2008 Tahoe Electrical Problems
April 2nd, 2012, 8:34 AM
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2008 Tahoe Electrical Problems
Hello, I own an 08 Tahoe LT with 97800 miles. I have recently had two new batteries that have failed (purchased from Auto Zone). I am on third battery in the last month. The newest battery is more powerful that the two previous ones. I replaced the previous batteries as Auto Zone said they had failed. After getting the third battery, a week later, I pulled into my garage and stopped, turned the car off - went to use the key fab to lock the car and found that the Tahoe was completely dead - no electrical lights, no dome lights - nothing. I popped hood, checked battery cables - all good. A few minues later, electrical fully back on and everything worked fine. The same incident occurred last night. Pulled into the garage. Stopped the car, turned it off, then - again.... no electrical power. Repeated same process... a few minutes later... power fully back on. Any ideas what coul dbe causing the problem? Could it be the battery again??? Thank you for your time.
April 2nd, 2012, 9:55 AM
#2
IME, the simplest cause to the problem is the bolts
connecting the side terminals to the cables.
Completely remove the bolts, inspect for corrosion and verdigris.
(Either white or green powder) Also pay close attention to the
cable ends under the bolts.
This is very common. Case in point: Last year I replaced the battery in
my GF's Chevy pickup. Less than 12 months later, the negative
bolt on the battery is corroding.
A test of your charging system may be in order. You can visually check the
wire leading from the rear of the alternator to the positive cable
mounting junction on the front driver side of the engine.
connecting the side terminals to the cables.
Completely remove the bolts, inspect for corrosion and verdigris.
(Either white or green powder) Also pay close attention to the
cable ends under the bolts.
This is very common. Case in point: Last year I replaced the battery in
my GF's Chevy pickup. Less than 12 months later, the negative
bolt on the battery is corroding.
A test of your charging system may be in order. You can visually check the
wire leading from the rear of the alternator to the positive cable
mounting junction on the front driver side of the engine.
April 3rd, 2012, 8:16 AM
#3
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<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w
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"therewolf" makes some great points. It sounds like you are losing a connection somewhere. I also suggest checking the terminals and the cables for any possible corrosion. You may want to consider having the vehicle inspected by a certified technician.
Louis
GM Customer Service
ontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> traveler2012,"therewolf" makes some great points. It sounds like you are losing a connection somewhere. I also suggest checking the terminals and the cables for any possible corrosion. You may want to consider having the vehicle inspected by a certified technician.
Louis
GM Customer Service
April 3rd, 2012, 8:31 AM
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therewolf,
thanks for the reply. After I wrote my last message, yesterday - as I was driving away from home, the auto locks started clicking - locks popped up and down and the dash lights flickered - radio /clock reset while I was driving. I took it back to AutoZone and had them check the battery. They hooked it up to diagnostic machine and said it was good. What's suspicious is that the first time their battery went out, their machine said it was good. It wasn't until I told them about the electical problems that they felt it would be better to replace it with a new one. Then, last time I was there, I heard one of the employee tell his boss that they had a shipment of bad batteries and that another client was bringing his battery back. I will certainly check the bolts and cables for corrosion as you indicated,however, I'm starting to think that the common denominator here is faulty batteries. I should have purchased a reliable battery from Sears (DieHard) or Interstate Batteries, etc. Can you tell me the best way to clean the connectors on the cables leading back to the small black box on the firewall?
thanks for the reply. After I wrote my last message, yesterday - as I was driving away from home, the auto locks started clicking - locks popped up and down and the dash lights flickered - radio /clock reset while I was driving. I took it back to AutoZone and had them check the battery. They hooked it up to diagnostic machine and said it was good. What's suspicious is that the first time their battery went out, their machine said it was good. It wasn't until I told them about the electical problems that they felt it would be better to replace it with a new one. Then, last time I was there, I heard one of the employee tell his boss that they had a shipment of bad batteries and that another client was bringing his battery back. I will certainly check the bolts and cables for corrosion as you indicated,however, I'm starting to think that the common denominator here is faulty batteries. I should have purchased a reliable battery from Sears (DieHard) or Interstate Batteries, etc. Can you tell me the best way to clean the connectors on the cables leading back to the small black box on the firewall?
April 4th, 2012, 9:01 AM
#5
The one common denominator with all your systems is ground.
Very possibly your engine to firewall ground strap is corroded,
or your negative cable is wiped out.
The main problem here; is bad primary wiring is the seed
for alternator, starter, and battery replacements.
Many shady mechanics avoid replacing the wires, because
they know 15$ worth of faulty parts are going to bring them
hundreds of dollars of your business...
Very possibly your engine to firewall ground strap is corroded,
or your negative cable is wiped out.
The main problem here; is bad primary wiring is the seed
for alternator, starter, and battery replacements.
Many shady mechanics avoid replacing the wires, because
they know 15$ worth of faulty parts are going to bring them
hundreds of dollars of your business...
April 8th, 2012, 9:51 AM
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Therewolf... You were right on the money!! A mechanic wanted to take it for a test drive and I decided against it. Instead, I removed both positive and negative battery cables, cleaned the end brackets and the battery's terminals with small wire brush, put them back on snug and problem fixed!! I did price the negative battery cable through Chevy and it would have cost me $96.00 plus labor. Total cost for this job besides my free time: zero. Thanks again for the advice!
April 8th, 2012, 9:57 AM
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Louis,
Thanks for the advice. I inspected the battery cables and found that the standard ground cable that attaches to the battery has a permanent end that cannot be removed. I was unable to see any corrosion. -- As I replied to 'therewolf', I ended up removing both battery cables, cleaned both of their ends as well as the battery terminals with a small wire brush, reinstalled the cables, and the problem has been fixed. Thank you for the advice.
Thanks for the advice. I inspected the battery cables and found that the standard ground cable that attaches to the battery has a permanent end that cannot be removed. I was unable to see any corrosion. -- As I replied to 'therewolf', I ended up removing both battery cables, cleaned both of their ends as well as the battery terminals with a small wire brush, reinstalled the cables, and the problem has been fixed. Thank you for the advice.
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April 9th, 2012, 5:01 PM
#8
Hey, George of Jungle just here to help.
What you can do with the engine -to- firewall strap is use a
24" negative cable(they come with bolt connectors on each end, at your
local discount parts stores), go from any bolt on the passenger-side engine to
the exposed firewall on the passenger side of the engine compartment.
Viola! New E-2-F ground-strap.
Now consider that if you DIY, you can get both positive and negative
cables from a parts store for @25$, a Chilton or Haines Manual for @
12$, and components for an an oil change, all for @ the same 96$ you
would have paid a dealership for that one cable.
Be sure to use our "Thread Search" feature, here at CF, and save
yourself many hundreds of dollars.
Enjoy the ride, and stay in touch...
What you can do with the engine -to- firewall strap is use a
24" negative cable(they come with bolt connectors on each end, at your
local discount parts stores), go from any bolt on the passenger-side engine to
the exposed firewall on the passenger side of the engine compartment.
Viola! New E-2-F ground-strap.
Now consider that if you DIY, you can get both positive and negative
cables from a parts store for @25$, a Chilton or Haines Manual for @
12$, and components for an an oil change, all for @ the same 96$ you
would have paid a dealership for that one cable.
Be sure to use our "Thread Search" feature, here at CF, and save
yourself many hundreds of dollars.
Enjoy the ride, and stay in touch...
Last edited by therewolf; April 9th, 2012 at 5:07 PM.
January 3rd, 2014, 2:36 PM
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Hello, I own an 08 Tahoe LT with 97800 miles. I have recently had two new batteries that have failed (purchased from Auto Zone). I am on third battery in the last month. The newest battery is more powerful that the two previous ones. I replaced the previous batteries as Auto Zone said they had failed. After getting the third battery, a week later, I pulled into my garage and stopped, turned the car off - went to use the key fab to lock the car and found that the Tahoe was completely dead - no electrical lights, no dome lights - nothing. I popped hood, checked battery cables - all good. A few minues later, electrical fully back on and everything worked fine. The same incident occurred last night. Pulled into the garage. Stopped the car, turned it off, then - again.... no electrical power. Repeated same process... a few minutes later... power fully back on. Any ideas what coul dbe causing the problem? Could it be the battery again??? Thank you for your time.
I am curious to know if your problem is resolved.
