1998 Suburban battery drain

**nmtrout** · 05-26-2009, 01:02 PM

My first post so please forgive. I have a 1998 Suburban with 95k on it. Recently the battery drained and had to be replaced. Brand new battery and the drain is still there (old battery was shot). If I start it each day it is fine but if I wait a couple of days the battery is dead. When I hook the charger up to it I do hear a ticking sound under the hood and the needle on the charger goes haywire for a while. Switches for the Power Door Locks do not work on either the driver or passenger side. Could this be part of the problem? Any thoughts on how to troubleshoot?

Thanks - Ted

**vncj96** · 05-26-2009, 02:06 PM

Here is CHEAP. Get the the truck started, then while its running disconnect the battery, if the truck kills its your alternater. If it stays running then you have some other problem. Start looking at the main wire going to the starter, if any of the battery cables have corrosion on them it will take away from the power needed to start the vehicle. Had a sunbird in college that always was dead and we assumed the battery, turns out the cables had corrosion that had krept up inside the insulation, new cables and never a problem again.

**erosa713** · 08-11-2009, 10:03 AM

I had the same problem with my 02 tahoe ( but check alternator like vncj said ) if alternator is good then its a prblem with the wires , what i did is run a peice of 2 gauge wire from alternator to + on battery and it worked fine a few days later i did the big 3 upgrade and i must say its starts better and no more dimming lights !! A must do to any car/truck lol if it still dies then upgrade alternator