Carrie1986

Okay so I have a 06 Chevy Trailblazer LS it's got over 290,000 miles on it so of course being that old it's going to have some issues here and there especially when I've only had the Trailblazer for a couple years now well as of right now my issue is I can't figure out why it's wanting to die on me it's got a brand new battery I took it up to AutoZone and Advance Auto and they both said that the alternator is good and the starters good and of course the battery is brand new so that's definitely not the issue which I figured that would fix the dying issue when I replaced the battery cuz at first that's what AutoZone told me that it was my battery I thought it was my alternator but they're saying it's all good so what else could be the issue it wasn't until after I replaced the battery that it wants to try dying on me even without turning on the AC or the heater even when I roll my window up I'm watching my battery gauge just slowly go down and it's getting a little too hot here in Texas and not be driving around with AC running please if anyone can give me any ideas I would surely appreciate it I don't know too much about mechanic work I do my best that I can by myself I normally Google anything when I need to replace something on my truck and I do it myself and yes I am a female but I am at a loss on what it could be thanks in advance hope to hear from somebody soon

oldchevy

Check your battery cables for tight connections with no corrosion at both ends. Also check your grounds if you can find them all.

Carrie1986

Lol where do u find the grounds at lol

oldchevy

There are many of them. This might help a bit.

Carrie1986

will have to definitely check that out as soon as the sun rises I did throw my code reader on the truck and the code p0116 showed up but then when I took my trail Blazer to AutoZone and I threw on their code reader the only code that popped up was for the intake manifold gasket saying that it needed to be replaced so not too sure on which one to go with on that situation even though I did go ahead and order the intake manifold gasket but I haven't Googled on how to replace it and how easy it will be for me to do it myself which I normally end up doing it myself anyways if I have to replace something on my vehicle because it saves so much money anyways in the long run from taking it to a mechanic but yeah I will definitely take a look at that ground that you sent me the video on and I really do appreciate it

chem_man

Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) NEVER EVER tell anyone that a part is defective, bad, or needs to be changed. Hence, what AutoZone told you is total BS!!!!!

Get a decent code reader/live data scanner of your own so you do not have to rely on parts stores to read your OBDII system. Remember that auto part stores are in business to sell auto parts, and not to tell you how to diagnose what a DTC means. DTCs are a starting point for a diagnosis.

By the way, what is the actual DTC the AutoZone code reader showed?

FYI, P0116 is telling you that there is a problem with the Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) sensor circuit. You could be looking at a wire that is broken or loose or about to break. A bad connector, a dirty connection, a problem with the ECM/PCM (there would likely be other DTCs if there was something wrong with the ECM/PCM), the engine could be overheating, or the sensor itself could be defective. You need to diagnose what is causing the P0116 to appear.

I am attaching a pdf document that will show you where most of the grounding locations are located in the engine compartment. In the images, the grounds are identified with the letter "G" followed by 3 digits - e,g, G109.

Here is a link to a decent Bluetooth OBDII dongle that is quite inexpensive. I use one along with the Torque Pro App (costs a one time fee of $5.00).


The only caveat is that this setup is for an Android device. I use this very setup and it is extremely powerful. It allows me to monitor several engine sensors/systems and save that data for offline analysis on a PC. It will also read and clear DTCs. Yes, the combination does need to be setup, but it is not that difficult and takes about 30 minutes.

Good Luck!

Carrie1986

in all honesty I don't know exactly what it showed at AutoZone except for the fact that it said that the intake manifold gasket needed to be replaced. I do have a code reader or an OBD scanner whatever y'all call it and of course now when I run the scanner on my SUV again that p0116 code is not showing. I ran in on it yesterday and the first time I ran it only two codes showed which was

First scan
Then a couple minutes later I scanned it again and then four codes popped up which was this

Second scan
( which I'm just now realizing even though it's for code popping up it's actually still only two because it's the same code repeated twice)
which I also forgot to mention that I did however already replaced the thermostat in my SUV probably about 6 months ago. Let me also mention that my fuel gauge does not work so I never know exactly how much gas I actually have in my truck and also my speedometer does not work either so I never know exactly how fast I'm going yes of course having those two things not working is really not a good thing but money is very tight right now especially when I'm the only one in my household paying bills and working reason why I work on my own Vehicles when I can cuz I can't afford to take it to a shop. I was going to replace the intake manifold gasket yesterday but I decided to check fuses and stuff underneath my hood because I was reading up on something saying to check fuses as well so I got one of those fuse testers. Heres the link to that video

https://photos.app.goo.gl/qyHW9kkGSoAsG9BW9

seems like the more I try to find out what the problem actually is the worst the truck is starting to get I should just suck it up and just buy a damn starter and alternator and just replace those and see what happens even though AutoZone says they're okay or they're good but I guess cross eliminate until you find a problem I don't know but thanks for helping and taking the time out of your day to respond back to my posts

chem_man

First off, STOP using a conventional test light on your vehicle!!!! It is dangerous and if you touch the wrong thing with it, you could destroy one of the computer control modules and then you'll need to spend some real money!!! What you need to use is an automotive logic probe. Go to a Harbor Freight and purchase this one:

https://www.harborfreight.com/comput..._q=logic+probe

At this point, you are completely lost and have lost focus as to what the problem is with your TrailBlazer, and not having a decent code reader/live data scanner is making doing a proper diagnosis nearly impossible. If you have an Android device, please seriously consider spending $20 - $25 on the following code reader/live data scanner set up. Purchase this Bluetooth OBDII dongle from Amazon:


and then download the Torque Pro app and register it (it is a $5.00 one time fee) and after you set up the Torque Pro app, you will have a very powerful diagnostic tool of your very own that you can use and now have to worry about running to AutoZone or another auto parts store to use their limited OBDII code reader.

Next, please go to TrailVoy.com and register so that I and a couple of other members can assist you in diagnosing what is wrong with your 2006 TrailBlazer.

Do not replace the intake manifold gasket because you have not yet diagnosed that it is defective. As I said earlier, there is no DTC that says "Replace the Intake Manifold Gasket".

Now regarding the 2 DTCs you do have, The P0171 DTC is telling you that the engine is running lean. Why is your engine running lean? Most likely there is a vacuum leak and your job is to find if there is a leak, and repair that leak. How do you do that? Well, one of the easiest ways is to monitor the Short Term and Long Term Fuel Trim Values in real time (here is where the $20 - $25 OBDII setup I recommended comes in darn handy) while you spray some carburetor cleaner around the various vacuum lines and gaskets in the intake system looking for a vacuum leak which would show up as a rapid change in the Short Term Fuel Trim value going from lean to rich. Another cause of the P0171 DTC is that not enough fuel is getting to the cylinders. Diagnosing that is a little more complicated.

The P0463 DTC is telling you there is a problem with the Fuel Level Sensor Circuit. It could be a broken wire, a shorted wire, or a bad fuel level sending unit inside the fuel tank..You will need to use a logic probe and a Digital Multi-Meter (DMM) to figure out what is wrong.

Now, regarding your original problem of the battery going dead, you really need to run a parasitic drain test and to do that you will need to use a DMM setup in current mode in order to track it down. Do you have a DMM?

In the meantime, here are a couple of links to sites that would be of benefit to you:

https://mcdowellpubliclibrary.org/chilton-auto-repair/

and

https://charm.li/

The above two websites will give you access to professional level automotive repair and diagnostic information for your specific TrailBlazer.

I am not sure what you are trying to accomplish using the test light in the video you attached. It is really not telling you much. Just because you see a voltage on one side of the fuse really does not tell you very much.

Again, please register at TrailVoy.com and let a group of us assist you. I go by the same handle over there.

Regards and Good Luck!

Carrie1986

okay so went to Amazon ordered that OBD that you told me to purchase and the thing you told me to get from Harbor Freight that is the one that I actually do have and no I do not have a DMM I guess whenever I get some extra money I will purchase one of those as well but as of 2 days ago my truck would not start wouldn't crank over even tried having somebody jump me off and that didn't work either so yeah but I did register on that website that you told me to register on I will send you a message on there so you have my handle as well but also I did take off the air intake and was looking at the throttle body and it is just caked with nastiness I've come to realize that even if it came down to replacing the intake manifold gasket I probably wouldn't be able to do that because that looks like it would be a b**** and a half to do so at least for myself

chem_man

OK on the throttle body being caked with crap. DO NOT move the butterfly valve!!!! If you do, you risk damaging the stepper motors that are connected to it. There is a very good "tutorial" on how to clean the throttle body on the TrailVoy website. Here is the link:

https://www.trailvoy.com/threads/how...le-body.51619/

If the engine does not crank when you turn the key, the first thing I would do is to charge the battery. If that does not do it, then you need to have the battery load tested. That is different than what most auto part stores do when they connect a conductivity tester on the battery and tell you if the battery is good or bad. A load test is where the battery is fully charged and then a 100 amp plus load is placed on the battery and the voltage is watched for so many seconds If the voltage drops below something like 9.6 Volts in under 15 seconds, then the battery is defective.

A vehicle with a battery that is dead, dead, gone may not be able to be started by being jumped.

If you have a battery charge, charge the battery for 8 to 24 hours to make sure it is fully charged.

NOTE - it is very hard to completely charge a battery by just driving around. The alternator is not designed to charge a battery. The alternator is designed to maintain the charge of a charged battery.

Good Luck!