The battery keeps dying out, and she has changed the alternator about 4 times and someone told her that it may be her computer chip. Does anyone know if it could be that? If so how much it would cost to replace. She also has replaced the battery several times and it was sitting for approx. 5 years and we bought a battery and it started right up. But the battery will only run for a minute. Thank You TracyMy friend has a 1997 GMC Jimmy and she has had alot of problems with it so my question is?
Don't ever buy a cheap battery, this is the main problem for most vehicles.
Yeah a cheap battery will work for a few weeks even months.
Then it's back to the same old problem.
I would try this first. Get a good battery with the most cranking amps you can get for your vehicle.
A well known name brand, not some name you never heard of.My friend has a 1997 GMC Jimmy and she has had alot of problems with it so my question is?
If it starts right up and then the battery is the only thing keeping it running...Meaning the alternator is not charging it up.The voltage regulator may be bad. I would take it to a Napa , Advance auto parts or an Auto zone and get them to put their Charging system tester on it. They will diagnose it for free because they want you to by the part from them. If the computer is bad they can also put a scanner on it and tell you if there is a possible bad computer. they will also do that check for free also.
Since your truck is manufactured after 1996 they should have the OBD2 connector to check it with.My friend has a 1997 GMC Jimmy and she has had alot of problems with it so my question is?
Oh good Lord, don't ever take your car to a parts store for service and diagnostics!! Yeah, ok, maybe for the battery or the alternator, but even then they try to sell you every little gadget part for putting in a new battery. They can tell you if your battery is dead, or your alternator is charging, but all they can tell you about your computer is if it has any diagnostic codes stored in it's memory. that's it. It is well known in the automotive community that GM alternators are not known for lasting the life a gm car. I know, I've put 4 on my gm car. The reason the battery keeps dying out is that there is probably a parasitic draw on it. Some electrical component is staying %26quot;awake%26quot; while the key is shut off. To determine if you have a parasitic draw on the battery, you need to disconnect the negative battery cable and install a parasitic test switch. This allows you to run the vehicle and operate all of the accessories and other electrical components in normal fashion, then open the switch and connect an ammeter to measure the current draw on the battery. It's better this way versus just disconnecting the battery and hooking up an ammeter in series because some electrical components will have a higher draw when the battery is first connected then when they power down, or go to sleep, the draw drops off. If you don't drive the vehicle after disconnecting the battery, some components may not effectively go to sleep. To determine the allowable parasitic draw on a battery, determine the reserve capacity of the battery and divide by 4. Example: a battery with a reserve capacity of 100 minutes will have an allowable parasitic draw of 25 miliamps. It is possible for a computer to draw excessive current and drain the battery. Typically, anything over 50 milliamps will draw a battery down over a week. You should take the vehicle to a reputable repair facility and have them test the entire electrical system. Load test the battery to determine the battery's state of charge, load test the alternator to determine if it is charging properly, perform a parasitic load test on the battery to check for unwanted current draw on the battery. Also check the battery cables for corrosion and high resistance, and loose connections. I know of several people who have had to replace the alternator many times on their vehicle. You can do like I did and buy an alternator that has a lifetime warranty against failure. This way if it fails again, you will only have to pay for labor to have it installed. On this vehicle, that is not very much because it is easily accessible.
