LED's flicker, Idles rough, now nothing at all

Nov 30, 2008 1 Replies

I'm at a loss... I can usually fix most things on my vehicles, but this one's got me stuck.



Okay, about a month ago, the LED's (odometer/Radio) in my 02 Tahoe started flickering, and on occasion the idle would dip below normal, almost to a stall. Most of the time, I could turn the truck off and start it again, then it would be normal.



Then, on Wednesday, I went out to the truck, tried to start it, and absolutely nothing. No dome lights, nothing.



The battery is fine, the alternator is fine. I can't even hook a code box up to it and get an error code because there is apparently no current moving.



Does this sound like anything to anyone? Some sort of sensor, or wiring harness issue? I've tightened any harness that I could reach, including battery cables. Relay?


Battery ground cable - where it connects to the block, or frame, not at battery end. I've seen these corrode inside, under the insulation at the battery end, also. As a diagnostic, you might connect a jumper cable from the negative battery post to the engine block. Do not crank. But now see if dome light, headlights, and so on work. Then disconnect jumper cable. If they go back out, you know the problem is the battery grounding cables. If (with the jumper cable) nothing still works, the problem is elsewhere (including possibly the POSITIVE cable. I've also seen what you describe when the ignition switch fails. Some circuits do not get energized. See what others have to say. My experiences (with the switch) are on vehicles 5-8 years older than your Tahoe.

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