Intermittent no power to start
2002 Chevy Suburban, intermittently acts like it doesn't have a lot of power, almost need to jump it to get it to crank over. Had to remove the fuse to the radio amp for a parasitic draw because it was dying if it sat for more than a couple days. That mostly fixes the no starting issue until my fiance would drive it 30 mins home and then wait at the bus stop for our daughter, and it would consistently struggle to start after getting there and sitting for 10 to 15 mins. Initially thought maybe the vehicle wasn't going to sleep properly or the radio also has a bad draw, but the issue is too inconsistent to verify. My next real step is to just unplug the radio and see if that solves the issue. Has anyone else had this issue? Or have any other things I should look for? I'm about at a loss here. Don't know where else to look, I'm not a professional mechanic, but I know enough to survive most of the time.
Last edited by MGBroda; Nov 26, 2025 at 9:26 PM.
1. Get the battery tested under load. And get the alternator/charging system checked too. Autozone or O'Reilly will do this for free.
2. Learn how to test for a parasitic drain/draw, look up on Google. With everything off, draw should be about 0.05 mAmps, for the vehicle computer and clock/station memory from any stereo. Take to a shop if you cannot isolate and fix your parasitic drain.
2. Learn how to test for a parasitic drain/draw, look up on Google. With everything off, draw should be about 0.05 mAmps, for the vehicle computer and clock/station memory from any stereo. Take to a shop if you cannot isolate and fix your parasitic drain.
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Jwilhite5523
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Nov 16, 2023 3:43 AM




