Recently bought this truck. Intermittant failure after starting. When I take off w/o letting the indicator lights clear after starting the guage needles swing and indicator lights go on and off. It gets me home but requires the charger for a few hours. Charges at 2 amp but imediate drop to .5 amp. I tried to start before a couple hours time once and it still refused.
I hope someone can help me. Is this a battery or something more serious?
Thanks,
DumS10owner
When you say “requires the charger for a few hours” whats leading you to this conclusion
Upon returning home after the “event,” I shut the truck off. There is no power so, the first time I tried charging the battery and it appeared to fix the problem. You make me wonder now, if I let it set, if it would be OK after the same couple of hours.
Update, it started a little harder this time…shortened the ammount of charge time…a little. It turned over but didn’t start up until the 4th try. Ran great after I got it started.
Are you taking the battery in and out of the truck to charge? If yes it answers my next question,are the cables in good condition,you would have seen corrosion and cleaned it up.How old is the battery? are you willing to get it tested? and if bad replace it?
It seems that there is a poor electrical connection to the dash, or somewhere. Take it to an automotive electrician.
Batteries only last about 3.5 years in my 2000 S10 Blazer even with the insulating blanket in place. Take the battery to an auto store and have it checked. Check the battery voltage, 11 volts or less probably means a dead cell and the battery has to be replaced.
I put a new battery about a year ago, a few months back the new battery was discharged down to 12.1 volts (25% charge). I was able to start the Blazer, but it was idling 100-150 rpm higher than usual and the torque converter lockup was not engaging. I used a Battery Tender to fully charge the battery to 12.6 volts, I have not had any problems since then and the battery is still holding a 12.6 volt charge.
Ed B.
Thanks everyone. I have a two steps and I’ll post a reply after each.
- I will get the battery tested, if it’s O.K. then…
- I will let my mechanic put it on the plug in analyzer.
oldschool: I’m not taking the battery out each time to charge it. The battery is approx. 3 yrs. so, maybe due for a change.
Thanks again.
Things have gotten worse. Before I could get the truck to have the battery tested…it died. I turned the ignition off after running about 10 miles. Then, I wanted the windows down. I turned the key to accessory and nothing. I attempted to start the truck and nothing. I tried to charge the battery and it isn’t taking a charge, niether in or out of the truck. The charger indicates 10 Amps and doesn’t change over several hours. I tried to jump the truck but that failed too. The battery was in the truck when I tried to jump it. I thought the truck should start if jumped? I wonder if the battery which I’m sure is dead now prevented me from jumping the truck and starting it?
Have you tested the battery voltage? If I was in your place I would replace the battery before I did anything else. As I mentioned in my previous post, batteries don’t last long in Blazers.
Ed B.
Quite frankly it sounds like he battery has simply died of old age. I suspect you’re going through an awfully lot of effort here for a simple dead battery. When you replace it, you may want to check the charging system just because you should always do so when installing a new battery…just in case.
I replaced the battery with a Diehard Gold today. Maybe it is just an old battery but, I’m taking the other advice and having the charging system checked. Maybe a bad or weak diode in the alternator.
Good news is it brought me home tonight.
Again, thanks for all the ideas. This is a great forum!
If I continue to have problems, I’ve lined up a mechanic who is a Chevy man and works extensively with S10s!
I will continue to update until the issue is resolved to my satisfaction.
Question…any reason Sears would be bad to verify the charging system?
I just wanted to get back to everyone and say thanks. The new battery is the correct fix, it’s nearly been a month with no further issues. I suppose I went to extremes over a simple battery issue.
I also wanted to comment about a rough idle issue immediately after installing the new battery. The guys at the Chevy shop told me to disconnect the new battery, wait a few secs, and reconnect. I tried it and it worked. They said it allows the computer a chance to reset. My S10 has run without issue since.
Thanks for posting back with the results, not enough people do. I’m glad to hear it was just the battery.
Ed B.