2004 Silverado Z71 - 430,000 miles - Original engine. See below for the electrical issues I am experiencing. The truck runs great, but chasing electrical issues is no fun. Any help on the following issues would be most appreciated.

Have a constant battery drain when truck is totally off and key removed. Battery is fairly new and in good shape. Sometimes when it's first started, a constant ticking sound is heard under the dashboard. After a few minutes, the sound goes away. If not started for a day and a half, battery is dead and truck won't start without jump box or cables.

Changed the HVAC Climate Control unit, but sometimes the left and right control ***** are lighted up when unit and all other lightings are off during daylight hours.

Cigarette lighter is blowing 15Amp fuses every two to three days.

Radio is turned on when started, but no sound for 15 to 20 minutes. After that time a popping sound is heard as if speakers kicked in. Radio works fine after that. This is an every start issue. There has evidently been a CD stuck in the unit for quite some time as the CD light on the radio blinks constantly.

Info center is constantly changing languages and there is no access to date when this is happening.

 

Typically multiple problems like this can be resolved by focusing on one problem at a time, as opposed to trying to figure them all out at once.

Is this truck new to you or are you the original owner?

Have there been any aftermarket devices installed? Something such as a remote start? If you’re not sure or aren’t aware of anything, look at the area above the pedals - if you see any splices covered in tape or scotch locks, whatever it’s attached to is not factory. Remove the device and associated wiring - do a proper repair on the wires that were spliced.

There’s several possibilities for the battery drain, but a good suspect is the clicking noise you hear at startup. That’s one of the actuators for the HVAC system and it’s clicking because the gears are stripped/broken and it can’t move the door it’s attached to. It’s likely the HVAC module is attempting to calibrate the faulty actuator multiple times while the key is off.

Do you know how to test for battery drain with a meter?

The radio is another possibility for the drain - I’d have to find it but I think GM issued a TSB regarding the radio and a battery drain.

Lighter socket - are you actually using a lighter or is it just for a phone charger or other device?

 

I had to chase down a battery drain issue on my Jeep I had for awhile. The best way, in my opinion, is to use your multimeter to measure current draw and then start plucking fuses, one by one, to narrow down where that drain is occurring. Once you narrow down to the circuit the drain is occurring, you can then further do some current draw tests down stream in that circuit, or start unplugging specific connectors to see where the drain is. For example, if you start with the draw test (with meter in between positive battery terminal and positive battery cable) and you see that by plucking the fuse for stereo eliminates the parasitic draw, you could then put the fuse back in and then try unplugging the stereo. If that doesn't eliminate the draw, you could try unplugging the amp (if equipped) or the onstar module (again, if equipped) to see if you can further pinpoint the issue. Hopefully the problem does not reside unseen inside a wire's jacketing! But this is how I tracked down my issue to a bad door switch that kept the BCM engaged.

But gumby22 is spot on I think with the actuator for the HVAC. My jeep actually did the same thing, but once it reached the end of that cycle, it stopped and no longer used power, but I'm not sure how GM programmed this cycle.

 

sounds like a poor ground or the bcm is going. a bad BCM will keep sending power to items it controls even with they key off. i had one keep the radio on 24/7 unless you pulled the radio fuse.

 

I am the original owner. Truck purchased new in May 2004. Many thanks for the tips and possible solutions. Driver side actuator being changed today. Cigarette lighter is only used to charge cell phone. All gauges work, but info center is erratic. Now constantly changing languages and resetting Personal and Business mileage constantly. Total and annual mileage is still working. Still have a radio problem as it sometimes takes up to 15 minutes for sound. Hear a popping sound in speakers as it kicks in. Strangely enough, the warmer the weather, the quicker it kicks in when the truck is first in the morning. Planning to tackle these issues one at a time.

 

I can tell you that the issues with the driver info display (DIC) are the push buttons in the instrument cluster, from having the same failure on a 2003 Yukon. It would be fine some days, and other days cycling languages and other things constantly. I ended up pulling the instrument cluster and replacing several burned out bulbs (they are soldered in!) as well as a small push button switch that was actuated by the long shaft that goes through the bottom right of the instrument cluster front. That button replacement stopped all my cycling of stuff on the info display.

The 2003 to 2006 trucks all have the same instrument cluster, and seems to have several known failure points. My 2006 has burned out lights that illuminate the gauges on the right side, just haven't opened it up to mess with them. I found lots of info online as well as folks on eBay selling kids of lights, steppers for the tachometer and such, and the buttons. You can't replace these parts without removing the PCB somewhat on the back of the instrument cluster, and using a soldering iron. I know some folks on here have mentioned places you can send the instrument cluster to for rework, but the truck will be out of commission while it is off for repair.

It is ironic that my 1996 has socketed bulbs behind everything in the instrument cluster, and they are dead simple to replace.

 

My 2004 Sierra drains over 2 days, proved to the IPC/DIC fuse. If I dont intend driving it, I pull the 10A fuse. The cluster had a recall when it was new.

https://static.startmycar.com/gmc/si...o/fusebox/2004

 

Same problem here. What I have now is with the key out, the digital readout won't shut off and is displaying three sets of gobbly gook symbols. On my 03 Burban K2500 the DIC buttons are in the steering wheel. Is it much of a project is it to replace them? Thank you.

 

In my case, it was not the DIC buttons on the steering wheel that caused the issues, but instead the push button(s) in the cluster itself - the one that would normally cycle the DIC through the odometer, trip meter, etc, or reset the trip meter. Those two buttons had to be replaced to get rid of the cycling and random foreign language issues on my 2003 Yukon.

I have no clue how you would replace the buttons in the steering wheel, but if you do, disconnect the battery first, as you do not want to mess with the wheel and cause the air bag to deploy...