I just got a 2000 Blazer, 5 spd 4WD. Drove it 80 miles, shut it off twice during that time period and it started just fine (95 deg outside). Drove 3 miles shut it off and it wouldn't start. There was NO power to the dash or the headlights. I accidently left the headlights on, came back a little later there was power to the dash and the headlights. STUCK the key in the ignition and all power disappeared. Am I dealing with a relay or something. Any suggestions are appreciated because I would like to get it to my house. Thanks, Richard.

 

Check the battery terminals. The sidepost terminals were famous for corroding badly. If they look O.K., take your vehicle to a reputable auto parts store and have them check your alternator output and battery condition. It sounds like when you went to crank your vehicle the second time (after you left your lights on) the battery had only a static charge and that was depleted when you went to crank the engine. Good luck!

 

thanks Phatboy. Sure enough the + termnal was very loose. Tighten it up and fired the first time.

 

Be careful with the battery terminals. I had an issue where one day I was washing my Bravada. Pulled it up to wash it. Got all finished up and NOTHING. Checked the terminals and all seemed tight enough. It started after that. Drove around town a bit. Even got some gas and it started right back up. Got home and parked it... Tried to restart it and NOTHING again. I decided that the battery must have a cracked plate that would spuratically open up enough to cut all power. When I pulled the battery to replace it, I found otherwise. The original AC Delco battery had the positive (+) post corroded internal to the battery. When I put the wrench on to take off the cable, I pulled the whole mounting lug out of the battery.

So, if you guys still have the AC Delco batteries, you probably should take off the terminals and lube them up very well with Dielectric grease to keep them nice and corrosion free. My battery was actually leaking acid and I had to clean up and repaint my battery tray because of it. I have heard of many other AC Delco side mount batteries with corrosion problems on the positive battery terminal.