Big parasitic draw and already tested all circuits

[PlayingWithTBI]

My previous battery lasted 5 years before I pulled the trigger and bought the AGM one. I put a trickle charge on it about each Month to keep it up.

 

[Erik the Awful]

When I had to put a battery in my truck I found a $10-20 premium on side post batteries. I hate side posts anyways, so I replaced the terminals and put in a bigger battery. I hammered the end of the battery tray flat so it would fit. I have almost 1000 CCA.

Edit: Apologies, 850 CCA, 1000 CA. Still, big battery for a C1500.

 

[thegawd]

I still use I interstate batteries even though iv heard they also are not what the used to be. The black top in my Burb has never even been dead in the 5-6 years it's been under the hood. I changed out a green top interstate when I had a parasitic draw and thought it was dieing, it was a sunvisor vanity light and it was months later when it finally got turned off. The green top is sitting right here fully charged and ready to rock, it's like maybe 10 years old? I dunno. It's been dead a few times but still holds a charge! These batteries are not cheap by any means but the black top came with a 7 year warranty.

Al

 

[Matt98]

Solid advise advise on the jumper wire, I just don't think stuff this old has too much that go into "sleep mode" that he needs to worry about it. Pretty simple compared to the new stuff with a dozen modules waiting for the wake up signal.

Depends on the truck though, whos to say there isnt some sort of aftermarket alarm that decides it wants to set all the lights/horn off as soon as the battery is hooked up. Just a preventative procedure.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Depends on the truck though, whos to say there isnt some sort of aftermarket alarm that decides it wants to set all the lights/horn off as soon as the battery is hooked up. Just a preventative procedure.

Yup that happened to me once. Not cool to have everyone in the Walmart lot looking at you like you're a car thief.....Dad traced the purple ignition wire and bypassed the alarm. No more problems with it for the next 8 years and 2 or 3 batteries.

 

[badco]

My optima red top is 17yr old. It wouldn't start my racecar when engine was good and hot in staging lanes about 7yr ago so its been in my 96 k1500 ever since. I left my headlights on for several hours about 3months ago, had jus worked 16hr shift and was dark when i left and day when got home. It cranked slow but started

 

[df2x4]

My optima red top is 17yr old. It wouldn't start my racecar when engine was good and hot in staging lanes about 7yr ago so its been in my 96 k1500 ever since. I left my headlights on for several hours about 3months ago, had jus worked 16hr shift and was dark when i left and day when got home. It cranked slow but started

That would be one of the good ones, manufactured back before Optima was bought by Johnson Controls and they moved production to Mexico.

 

[Erik the Awful]

I used to be an Optima fan, but no more. I've had several crap out after one discharge. Back in the day you could run them into the ground and they'd take a trickle charge and come back to life. Now if you let them get too low to successfully start the car once, they're damaged from then on. I've been buying Wal-Mart batteries, and they take a beating better at 1/3 the price.

 

[dmhscorpion]

I chased an intermittent issue like this for a long time. I finally figured out my ignition switch / key was so worn that when you turned the Tahoe off, the engine would die and you could pull the key out, but the ignition switch wasn't totally off, leaving something powered.