Suburban down.

[SUBURBAN5]

Got my dash mat. Fits in pretty good. Gonna head to the store to pick up some more velcro straps

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[SUBURBAN5]

Thanks for asking @HotWheelsBurban . Latest is shes currently sitting as is. Not much besides the dashmat came in and installed it. Also suspect a parasitic draw. Been documenting the battery voltage day by day. I want to see how long it last unhooked vs when I hook it back up. For now saving money trying to get threw the year. When the time comes I think I'll most likely buy the kit from @5vortec7 . Been getting good reviews so when that time comes I'll send him a message . Besides that I put the engine back together accept for the intake. Because I want to be able to start her when the batt gets too low. She still has that wierd metal scraping sounds coming from the bottom or internal part of the motor. I suspect it has to do with the oil pressure. Not sure.

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[Pinger]

Also suspect a parasitic draw. Been documenting the battery voltage day by day. I want to see how long it last unhooked vs when I hook it back up. For now saving money trying to get threw the year.

Not sure monitoring voltage is going to help with that. Accepted method is a an ammeter between a battery post and its lead. Once the first current spike (energising electronics) is past, you can then see if there's a current draw higher than there should be. I went through all this with a duff multimeter earlier this year as the battery had drained down twice over - but with little provocation.

Working on the truck last week re-wiring front turn signals so had the turn signals, hazards, and parklights on here and there as I checked my progress and had the brake lights on for a very short period also. None of the above were left on longer than necessary but the next day the truck wouldn't start - wouldn't even turn over. On a plug-into-the-ciggy-lighter-socket-voltmeter it showed 11.7V. As did the brand new replacement battery when first installed. Admittedly today following a decent (130 mile) run yesterday the new battery is now showing 12.2V but a battery that can only be considered as fuct showed the same voltage as a brand new one.

 

[SUBURBAN5]

Not sure monitoring voltage is going to help with that. Accepted method is a an ammeter between a battery post and its lead. Once the first current spike (energising electronics) is past, you can then see if there's a current draw higher than there should be. I went through all this with a duff multimeter earlier this year as the battery had drained down twice over - but with little provocation.

Working on the truck last week re-wiring front turn signals so had the turn signals, hazards, and parklights on here and there as I checked my progress and had the brake lights on for a very short period also. None of the above were left on longer than necessary but the next day the truck wouldn't start - wouldn't even turn over. On a plug-into-the-ciggy-lighter-socket-voltmeter it showed 11.7V. As did the brand new replacement battery when first installed. Admittedly today following a decent (130 mile) run yesterday the new battery is now showing 12.2V but a battery that can only be considered as fuct showed the same voltage as a brand new one.

That's true. I have a multi meter but not sure how to test millivolts. I originally wanted to test the system with the meter reading millivolts and start pulling fuses til the number dropped. But I dont think my meter reads that. It's a commercial electric

 

[SUBURBAN5]

Looks like this btw....

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[Pinger]

That's true. I have a multi meter but not sure how to test millivolts. I originally wanted to test the system with the meter reading millivolts and start pulling fuses til the number dropped. But I dont think my meter reads that. It's a commercial electric

It's Amps you want to be measuring - on your meter use the setting one click clockwise and the connector port on the left. If you need greater sensitivity, mA is the next click round and the port on the right.
Remember though you are looking to measure a small parasitic current - so everything has to be switched off - including lights operated on door opening. A parasitic draw should still be less than 1Amp so readable on your Amp scale. Your mA option is limited to 400mA which isn't quite half an Amp.

Never forget the current is flowing through the meter when you're measuring it so don't allow it to become excessive - fused or not.

 

[SUBURBAN5]

It's Amps you want to be measuring - on your meter use the setting one click clockwise and the connector port on the left. If you need greater sensitivity, mA is the next click round and the port on the right.
Remember though you are looking to measure a small parasitic current - so everything has to be switched off - including lights operated on door opening. A parasitic draw should still be less than 1Amp so readable on your Amp scale. Your mA option is limited to 400mA which isn't quite half an Amp.

Never forget the current is flowing through the meter when you're measuring it so don't allow it to become excessive - fused or not.

That's what makes me nervous lol. I've already blown 1 fuse a while back lol. So heres my issue. If everything off like accessories. My alarm and hood lights kick on. I can unplug the hood light. But the alarm can only turn off if I use the remote. So am I not able to test the system?

 

[Pinger]

That's what makes me nervous lol. I've already blown 1 fuse a while back lol. So heres my issue. If everything off like accessories. My alarm and hood lights kick on. I can unplug the hood light. But the alarm can only turn off if I use the remote. So am I not able to test the system?

Disconnect the hoodlight.
Use the remote to turn off the alarm and then disconnect the battery and hook up the MM? Or does doing that set the alarm off?
I've never had to deal with an alarm system but they are notorious for dragging batteries down. When yours goes off (assuming it going off here is the cause for concern) does it flash lights, sound the horn, that kind of thing - creating current higher than the MM's limits?

If it is the disconnection of the battery and reconnection with the MM that is the problem - there is a way around that.

 

[RPMerf]

Be aware, when you first connect the ammeter, there is a spike of like 3 amps. If you open the door, the lights are a 3 amp draw. You want the multimeter to be set to a position that can handle that.

There is a way to measure amp draw across fuses. It's not direct, you need to scale the reading.

I believe the parasitic drain in my suburban was the passenger's vanity mirror. The cover was half broken, and wasn't turning off all the time.

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[SUBURBAN5]

Disconnect the hoodlight.
Use the remote to turn off the alarm and then disconnect the battery and hook up the MM? Or does doing that set the alarm off?
I've never had to deal with an alarm system but they are notorious for dragging batteries down. When yours goes off (assuming it going off here is the cause for concern) does it flash lights, sound the horn, that kind of thing - creating current higher than the MM's limits?

If it is the disconnection of the battery and reconnection with the MM that is the problem - there is a way around that.

Yes whenever I disconnected the negative cable. I switch the meter to the setting you recommended and the hood light came on and I heard the alarm chirp. If the connection not solid then I believe it thinks it's being tampered with and goes off which triggers park lights, alarm, and dash lights. Once off it's fine. Meaning connection is solid. I just didnt know if that was too much current to flow through the meter.