Battery Drain

[Nicety]

Hello everyone, I saw where there have been a lot of posts in the past about battery drain, I'm new on here and I was wondering what the solution was? I have a 2003 Yukon and in 4 years I've gone through 7 batteries! I've taken it to the dealer and had the BCM cause that was supposedly one cause. Didn't fix it, they did a 2 diagnostic tests on it charged me each time even though I had paid for one when they originally changed the BCM and the battery so they raked me over the coals when they had to change the battery the next 2 times. Then when I got the truck back about a week later it was dead as a hammer again!! I wasn't taking it back to them. I bout another battery and took it to another shop and they did a drain test on it for 2 days and it showed negative. I got it back and two weeks later dead again. I'm at a lost of what's going on with it. I took the fuse from the OnStar out cause it makes a noise when the truck is running. Also the little speaker above the driver makes a constant noise don't know if that's a player. I'm hoping it's not a electrical problem have had the truck since it was new and have taken excellent care of it. Any help you give would be greatly appreciated.

 

[B-train]

I'd start by removing anything extra you may have plugged in - chargers, etc. A quick test you can do is shut the truck off and listen to the radio with a couple dome lights on until it shuts off after 15 min. The retained accessory power is supposed to shut down all that stuff after a time delay.

I've heard of them not shutting down sometimes and causing a constant draw. You'll generally hear a 'click' noise when it times out. Opening the door also is supposed to kill the power to it as well.

I'm not saying this will solve your issue, but may give some direction towards the offender if you see something different.

 

[Donal]

The little speaker above the driver is an aspirator that provides input to the AC controls. Are you completely removing the ignition key after operation?

 

[OR VietVet]

@B-train and @Donal are on to something. My interior lights shut down after approximately 15-20 seconds and the radio will play for 10 minutes each time, unless I open the door. At one time, I had a problem of hearing the chime noise that happens when you leave your key in ignition and open the door, even though my key was out. IMO, easy to do and inexpensive ignition switch could be an intermittent cause and can try that. Make sure the new switch has the updated sign of a grey plate on the switch body. Plenty of you tube videos show how to change it. If your old switch is all black, it is the old design. Very important to match the position of the gear teeth to where yours are when you remove old switch. I have done it enough on mine and my girl's 2002 TrailBlazer, that I can change them out in about 15-20 minutes.

When my chime was going off, even with key out, I had to insert the key and cycle the switch/key again, to get it to stop chiming.

 

[OR VietVet]

Also, do you have a theft deterrent alarm system of any kind?

 

[Larryjb]

May be far fetched, but...

I discovered that the little switch for the hood light can get stuck. It's a pretty cheap design. I suppose is it possible that it might stick in the open position when the hood is closed. I have mine disconnected just in case.

 

[Yukon_Carl]

I also have a 2003 Yukon that has the same issue. I troubleshot it to no avail. I then found a similar product in the link below which resolved the issue for me. When the battery voltage drops to 11.9 the unit automatically disconnects the battery saving it from discharging below cranking level. If the unit has disconnected the battery just a simple push of the remotes button reconnects it and you can start the vehicle. I'm on my second unit about 10 years. It's also great for the fact that you can disconnect the battery if leaving the Yukon in public parking for a period of time like an airport.
If the battery does disconnect all I have to do is reset the clock.
I hope this helps.

Amazon.com

 

[catalinajack]

Hello everyone, I saw where there have been a lot of posts in the past about battery drain, I'm new on here and I was wondering what the solution was? I have a 2003 Yukon and in 4 years I've gone through 7 batteries! I've taken it to the dealer and had the BCM cause that was supposedly one cause. Didn't fix it, they did a 2 diagnostic tests on it charged me each time even though I had paid for one when they originally changed the BCM and the battery so they raked me over the coals when they had to change the battery the next 2 times. Then when I got the truck back about a week later it was dead as a hammer again!! I wasn't taking it back to them. I bout another battery and took it to another shop and they did a drain test on it for 2 days and it showed negative. I got it back and two weeks later dead again. I'm at a lost of what's going on with it. I took the fuse from the OnStar out cause it makes a noise when the truck is running. Also the little speaker above the driver makes a constant noise don't know if that's a player. I'm hoping it's not a electrical problem have had the truck since it was new and have taken excellent care of it. Any help you give would be greatly appreciated.

I had this problem on my 1999 Tahoe. I replaced the alternator and two batteries. Turned out it was a bad starter, not someting I would ever have guessed would cause a battery drain. It has been two years now with no battery drain.

 

[Nicety]

I also have a 2003 Yukon that has the same issue. I troubleshot it to no avail. I then found a similar product in the link below which resolved the issue for me. When the battery voltage drops to 11.9 the unit automatically disconnects the battery saving it from discharging below cranking level. If the unit has disconnected the battery just a simple push of the remotes button reconnects it and you can start the vehicle. I'm on my second unit about 10 years. It's also great for the fact that you can disconnect the battery if leaving the Yukon in public parking for a period of time like an airport.
If the battery does disconnect all I have to do is reset the clock.
I hope this helps.

Amazon.com

I'd start by removing anything extra you may have plugged in - chargers, etc. A quick test you can do is shut the truck off and listen to the radio with a couple dome lights on until it shuts off after 15 min. The retained accessory power is supposed to shut down all that stuff after a time delay.

I've heard of them not shutting down sometimes and causing a constant draw. You'll generally hear a 'click' noise when it times out. Opening the door also is supposed to kill the power to it as well.

I'm not saying this will solve your issue, but may give some direction towards the offender if you see something different.

 

[Nicety]

Appreciate the suggestion. I will check it out!!