SRanger

I currently have a 2004 Trailblazer I6 with a major electrical issue.

At the current moment, it will not start unless I have it connected to another vehicle with booster cables for 30+ mins. But once I disconnect the booster cables (regardless of how long I leave them on for) the vehicle dies in less than 10 seconds.

Now the back story.

I originally started having what seemed like over heating issues about 4 months ago. I would get a strong anti-freeze odor when driving the vehicle and the temp gauge would stay pegged out starting about 10 mins after I started the vehicle and would not go lower unless it sat over night. There are other gauges that do not function correctly on my dash, such as the speedometer and oil pressure. The fuel, batter, and RPM gauges work correctly. So I took it into a shop to test if I needed a new thermostat, the results were 'No, just the gauges need to be fixed'. Ok, so after about 2 weeks the temp gauge started working correctly and anti-freeze odor was gone.

The next issues I started having were with the electrical system. If I left my truck idling for more than 5 mins it would die. I could usually get it started again, but there came a point that it would not start unless it was jumped with booster cables. I told a co-worker about this issue and he recommended I check the battery liquid levels. They were extremely low, at this time I was working in Texas in the oil fields where the temp was 95-110 every day. So I filled it up with distilled water. This seemed to make it work better for about 1 week. Then the issues started again. So I purchased a replacement battery. With the new battery it started performing perfect, for about a month. After that first month, it started having issues with starting. About 50% of the time when I would put the key in the ignition and turn it, there would be no power to the dash or radio. I finally figured out that if I opened and closed my door it would shake something and then I would have power and the vehicle would start. So I checked the grounding cable coming off the battery. It was tightly secured to the frame. As time went on the issue got worse and worse, until one morning the vehicle would just not start.

During this time I have purchase 2 new batteries and had the alternator tested at a store and it passed working correctly. So at this point I'm stuck as to what's the next step in getting my vehicle working.

Any help, suggestions, and advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much in advance.

oldchevy

there is a problem with the stepper motors in a of the 6 gauges in the truck. I changed all 6 of them in my 03 Trailblazer to solve that problem. I also had a problem with batteries. Seems like a battery would only last about a year and a half. Your problem sounds like something is draining the battery while not running. something is not shutting off completely and slowly discharging the battery. A good auto electric shop can check the system and find the problem.

moonlytr

check grounds and clean them