Battery draining, Ghost cranking with no key

Asked by Jason Nov 10, 2016 at 09:22 AM about the 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My wife's '04 Tahoe Z-71 has been slow to crank,
like the battery is low.  Other times it cranks fine.  
Yesterday it wouldn't start, only clicking noise. I
brought wife to work and came back about 6 hours
later to look at it.  When I pulled up, I noticed the tail
lights and head lights come on then go off.  It was
in the garage, no key in ignition, in park, on off
position, trying to crank.  Lights would come on,
engine would make clicking noise, then lights go
off. It repeated that every few seconds.  I stuck key
in ad tried to start it, only clicks. After I pulled key
out, it didn't "ghost crank" any more.
Battery is good, had it checked.
I'm at a loss here, any advice??

1 Answer

The battery was really low when it was having the self cranking issue. With a full charge, it hasn't done it again. I checked by putting my meter in line on the negative terminal and there's a parasitic draw of 3.16 amps with everything off. Guess it's time to start pulling fuses. I've never heard of a low battery causing a truck to act so crazy, but your right. Thanks, hopefully it's a fuse with a simple fix.

Your Answer:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    John Carson
    Reputation
    3,580
  • #2
    Rowefast
    Reputation
    2,320
  • #3
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    2,170
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used GMC Yukon
11 Great Deals out of 947 listings starting at $1,225
Used Chevrolet Suburban
9 Great Deals out of 561 listings starting at $7,500
Used Cadillac Escalade
24 Great Deals out of 371 listings starting at $6,900
Used Chevrolet Silverado 1500
210 Great Deals out of 5,957 listings starting at $2,975
Used Ford Expedition
31 Great Deals out of 822 listings starting at $7,888
Used Ford F-150
338 Great Deals out of 15,288 listings starting at $1,712
Used GMC Yukon XL
14 Great Deals out of 678 listings starting at $13,950
Used Toyota Sequoia
4 Great Deals out of 70 listings starting at $16,489
Used Toyota 4Runner
13 Great Deals out of 302 listings starting at $9,700
Used GMC Sierra 1500
138 Great Deals out of 7,231 listings starting at $3,950
Used Ford Explorer
78 Great Deals out of 2,097 listings starting at $2,999
Used Dodge Durango
40 Great Deals out of 2,254 listings starting at $5,500
Used Jeep Grand Cherokee
107 Great Deals out of 3,230 listings starting at $4,995
Used Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
15 Great Deals out of 1,298 listings starting at $8,995

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.