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HHR parasitic (phantom, mystery) electrical drain, dead battery

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Old 12-01-2009, 09:30 AM
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HHR parasitic (phantom, mystery) electrical drain, dead battery

12-1-2009 Has anyone heard any news about the solution for this problem? My 2009 HHR panel will not start after sitting idle for 4-5 days. Today is the third time this has happened. It has been to dealer twice. Dealer says battery is good and that everything checks out ok. But SOMETHING is draining the battery while it sits idle. Please help.
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Old 12-01-2009, 10:14 AM
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do you have any aftermarket stuff hooked to the battery? like stereo stuff?
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Old 12-01-2009, 06:38 PM
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Sounds like you need to find a mechanic that knows what the fudge he is doing. Put a amp meter between the negative cable and the negative battery post, let the puter go back to sleep and then start pulling fuses, one at a time. Pull the right one and the draw will go away, and that will tell you what circuit is causing the problem.
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Old 12-01-2009, 07:37 PM
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Its not typical of the HHR. Mine can sit for two or three weeks with no problems, but the owners manual does say if it will not be used for 25 days or more to disconnect the battery. I would put an intelligent charger capable of floating the battery on it.
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Old 12-01-2009, 11:36 PM
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My battery died once overnight a couple months ago. It never happened again though, even after sitting for a week. Never did find out why.
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Old 12-02-2009, 09:04 PM
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Mine has sat for more than a week at a time and has had no decrease in starting ability. I don't have any electrical modifications yet either.
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Old 12-04-2009, 11:35 AM
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Originally Posted by garagebuilt
do you have any aftermarket stuff hooked to the battery? like stereo stuff?
Not that I know of. I bought the HHR from the Chevy dealer, who had repurchased it from the original owner. Therefore, the original owner may have installed something I don't even know about.
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Old 12-04-2009, 03:41 PM
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Originally Posted by nedwob
Not that I know of. I bought the HHR from the Chevy dealer, who had repurchased it from the original owner. Therefore, the original owner may have installed something I don't even know about.
We had a battery drain problem that was caused by an aftermarket XM satellite system we installed. Turns out something in the system was causing the BCM to stay "on" all the time, draining the battery in three or four days. We sent the system back for an upgrade and haven't had a problem since. If you have XM, or some other add-on to the audio system, this might be something to check into.

TomK
Mpls, MN
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Old 12-04-2009, 04:18 PM
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Originally Posted by stranger
Sounds like you need to find a mechanic that knows what the fudge he is doing. Put a amp meter between the negative cable and the negative battery post, let the puter go back to sleep and then start pulling fuses, one at a time. Pull the right one and the draw will go away, and that will tell you what circuit is causing the problem.
This is the correct method for isolating the culprit.
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Old 12-05-2009, 01:13 AM
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I've suffered from Dead Battery Syndrome twice now with the HHR. First time, it sat for two weeks, after several days of jump starting it, dealer replaced the battery under warranty. Second time, it occurred in just 4 days. Turns out I left a cell phone charger plugged in in the center console jack. Had to jump start for a few days and again replaced the battery because it would not hold a charge.

Maybe you looked already, maybe not..........Anything plugs left in the center console jack?
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