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My battery condition tester died, had it for years, but suddenly it decided to longer give a reliable health value, so a new Topdon BT100 is on order.
Pulled the AUX PWR fuse and PD dropped from 80 to 40mA but it's still not good enough I suspect. I was astonished to discover the previous owner had an RAC Trackstar GPS system fitted, where it is is a mystery. It will have been a professional fit by the RAC which is huge company, but they'll only talk money, so no real help expected from them although they claim it only runs with the ignition on..
Looks like I'll have to pull the center console to trace the wiring, I certainly don't recall seeing anything previously.
Anyway some progress made on reducing drain. I'm going to pull all the fuses one--by-one, I suspect the volts-drop across the them will be too low to detect with only mA flowing, I have actually measured all the small fuses under the hood, even the AUX PWR drop was too small to detect.
The data I've seen so far talks about 7-12mA typically with a maximum of 30mA, from the manual GM the test procedure mentions 25mA but I cant find a figure, it all looks subjective.
So is there a definitive or typically figure for the Hummer or would any one know what theirs actually measured? It would be useful to know what it should be plus or minus a percentage with the variations in electronic devices I imagine.
In the meantime I'll keep investigating, starting with the LPG installation, but it looks like I'm looking for around another 25mA, it's a bit like Apollo 13 moon mission ....
Hope you get it straighten out. My H2 2009 first Battery went about 7 years I live in the **** state of New Joisey. Get the four seasons here. Anyway..second one went about 6 years. I replace them when I came out to start on a cold morning and the battery was dead. After a charge it was good but that was the battery telling me it had had it. Any way I now run the correct size as before except it's Now an "AGM" type battery.
In my 65 Vette I use the Optima AGM Red Top. Don't think they make one that size for the H2. But I have gotten over the years 13 out of one and now on my 3rd . The last on Was still going except I went to disconnect the Neg to do some work and twisted the terminal right out of the battery. My Bad. My cut out switch was bad and I just made it worse and ended up getting a new Red Top.
optima brand was definitely more reliable 14 years ago before they moved the production plant to Mexico. i also had 3 for over 10 years until i got rid of those vehicles. the red tops did die on me before the yellow or blue tops did.
I always had great success with the optima batteries back in the '80's and '90's. However, 10yrs ago I installed/replaced an optima within a year after a deep discharge occurred on my 3. Bought an East Penn (Diehard) & sold the optima on CL. 9yrs later I have 2 good East Penn batteries, 1 Diehard in the garage,and 1 Napa installed.
I always had great success with the optima batteries back in the '80's and '90's. However, 10yrs ago I installed/replaced an optima within a year after a deep discharge occurred on my 3. Bought an East Penn (Diehard) & sold the optima on CL. 9yrs later I have 2 good East Penn batteries, 1 Diehard in the garage,and 1 Napa installed.
I have that Optima Battery Charger. It's hooked to my Red Top in the Vette and in the maintain mode. Great Charger. Very Pricey but worth the money to protect your batteries.
I always swooped to an AGM battery because I was told they were not as prone to failure from vibration as a lead acid battery. True or not, I don't know but the one in my last Hummer had to be 7 or 8 yrs old. I just put one in my Yukon as the factory one died right at 31,000 miles.
Also, batteries are really not designed to sit and not be used forever. AAA guy told me once if you're not going to drive it once or twice a week to put a trickle charger on it. I do that with my Harley and have never had an issue either.
Shouldn't the radio turn off (get the power cut off) when you engage the starter to start your vehicle (Hummer H2)? Oceanbrave
Interesting point, I see the radio is "Hot" all the time and looks like it gets woken-up by Serial Comms when the ignition is turned On.
What is supposed to happen during start-up, with a stock system is unknown to me, what I will say is that my non-stock radio seems to behave similarly.
If anyone has a stock radio, perhaps they could let us know. 👍
I have a Kenwood 10.1 inch screen put in there. I believe it cuts out when I start it. I'll make sure in the morning. That is so all the power goes straight to the starter. I think the headlights and everything cuts out for a second until it starts. I know some stuff will have power, but non essential to starting takes a timeout.. I have a 1000cca battery too.. it starts nice!
Since the H2 does not get driven as much since GAS prices went through the roof. I seem to be having battery issues and noticing it was dragging on start much like a low battery. I whipped out the old battery load tester which promptly smoked and blew up, oh well it was old. Guess I tested one to many batteries with it haha. Anyway upon recommendations from one of our members I ordered and received a TopDon BT200. First let me say what a great piece of testing hardware, far superior to the old internal load resistors, switch and meter. I fully charged the battery, let it sit overnight to drop the surface charge and upon testing my results were: Full charge but battery health was at 21% and the tester said it needed to be replaced, starter and charging system tests perfect. I really wasn't to surprised, I found myself having to charge the battery at least once every couple of weeks or so.
So now to the interesting part. I figured what the hell I have a nearly new group 79 battery left over from my 06 H2 so I thought I could just use that. Unfortunately it was a side post style battery and the positive and negative posts are reversed compared to the current H6 used in the 08. Well, I thought I would simply 2 screw on posts reroute the cable and switch out the current top mounted AGM POS.
Well, so much for that idea, First there's not enough clearance to allow using a side post battery and reversing the location of the cables. Not only that the new H6 batteries used in 08/09's use are much smaller and GM shrunk down battery box . So even if I could come up with a solution for using screw on side posts the group 79 battery would not fit the box. I guess I will be forced to go with the new H6 size or at least something that will fit the box.
At this point I am looking for recommendations for the best rated CCA flooded cell battery that will fit whatever that might be.
I don't want an AGM, the one in my H2 shows that its less the 3 years old and this will be the second one I have had to replace this year, one in my wife's car and now the one in the H2.
We get some wild temperature swings here, 100+ in the summer and freezing in the winter, I am thinking this just tears up the AGM's and I have had great success with flooded cell batteries.
I have an Interstate battery center downtown I might go see what they have.
03-25-2022, 10:30 PM
