Update '88 Silverado Battery Drain

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member
Well, I am embaressed to post this update, but owe it you kind folks. Nearest I can tell my battery drain level is entirely normal. Closer inspection revealed I had my multimeter lead plugged in the volts terminal when testing amps. My amp drain now reads .09. A neighbor of mine has a 2011 Silverado that'll drain its battery down to a. no-start level in three weeks. As I said, I have not yet put my truck on the road, but I'm sure it's no worse.

I am sorry for my incorrect information, but I will say I learned a lot from your responses.

You guys are the best.


Glenn F.
 
Shoot, mine will drain it in three days(97), I really think it is the radio but it sets for weeks at a time so I just unhook the ground.
 
Don't feel bad. In the late 70's I bought a used motor home that had a 318 Dodge truck engine in it. They were a low compression engine with,rotating, sodium filled valves etc. I didn't think it had enough power and in the process of checking things I found out it only had 60 lbs compression. I checked cam lift, lifters , timing, put air in each cylinder hoping to hear air at carb or exhaust, blown head gasket etc etc. Picked a lot of brains until I got to the "best 318 mechanic in the country" and he told me it wouldn't even run with 60 lbs compression!! I told him he was full of you know what and walked out.. Long story short..........My compression gauge was no good !!! I had 130 lbs compression in every cylinder..... Actually went back and apologized to the guy.. So don't feel bad. :-(
 
I'm not at all surprised. When troubleshooting electrical problems, if you see something that doesn't make sense, back up until you find something that DOES make sense.

A battery shouldn't discharge in three weeks, but five or six weeks isn't too unusual. Vehicle manufacturers have problems with batteries going dead in vehicles while in transit from overseas.
 
90 milliamps is on the high side of normal for many newer vehicles. If you look in the owner's manual often it will say "must be started every 4 weeks or disconnect the battery." But a 1988 usually does not have that much of a drain unless you've added stuff - like remote start, remote locks, or an alarm system.
 
I had a truck with a lighted mirror on the sun visor. The visor would sag just enough to let the cover open a crack and turn the light on - which I didn"t notice during the day. Eventually I wrapped tape around it to keep the cover closed.
 
I've got two 1988 Silverados and they have very little in the way of constant power drains. I've got a 88 3/4 ton 4WD diesel Suburban and a 88 GMC 3/4 ton diesel Suburban. 20 milliamp draw on either. HVAC draws nothing. I've got dual air in both and it's all mechanical. Maybe a "new body style" truck might be different. My 88s are the old body style with solid front axles that was used up through 1991 in some models.
 
Sounds a bit much for that 2011 Silverado, as I have a loaded ext cab 2011 and it sits weeks at a time - I have probably had it sit 6 weeks and fired off without help. But then again, it sits in my heated basement most of the time now. But in your case, and if your pickup sits outside, you might investigate a Solar trickle charger where you can just sit on the dash with a lighter plug. Would probably pay off in the long run with saving the battery, as draining the battery ever few weeks will kill them
 
Its already been said but a 90mA draw is excessive (.09A). Typically the max draw spec is anything over 50mA is too much and most vehicles dont use more than 30mA. I would be looking for a draw.

Make sure key is off and pulled out of ignition (buzzer), doors closed (dome lamp) , hood shut (hood light) and everything else is turned off. You can start pulling fuses one at a time to try to find the circuit(s) suspect for causing the draw, then unplugging devices fed by the suspect fuse. I usually start with aftermarket accessories or equipment as most of the time its one of these. I cant count all the radios, amps, a/v stuff, power inverters, alarms, remote starts, brake controllers etc causing parasitic draws.
 

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