 2WD Colorado ECSB to replace my Grand Prix. While at the Ford dealer, I looked at the F150's and I REALLY don't want to jump from my GMC to a Blue Oval. They're nice and all, but, I think my truck is nicer.

Off topic rant: 2WD ECSB Mini's are damn near impossible to find in the Northeast.

 

[crazy4offroad]

If I let my truck sit from Halloween to Thanksgiving (cold/warm weather cycles) my truck would be dead too. (My 77 K10, the radio memory would probably drain on the battery pretty bad in that amount of time.)

 

[Old77]

If the problem persists I have an idea that might be better than going and buying a different truck that may or may not have the same issue. How about just make a point to drive it at least every 7 to 10 days if for nothing else to keep the battery charged. I know you shouldn't HAVE to do this with a new truck but if you like your truck and really don't want to get into something else this might be worth it and would be a simple "fix" that would enable you to keep your truck! Just an idea....

 

[Jaymez]

You know, despite all the noise I've made about the issue, I'll probably end up doing just that. However, I am going to try and duplicate the problem at least once to make sure I know what caused the issue in the first place.

 

[Old77]

You know, despite all the noise I've made about the issue, I'll probably end up doing just that. However, I am going to try and duplicate the problem at least once to make sure I know what caused the issue in the first place.

Sounds like a great idea! With all the stuff on the trucks/SUVs these days I'm not surprised that this is an issue but I hope that GM comes up with a legit way to fix it at some point.

 

[Jaymez]

You know I was talking to one sales guy and he said he sees it all the time, mostly in Cadillacs. Apparently, some cars, especially the DTS, have nearly 100 computers that are CONSTANTLY sucking juice.

As an IT guy, I have to ask two questions.

Why are that many computers needed in the first place?

Why do they have to constantly draw juice, even when the vehicle is turned off? At this point, even our radio presets should be stored in flash memory. What good reason could there be for the rest of the systems to constantly draw? Anti theft I can understand.

Oh well. That's why I am a Square Body guy. Awesome trucks at their most simplest level.

 

[Old77]

I'm with you man. I'm in IT also (computer programmer) and I'd have to ask the same thing. Constant juice should be pulled for two purposes....

1. keep the clock accurate (we could probably find a way around this, too)
2. anti-theft

other than that the car should just sit there with nothing requiring battery power. If they are going to design it this poorly then why not just have a separate aux battery that is used when the car is just sitting there so that the main battery is not being drained in the mean time? I'd rather reset my radio after sitting for a month than have to worry about my truck not starting...