I have a 1996 blazer and it’s been sitting for just over a week at my dads. I had the battery on a charger in the garage since Sunday as colder weather was coming and it never works right when it’s cold and not on a charger/or maintainer.

Today I went to go start it and when I put the key in the ignition I got the usual chime but when I turned the key on all power was gone. So I got out and cleaned off the posts and terminals just in case. This time after connecting them however there was no chime. Turned the key and nothing.

So I grabbed the charger and connected to the battery again while in the vehicle and the charger was reading fully charged. I disconnected the negative lead from the battery and connected it to the alternator and got sparks and the charger again said fully charged, so I know there was a charge.

Still thinking it could be the battery, I grabbed my dad’s load tester and a brand new battery he bought this summer. Testing my battery it read just barely into the weak so I switched it out for his new battery which wasn’t much better after testing (just barely into the good) and still nothing.

So after taking both batteries back inside, I gave up for 15-20 minutes to try and figure out what I could and warm up in the house.

I went back out with my battery in tow, hooked it up, put the key in, and again got a chime. But again as soon as I turned the key, it lost any power it had. Waited about 10 mins this time but didn’t have a chime the 3rd time.

So I checked the charge with the battery charger and it said 90% still. I tested it again with the load tester, mainly to see if it was having any issues with power drainage and when I put the charger on again it read low. So left it on a 2 amp charge for the night but I’m kinda leaning towards it being ignition switch issue. It could be both batteries are junk. But if it’s not, I wanted to get some other input from people who may have had the same issue.

Knowing my luck tomorrow if will fire up like nothing was wrong lol

 

Except for the load tester results, I would think that your battery is dead.

I'm not familiar with home load testers so I can't speak to how to interpret those results.

I would think the best test would be to take you battery to an auto parts store and have it checked.

You didn't say how old your battery was. If it is over 4 years old, it could be coming to the end of its life depending on how it was used. This would be definitely so if it is 5 years old.

Regarding the other battery, depending on how it was stored, it might not be at its optimum state either or possibly even be damaged. You might try charging it over night to make sure it is fully charged.

Remember, a battery has to provide two things. First is to provide enough voltage. This is like the height from which you drop something to deliver an impulse. Higher voltage = higher height. The second is current which is equivalent of the amount of stuff you are dropping. Dropping stream of small stones once a second is a smaller current than dropping a stream of large stones at the same rate. Most batteries fail by the inability to deliver current from the internal plates shorting or the electrolyte deteriorating. The ability to deliver current is also affected by temperature which causes the chemical reactions to slow down when colder.

 

My battery is two years old and my dads battery isn’t a year old yet. He bought it for his Acadia before we knew there was a bunch of work needed to be done on it so he bought a different vehicle and put the battery in the basement in August.

the load tester is actually a commercial tester, my brother who was a part time mechanic before he died bought it for my dad years ago.

the main reason I’m leaning towards ignition switch is because it just started. I do remember once a couple weeks ago it acting like that but i turned the key off and double checked that the battery was charged, got back in and it took right off.

 

Yes, I see. And yes, an intermittent electrical issue sounds like a likely culprit.

 

the only thing that doubts my suspicion of ignition switch, which I think I forgot to mention in my original post, is after I got the chime the second time today after going inside and letting it sit without the battery for a while, I also tried my headlights and they did not work either. Google search says sometimes a bad ignition switch can cause it but I don’t know. Knowing the wiring for the blazers it wouldn’t surprise me

 

Do you have and know how to use a digital voltmeter?

George

 

I do not have one no, but I found the issue. When my sister had bought me the battery she got one with the posts on the wrong sides so I had to extend my positive cable. Took the tape off where I had extended it to check in fusible link there and the connection had come just loose enough to cause a connection that could give power (the occasional chime) but not good enough when drawing extra power (turning the key). Took it apart cleaned just to be safe, tightened it down and started right up.

 

Congrats!!