Insomnia and car computers.
I have read the several pages of tech discussions about the going to sleep stages of modern car computers and the drain on batteries that they cause. This is not only an issue with Corvettes but across the whole G.M. line of products. The general conciseness of dealing with the problem was to buy a battery tender. Great if you have a place to plug it in. I have come across cars that will drain the battery almost overnight, to cars that will do that in a week. One is a G.M. truck with almost no options to a Cadillac loaded with electronic components. Both cars did not start out that way. I have done the diagnostics to find the errant short and have found none. One thing that I found in the forum topics was that no one had a cure for the problem other than a battery tender. Is the remedy for the drain a new computer, sender, or component especially for problems that crop up with age? I hate to tell my friends that they "all do that".
-
-
Re: Insomnia and car computers.
John, I've heard about this problem being worse in newer Corvettes, and my son's Cobra will drain the battery over time, but I haven't seen it in GM vehicles to the degree that you're saying. The newest car that I have is an 08 Impala, and despite the little flashing security light, I've had no issues and the car will sit for as long as two weeks at a time. This is despite the "sentry" headlight, taillight, backup light features which are on a lot. It still has the original battery.
Some of this problem could be the condition of the battery and it's ability to take a continuous load over time and not be depleted. Even with a newer battery, the car willl still need to be driven, or the battery otherwise charged with a battery tender.
As I said, I've heard about this from several Corvette owners, but I don't know if GM thinks it's a problem or not. The only solution that I know of is a battery tender, which is what we used to fix the problem on my son's Cobra. We poked a pigtail just into the grill so he would'nt have to open the hood each time it's driven.
Paul -
Re: Insomnia and car computers.
Cars full of computers that slowly drain batteries are not unique to GM. Pick a brand, any brand, and lurk on their late model discussion boards. Same story.Comment
-
Re: Insomnia and car computers.
the owners manual for new corvettes says the battery will last about 3 week of not running the car. never leave the fob in the car and closer than 20/30 feet away.Comment
-
Re: Insomnia and car computers.
my 2011 chevy 3500 HD with Duramax sits for up to a month at a time and starts like a champ. my 2005 chevy 4.8 pickup also sits for weeks at a time without battery drain. my newest vette, a 90 ZR1 has sat over the winter without battery drain. it may be due to the case of the beast in each one. mikeComment
-
Re: Insomnia and car computers.
My 08 GMC truck went through 4 batteries during the 3 year warranty period. This is a very common problem. Several times it was checked for a parasitic draw, none was found. The service manager told me that he orders Delco batteries by the pallet and they are garbage. I talked to a battery builder who told me that the people that now make Delco batteries don't use "virgin lead", they use an alloy. That's why they die. I replaced mine with a Costco battery (Exide) and haven't had a problem since.Comment
-
Re: Insomnia and car computers.
delco batteries used in GM vehicles have gotten worse over the years. my 08 corvette battery lasted a little over 3 years even using a sensor type charger. the mrs 04 impala has the same delco battery and my 1988 silverado is only on its delco 2nd battery since new. the first one lasted 10+ years and i changed it out because i was on the road a lot with the truck and did not want to become stranded.Comment
-
Re: Insomnia and car computers.
I've spent 1/2 of my adult life in the car business and IMHO having sold thousands of cars (98% German) starting from those without computers, right up to to what is on offer today, my opinion is that it's not so much the quantity of computers and systems that have to be on sort of a dormant standby that cause this problem, but the crap batteries manufacturers use on day one, combined with the long periods they sit unused when in transit.
There's nothing like throwing out the OEM piece on day 2 and dropping in a good old "interstate" brand 700 + amp replacement unit to prevent or cure all sorts of maladies. The type of batteries supplied by Porsche in their new cars are the worst I have ever seen.Comment
-
Re: Insomnia and car computers.
My Daughter has my old 2001 1/2 ton Silerado "Loaded" with options , 160.000 mi. NO problems ever. I have a 2006 ION with most, if not all options, 150.000 mi , NO problems ever. Have owned over 40 other cars in my lifetime. The cars with a Lucas ( Prince of Darkness) systems were all fixable. The Cadillac is not mine but the 2001 3/4 ton Silverado is. The Caddy is a 1998 with 35,000 mi and the truck, with just A/C and cruse, has 124,000 mi. Both did not start out this way. The Question still remains,what is the fix? Computer, sensor, or a component? As has been stated, only a few of these cars have problems. There must be a solution as the basic computer family and components are similar. If you have two identical cars and only one has the battery drain , then it stands to reason that there is a way to resolve the problem.Comment
-
Re: Insomnia and car computers.
John, your question has been answered several times. Install a quality battery, not a Delco. Simple as that.Comment
-
Re: Insomnia and car computers.
None of these problem cars have the original Delco batteries. That( the existing battery) was the first thing that was replaced with quality components . The 2006 ION still has the original factory battery.Comment
-
Re: Insomnia and car computers.
The batteries are the problem, the majority of the time.
In the early 2000's Mercedes-Benz (where I sold vehicles for 8 years) instituted a new policy for dealers.
Simply put, if you could not produce a checklist that was signed off by the tech who checked and trickle charged the battery every week, on every new vehicle in your inventory on an ongoing basis, their would be no warranty claims paid for battery returns. We usually had 75 new cars on the ground.......and this wasn't going to happen.
What does that mean ?
The current battery design and technology (size, amperage, whatever) as well as the limitations inherent in the vehicle design, meant that the manufacturer decided to use crap batteries and foist the cost and problem on to the dealer and at the consumer level, rather than deal with an obvious issue that would cost them more. If you drove the thing every day for more than a few miles you'd never have a dead battery in 5 years..........but if you're buying a Benz, you own 3-4-5 other cars, and drive them as well, so you get dead batteries.
I made replacing the battery with the physically largest and most powerful Interstate unit a blanket policy on every single used car that came into my inventory. It was the best $200 on reconditioning I ever spent.Comment
-
Re: Insomnia and car computers.
Doesn't sound like it was quality stuff. How do you know it was?
For example, Optima batteries. They used to be a great battery (like Delco) but years ago they outsourced to a foreign country and the quality suffered. The local parts store quit selling them because of a 50% failure/return rate. My point is, if you installed them in 10 identical cars, 5 cars would have a battery failure and the owners of the 5 that didn't fail would say " it's the same battery so YOUR car must have a problem".
My sister has an 2011 Acura with the same problem that was solved by replacing the battery with an Exide brand.Comment
-
Re: Insomnia and car computers.
That's just it, these cars are OK if we drive them everyday. The 3/4 now has a disconnect at the battery and I live with it. It has has gone a week with no draw down and I think it has fixed it self. Then it goes three days and low battery. The draw averages about 8 watts. or not quite one amp. There are no lights on. I have pulled every fuse and no change in draw.Comment
Comment