In need of some electrical help!

[Project Denali]

Hey everybody, I'll try to be brief but this is tricky and I really need help! Bought my 2004 Denali and the truck was just totally neglected. However, it's soon to be my daily driver and I need it to be reliable enough to drive.

Anyways, it killed the battery soon after I bought it, but I attributed it to being a bad battery (looked original). My parents bought me an optima red top for Christmas so I replaced it. The next week I came home to another dead battery... I charged up my optima and did a parasitic draw test. The gauge cluster IPC/DIC circuit was drawing almost 180 mA. I ordered a kit and fixed my broken gauges, burnt out lights, and dim PRNDL. With the guages fixed (see my thread on that) I saw no further draw. Next week, the car was dead again.

Yeah this is getting old... figured maybe it was a bad alternator diode this time. Passed the diode test at the parts store and was creating voltage but apparently wasn't charging the battery (however the battery has been on the trickle charger more than in the car at this point). Purchased a reman with a warranty anyways and popped it on. With the battery charged back up I put it in and ran it for a good 25 mins. I then measured battery voltage and let it sit for an hour. The voltage dropped from 12.55 to 12.43 in an hour... I did another parasitic draw test but the meter read 0 mA.

So I unhooked the negative terminal and I'm waiting to mess with it this weekend when I go back home. I'm also bringing my good snap on meter home instead of using my dad's cheapo because I should have at least some parasitic draw for memory settings correct??

I'm stumped, not sure where to go except another parasitic draw test. The only two things I can think of are:

1) Possibly my cluster because although everything else is fixed on it, the only bad thing is that is does nothing with the key on except illuminate the CEL. When the car is started everything comes to life and the "Driver 1" appears. Yet nothing in key on. (Let me know if there's a fix for that)

2) My new optima battery is bad or is somehow draining itself for some reason... or somehow something is drawing power without my knowledge.

Thank you in advance for your help, I'm really stuck and need you guys on this.. the car has been more or less sitting at my house with no action except occasional fuel ups and idling in the driveway to charge the battery.

 

[Rivieraracing]

Do you have an aftermarket alarm installed on the truck or even any aftermarket audio/amps equipment?

 

[Project Denali]

Do you have an aftermarket alarm installed on the truck or even any aftermarket audio/amps equipment?

Haven't had it too long but no.. the only thing it has is a double din touchscreen radio that was hooked up to the factory bose system. However, the wiring and install was horrible so at the moment, there is nothing connected to the radio harness. And I don't believe there is aftermarkey alarm.

 

[Project Denali]

I figured it out! My IPC/DIC circuit is drawing very high amperage compared to what it should. Verified it easily with my meter. Since I recently fixed all stepper motors, background light bulbs, and PRNDL readout display I'm left with little... Either the wiring is bad or the cluster is bad (betting on the cluster). How do you fix a cluster that does not power up with the key ON but powers up when key is in RUN?

 

[Rocket Man]

I figured it out! My IPC/DIC circuit is drawing very high amperage compared to what it should. Verified it easily with my meter. Since I recently fixed all stepper motors, background light bulbs, and PRNDL readout display I'm left with little... Either the wiring is bad or the cluster is bad (betting on the cluster). How do you fix a cluster that does not power up with the key ON but powers up when key is in RUN?

Buy a reman cluster. www.fixmygauges.com

 

[Contend997]

Sounds like you might have a bad battery I have had problems with thoughts battery be for straight from the store but I would do a draw test on battery and see what happens there.

Hey everybody, I'll try to be brief but this is tricky and I really need help! Bought my 2004 Denali and the truck was just totally neglected. However, it's soon to be my daily driver and I need it to be reliable enough to drive.

Anyways, it killed the battery soon after I bought it, but I attributed it to being a bad battery (looked original). My parents bought me an optima red top for Christmas so I replaced it. The next week I came home to another dead battery... I charged up my optima and did a parasitic draw test. The gauge cluster IPC/DIC circuit was drawing almost 180 mA. I ordered a kit and fixed my broken gauges, burnt out lights, and dim PRNDL. With the guages fixed (see my thread on that) I saw no further draw. Next week, the car was dead again.

Yeah this is getting old... figured maybe it was a bad alternator diode this time. Passed the diode test at the parts store and was creating voltage but apparently wasn't charging the battery (however the battery has been on the trickle charger more than in the car at this point). Purchased a reman with a warranty anyways and popped it on. With the battery charged back up I put it in and ran it for a good 25 mins. I then measured battery voltage and let it sit for an hour. The voltage dropped from 12.55 to 12.43 in an hour... I did another parasitic draw test but the meter read 0 mA.

So I unhooked the negative terminal and I'm waiting to mess with it this weekend when I go back home. I'm also bringing my good snap on meter home instead of using my dad's cheapo because I should have at least some parasitic draw for memory settings correct??

I'm stumped, not sure where to go except another parasitic draw test. The only two things I can think of are:

1) Possibly my cluster because although everything else is fixed on it, the only bad thing is that is does nothing with the key on except illuminate the CEL. When the car is started everything comes to life and the "Driver 1" appears. Yet nothing in key on. (Let me know if there's a fix for that)

2) My new optima battery is bad or is somehow draining itself for some reason... or somehow something is drawing power without my knowledge.

Thank you in advance for your help, I'm really stuck and need you guys on this.. the car has been more or less sitting at my house with no action except occasional fuel ups and idling in the driveway to charge the battery.

 

[Project Denali]

@Red Rocket thanks for posting that... I don't really have another option as far as cluster repair cause there's nothing else I can fix. Due to my cluster having no power and no light check with the key ON, they said to ship it in and have it tested. Thank you very much they're super people. And if it's nonrepairable I'll probably have to just get a new one.

@Contend997 I thought that might be the case too.. I pulled the cluster out, put the fuse back in, and charged the battery up. This weekend when I go back home hopefully the battery is relatively close to what it was yesterday ruling the cluster as the bad apple. Otherwise I'm going to be testing that battery!

Updates to come.

 

[Project Denali]

Hey everybody thanks for the help! I ended up buying a new cluster. After some research I found CarID to be the cheapest. Kind of crappy customer service, but I got a new cluster re flashed with my trucks information ready to plug and play for $200 after they received my old cluster as a core. New cluster even comes with a lifetime warranty I know this is a bit late to reopen this thread but I haven't been on here in awhile.

 

[DenaliBQ]

i had an electrical problem on my 02 yukon for almost a year i went nuts replacing everything alternator battery relays boards wound up being the cluster and i call digital dash solutions they said they have seen a few like this and there is no fix for it so i got a new cluster or rebuilt one and haven't had a problem since

 

[Project Denali]

i had an electrical problem on my 02 yukon for almost a year i went nuts replacing everything alternator battery relays boards wound up being the cluster and i call digital dash solutions they said they have seen a few like this and there is no fix for it so i got a new cluster or rebuilt one and haven't had a problem since

I had a similar problem... kept dying on me every week or so. Did a current draw test with a multimeter and it wasn't the gauge cluster. I've come to understand there is a tiny module inside that was continuously drawing power even with the key off. Shipped it in and got a reman No problems since!