matt 2k12 Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 Hey guys,Like the topic tilte says, my battery is starting to die every night and I have to jumpstart it every morning.It works thruout the day, cranks and turns on, but it just dies overnight and I have to jump it again every morning.I have also noticed a really slight ticking or ringing.... just some noise, really slight, really hard to hear, and it makes the noise in conjunction with my RPMs..... is this the sound of a bad alternator? The noise speeds up when my RPMs go up and the noise slows down when the RPMs go down. Its really hard to hear and it doesnt do it all the time. I have to turn off the radio and roll down the window to hear it. Its a high pitched noise.How can I test if it is my alternator or battery? The battery is relatively new but I've drained it a few times when I leave accessories plugged in and I go on long trips. But that has never gave me these kinds of problems before.The truck is old, 04 with almost 200k miles. Maybe its just time to replace the alternator? Or maybe I ran my battery down 1 too many times?With it dying overnight, but cranking over just fine after a jump during the day, it seems like battery doesnt it?What do you think? Any pointers or easy ways to test?Thanks in advance,Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb2big4u Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 Are you still on the original battery? If yes then i would replace it. If no, then I would try to see if something is putting a draw on your battery when the vehicle is off. Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt 2k12 Posted September 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 It is a replacement battery. I don't have anything draining the battery. I did have a phone charger that I am afraid might have drained the battery or something where it won't hold a charge. But I leave it unplugged now and don't use it. The battery charges during the day while driving and stopping and starting but over night I have to jump it in the morning. Alternator or Battery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrLove38 Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 Most likely the battery. If you have a voltmeter check battery posts while running and see if their is 13 to 14 volts dc. If so the alternator is putting out. If you don't have a load tester go to an Autozone or Pepboys or some place that does and have them check the battery. Probably a cell out or going out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC03SS Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 I'd say it's prob the batt. Could be a dead cell. Check it with a volt meter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rheltemes Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 I vote battery, when running what does the volt meter say in the dash? Should be about 14 when the truck is running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desrtrat Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 could be 1 of 3 things..bad diode in the alternator, bad/weak cell(s) in the battery, or your BCM had a brain fart and is not switching power off when it's supposed to. common issue. bench test your alternator, load test your battery, disconnect your negative cable for a few min and that should reset your BCM..if possible use a battery charger to recharge your battery. it's a lot better for recharging it than just a jump start.. good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverado777 Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 Might sound strange but take your gauge cluster out before you park it over night. It's kind of rare but we have actually had gauge clusters that would drain the battery because they never technically shut off. There is only a slight chance it could be it but hey it's a free test. Unfortunately not so free if it turns out to be the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K.P.VHO Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 The same thing was happening to me and it turns out the problem was, my radar detector which is hardwired in was on and all my gauges turned on while the truck was off as I locked it and walked away from it. Everyday this would happen to me, I was thinking the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman31 Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 Sounds like it is time for a draw test before you condemn the battery or alternator...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
70chevy03ss Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 Make sure all of your gauge lights shut off. My ac heater gauge lights would stay on and killed my battery. Truck was off but lights would remain on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssfast Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 It shitty to say but might need both. The battery could be toast but a bad alternator could drain the battery dead. You need to do AVR test on the alternator make sure she's putting out the right amount of amp's when she's under load. But you need a good battery or a good charged battery to properly test it. 12.4 volts aka 75% charge is best for testing a battery and alternator. Hopefully it's not a draw there abit of a pain in the neck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt 2k12 Posted September 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 I vote battery, when running what does the volt meter say in the dash? Should be about 14 when the truck is running. Its around 14, closer to 13 or 13.5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt 2k12 Posted September 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 Might sound strange but take your gauge cluster out before you park it over night. It's kind of rare but we have actually had gauge clusters that would drain the battery because they never technically shut off. There is only a slight chance it could be it but hey it's a free test. Unfortunately not so free if it turns out to be the issue. My cluster is a mess. Should have been replaced a long time ago. Sometimes my speedo shows 90mph while sitting still. Now my Tach is going out every now and then, like 4k higher than actual RPMs. Maybe my dash is the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt 2k12 Posted September 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 If you havent already, please note my other replies in the 2 posts above. Yesterday was the first time I had to jump the truck in the evening when leaving work. Seems like its getting worse. Of course, this morning, I had to jump it again to get to work. I have a V1 with the Savvy connection into my OBD port but it kills power when the vehicle is off. I dont think its my radar or any other accessories or lights. It may be my dash. However I am still leaning towards the battery since like I said it died once in the recent past when I left it parked during a vacation and had my phone charger plugged in.Also, the ticking, whining, whistling.... noise... is getting progressively worse. It honestly sounds like its coming from the alternator but I haven't done an official investigation. Ive just had some alternator issues in the past on another GM truck and I remember some weird noises it made as it was failing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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