No power, no start 2009 Chevy Malibu
Asked by Eric Dec 13, 2019 at 11:49 AM about the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu 1LT FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I'm working on a 2009 Chevy Malibu having no start and no
power. Swapped relays and it ran for two days without
issue, now back to the same problem. Is there a way to
troubleshoot whether the problem is at the box or the ECU
without purchasing and swapping the parts? Any other
suggestions welcome as well.
3 Answers
By no power I'm assuming the vehicle is completely dead. No lights, wipers, horn, radio, etc. This is going to be the battery or battery related. Load test the battery. Check the battery cable connections at both ends. Make sure everything is clean and tight. Put Vaseline on the battery cables where they attach to the battery to prevent corrosion in the future. Hope that helps! Jim
Update: load test was solid, alternator showed two dead diodes. Currently replacing alternator tomorrow, but curious is the vampiric drain from the alternator is causing the relay issues or if the ecu may still be the cause, will update accordingly
Most likely it's the bad diodes in the alternator. Jim