The PCM/ECU does infact control the voltage to the battery but that doesn't mean that the voltage regulator on the alternator is working properly. Definetly have your alternator and voltage regulator checked. I too my self have bought brand new batteries that I had to take back twice because they were defective. I'm with the guys on this as well, you should definelty trace back all the wiring from the battery and check to see if anybody wired anything into the fuse box directly onto an existing fuse.

 

I have a dead truck if I dont start it every 3 weeks. I did a residual draw on it and it fluctuates erratically. The main cause of this is my aftermarket remote start bypass module. If I unplug it, my current draw remains right about 48mA but still has some fluctation, if I plug it back in, she jumps around betweeen 65mA and 72mA but it's never consistent. If I unhook the bypass module, I cannot start my truck, but my alarm will still function. Now if I unplug the alarm module all together, the truck will still fluctaute, but drops down to ~56mA.
I do think my TIPM is drawing excessive anyways. My '00 Silverado was drawing ~28mA which is normal.
I've unhooked all of the things in my truck that were aded and I still got very high current draw readings in the middle 50mA region.

There is a tach sense on most remote starters, but a direct hook-up removes any possibility of the remote start not working. When it was cold out(the time you use it) I had a problem because I used the auto-sense part of the remote start. I had to use a direct spliced wire to solve the problem. Your mechanic must not know what he is doing if he cut it and thought that was weird.

 

Hi guys! Thanks for all your help and sorry it's taken me so long to get the update to you. So, I charged the truck overnight and took the entire list of potential issues that we all came up with to the shop manager. (Remember, this is a dealer shop ...). He appreciated it and they ran a parasite draw on the truck. Nothing popped, but I told them I didn't want the truck back until something came up. They kept everything hooked up for over an hour and found that the electronic brake control was "turning itself on" every 20 minutes and running for 15 minutes before shutting off. So it was draining the batteries down directly. They replaced the EBC and all was well in the world ... for two days!!!!

The tach issue that it originally went in for still wasn't fixed and would indicate 0 RPM at 30 mph and 3000 RPM at 65 mph even though the truck wasn't really doing that. So, I called again last week and said ... hey, we got so wrapped up in the battery thing you never fixed the tach. I went out this morning to take it over to the shop and, low and behold, put the key in and gauges start going crazy. Battery indicator won't register and the thing won't start AGAIN.

I'm so ticked off right now I'm about ready to make them take this stupid truck and give me a new one!

 

it wasnt a lemon was it?


Im sure the tach problem will fix the starting problem.

On a side not I have a brand new TIPM for sale.

 

Hey Bad, Good to see you again. I'll let you know if I need another TIPM. I hope not since they replaced the thing in March. I think this guy is stopping when he finds one problem and thinks he's solved the damn problem. I'm going to remind him that he needs to check the PCM and the alternator. I'm betting and hoping on a dying alternator as the answer. I just don't want to throw good money after these problems if it's not going to resolve it.

We've had the truck for a year and a half and this is the first significant problem we've had, so I'd say not a lemon. The tow guy (who I've become good friends with the past couple months - LOL) made a joke about it being bad luck with red trucks.

If they can't find it this time, might be time to talk to them about trading it it.