Oldblue

That terminal is the electric power steering connection, the other is power from the battery to the fuse box then the second wire feeds the starter.
Yes, AAA should be responsible for the repairs.
Hopefully just a fuse or two and replace the battery, it was toast , anyways

stray_cat

Strangest thing, seems all is well now. After sitting 2 weeks, battery discharged to >2V, I disconnected the battery and charged it up for ~4-6 H with a 10 amp charger, checked draw 2.75 ma for 10 secs, then 1.1 for 5 secs, and settled down to .56 ma. Thinking now I don't have a short in the harness. Let her sit disconnected for 16H and got 12.56V. Reconnected to Grace and she stayed over 12.5, started right up, dropping to 10 only while cranking.

For about 30 sec, charging was lazy (~13.2V) then jumped to 14.5-~15 Cycling shut off/restart 2-3 times and she jumped to over 14V each time. Put the new 60A fuse and readings were the same. I will keep an eye on it with a meter attached to an outlet.

I NOW know the right way to jumpstart or open the hatch with a dead battery WooHoo. I'll carry tools, jumper cables, and a new battery. Happened so sudden once, gonna happen again.

I'm SO RELIEVED THANK YOU (for the information and advise) @RJ_RS_SS_350 @RF2 @Donbrew @Oldblue @Whopper, I really appreciated the unexpected quick responses and help!!!! Also relieved the tow driver didn't fry more than a 60A fuse, thanks to Chevy!!

RJ_RS_SS_350

Hmmm... this kinda sounds like a bad battery.

whopper

Dropping to 10volts like that means dying battery or bad connection. Replace your battery. Or keep those jumper cables handy.

Oldblue

Stray Cat , you’re welcome!
You do say you’re getting a new battery, right?
Mine seem to last an average of five years.

Drive on! Keep her clean and drive her often!!!!

Conax

My battery is the standard ACdelco, new a couple months ago. I also have a volt monitor I plug into the outlet as it starts. I always see a split second drop to 10.? as it cranks.
The heavy starting load just pulls it there for a moment.
I think the battery is ok but could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time.

Oldblue

Is it a series 90? AC Delco? Is the ground wire tight?

Conax

I'm not sure, it was $156 at the shop. Funny you should mention the ground terminal, I did find it loose a while back and retightened it. I may need to check it again. The terminal attachment setup seems a little odd. A small screw leveraging it somehow. I didn't want to over tighten it and strip it.

edit: I went out and checked it again, still tight. The cheep little monitor may be over reacting to the sudden movement, overshooting the right reading. The drop is only for a split second.

Cat Man HHR

The cheap monitor is more than likely lying to you. Your new battery is only a few months old. Voltage of the new battery should be in theory 13.2 at rest but it can be a little lower , maybe 12.8/12.6 . There will be a cranking voltage drop that could for a new battery go to 11.5 but will recover fast to the point that the battery will have available voltage to excite the alternator to start charging the battery.
Just for education this how a battery is load tested using a new style AVR (alternator, voltage regulator tester) I myself use an older style that uses analog gauges and a carbon pile.

Conax

"The cheap monitor is more than likely lying to you."
Yeah, as long as the car works (it does, starts right up, no bells or warning lights) I don't see a big rush to start chasing gremlins. I think it does have a minor parasitic drain, but that can be a real pain to diagnose on something like this. I suspect the BCM since the draw goes up a lot when the door is opened, then falls off after 30 seconds or so.