[MSGran]

:help:
My daughter's 2008 Outlook has a mind of it's own. The fan will come on all by itself and drain the battery. They have been stranded numerous times because the battery is dead from this. They have to keep their jumper cables at all times. Just takes a jump and they're on their way again but it's sooooo inconvenient. She has a new baby and was stuck for 2 hours the other day because of no one to jump her off. They had the battery replaced but didn't help the situation. I need any help I can get and fast. They are newly stationed in Hawaii and have NO ONE to help them.

Forgot to mention that the ambient temp keeps showing extremely high temp. 120-140 sometimes. Could this be contributing to the situation?

 

[rbarrios]

Its possible that the ambient air temp sensor is bad- and reporting bad temps.
This can be causing the fan to come on- since the car thinks its very hot...

The sensor is located somewhere in front of the radiator. The pic below is the sensor on my 2010 Traverse.
On your Outlook is should be in a similar location. They are actually quite cheap. About $5-7.
You can try and replace it to see if that helps.

But you also need to tell them to buy one of the items shown below. they range from $80-$170. depending on how much 'juice' you need.
some even have lights so you can work in the dark. You charge it up. leave it in the back of the vehicle. when you need a jump start- you connect it- and it will give you a boost. note the extra light-- that plugs in- there appears to be a 12v plug on the pack.
Just go to your local auto parts and buy one of those. I think even wal mart sells these.

 

[medicrxdoc]

OP: were are talking about the radiator cooling fan right?

As for the ambient temperature sensor, there was also a TSB to relocate it on certain vehicles when it read wrong.

rbarrios: can you find it?

 

[rbarrios]

OP: were are talking about the radiator cooling fan right?

As for the ambient temperature sensor, there was also a TSB to relocate it on certain vehicles when it read wrong.

rbarrios: can you find it?

Medic is right... you may simply have to relocate it.

TECHNICAL

Bulletin No.: 08-01-39-008A

Date: March 30, 2009

Subject:
Ambient Air Temperature Sensor Display In Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Inaccurate Or Reads Too High (Reposition Ambient Air Temperature Sensor and Reprogram HVAC Control Module)

Models:
2007-2008 GMC Acadia
2007-2008 Saturn OUTLOOK

Supercede:
This bulletin is being revised to update the parts information. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 08-01-39-008 (Section 08 - Body and Accessories).

Condition

Some customers may comment that the ambient temperature display is inaccurate or reads too high.

Correction

Technicians are to relocate the ambient air temperature sensor to a new location and reprogram the Heating Ventilation And Air Conditioning (HVAC) Control Module.

 

[ls973800]

Good question about which fan is coming on. The electric fans under the hood would draw down the battery if they have a bad relay or electrical problem.

The A/C fan has a factory setting which can be turned on or off by a service tech to allow that fan to blow with the vehicle off to dry off the evaporator to prevent the accumulation of mold or smells in the HVAC system. It's supposed to run for 10 minutes, but that could be a problem.

 

[ls973800]

Wow, here's a copy of a post just a few topics down from this one.

While still under warranty, I took the car in and the service tech made a software change to make the moisture detector built into our cars turn on the AC/heater blowers when moisture is detected after the engine is shut off. I would sometimes return after a short period to find the blowers just "blowin' their hearts out". Worked fine for a while but eventually the blowers would run so long that the battery went dead. Took a look for pinched AC drain lines and sure enough found one so the CORRECT fix was a pinched drain line and not a software change. Angry

Now out of warranty but with extended warranty, I returned to the Saturn Authorized Service center (Chevy dealer) to have the software returned to factory specs to save my newly purchased battery ($165), learning that a fix to fix a GM techs' incorrect fix would cost me shop fees and supplies. flaming mad Extended warranty is drive train only.

Bottom line: Don't let them do the software mod unless you are ready to replace your battery more often.

 

[BigTallV]

Wow, here's a copy of a post just a few topics down from this one.

While still under warranty, I took the car in and the service tech made a software change to make the moisture detector built into our cars turn on the AC/heater blowers when moisture is detected after the engine is shut off. I would sometimes return after a short period to find the blowers just "blowin' their hearts out". Worked fine for a while but eventually the blowers would run so long that the battery went dead. Took a look for pinched AC drain lines and sure enough found one so the CORRECT fix was a pinched drain line and not a software change. Angry

Now out of warranty but with extended warranty, I returned to the Saturn Authorized Service center (Chevy dealer) to have the software returned to factory specs to save my newly purchased battery ($165), learning that a fix to fix a GM techs' incorrect fix would cost me shop fees and supplies. flaming mad Extended warranty is drive train only.

Bottom line: Don't let them do the software mod unless you are ready to replace your battery more often.

While that thread pertained to dead battery as result of "after blow" feature for the passenger compartment (i.e. dry moisture buildup on HVAC core/coils), the OP in this thread is after the radiator fan or A/C fan coming on in the engine compartment. Same symptom, an intermittently dead battery, but is a very different problem.

 

[ls973800]

:help:
My daughter's 2008 Outlook has a mind of it's own. The fan will come on all by itself and drain the battery. They have been stranded numerous times because the battery is dead from this. They have to keep their jumper cables at all times. Just takes a jump and they're on their way again but it's sooooo inconvenient. She has a new baby and was stuck for 2 hours the other day because of no one to jump her off. They had the battery replaced but didn't help the situation. I need any help I can get and fast. They are newly stationed in Hawaii and have NO ONE to help them.

Forgot to mention that the ambient temp keeps showing extremely high temp. 120-140 sometimes. Could this be contributing to the situation?

Just wondering where in the post it mentions the engine compartment fan is the problem? The OP was even asked by another member if it was the radiator cooling fan and there has been no reply.


OP: were are talking about the radiator cooling fan right?

 

[6Sixathome]

Hopefully the OP will reply and shed some light as to which "fan" is staying on. Personally I think it's the blower fan staying on to dry out the AC system.

 

[GM Customer Service]

:help:
My daughter's 2008 Outlook has a mind of it's own. The fan will come on all by itself and drain the battery. They have been stranded numerous times because the battery is dead from this. They have to keep their jumper cables at all times. Just takes a jump and they're on their way again but it's sooooo inconvenient. She has a new baby and was stuck for 2 hours the other day because of no one to jump her off. They had the battery replaced but didn't help the situation. I need any help I can get and fast. They are newly stationed in Hawaii and have NO ONE to help them.

Forgot to mention that the ambient temp keeps showing extremely high temp. 120-140 sometimes. Could this be contributing to the situation?

Are there any GM dealers on the island that they can contact? I would recommend taking the vehicle in since it would be difficult to dianose online. I can locate on in the area for them. Please feel free to contact me privately with their zip code. Thank you.

Tricia, GM Customer Service.

 

[MSGran]

It's the a/c fan that keeps coming on, not the radiator. They actually took the ambient temp gauge off the car but that wasn't the problem. Will relay your messages to them.

 

[medicrxdoc]

There is a TSB to turn off this "after blow" feature with repeated battery problems.

Have your dealer turn this off and it might solve your problems.

 

[MSGran]

There is a TSB to turn off this "after blow" feature with repeated battery problems.

Have your dealer turn this off and it might solve your problems.

Is this TSB like a recall? Will they have to pay for a service call?

 

[rbarrios]

A TSB- is a Technical Service Bulleting.
A bulleting to the techs/shops- to know whats going on. Its not a recall.
You have to pay for this- unless the shop is nice.

But it sounds like you may have the After blow feature turned on.

heres the info


Intermittent Battery Draw, Dead Battery or HVAC Odor
May 1, 2011 9:42 PM
On some 2007-2010 OUTLOOK; 2008-2011 Enclave; 2009-2011 Traverse; and 2007-2011 Acadia, Silverado, Avalanche, Suburban, Tahoe, Sierra, Yukon, Yukon Denali, and Escalade models, an intermittent no crank condition may be found due to a dead battery.


A recent Engineering study has shown that the vehicles identified above could experience a dead battery as a result of the HVAC afterblow function being turned on at the dealership (refer to Service Information document 1865501).


The afterblow calibration may cause the blower motor to operate in a series of operating cycles which, over time, may cause the battery to drain. This is more likely to occur if the vehicle is not driven long enough between ignition cycles to maintain a sufficient battery state of charge.


Until further notice, it is recommended that the afterblow feature not be enabled, to prevent the potential of a dead battery. Also disable the afterblow feature if a vehicle has an intermittent dead battery condition that cannot be duplicated.

 

[papamike]

While still under warranty, I took the car in and the service tech made a software change to make the moisture detector built into our cars turn on the AC/heater blowers when moisture is detected after the engine is shut off. I would sometimes return after a short period to find the blowers just "blowin' their hearts out". Worked fine for a while but eventually the blowers would run so long that the battery went dead. Took a look for pinched AC drain lines and sure enough found one so the CORRECT fix was a pinched drain line and not a software change. Angry

Now out of warranty but with extended warranty, I returned to the Saturn Authorized Service center (Chevy dealer) to have the software returned to factory specs to save my newly purchased battery ($165), learning that a fix to fix a GM techs' incorrect fix would cost me shop fees and supplies. flaming mad Extended warranty is drive train only.

Bottom line: Don't let them do the software mod unless you are ready to replace your battery more often.


This was my post... with the after blow function turned off, no more dead battery for me. No musty smells either once the pinched drain line was corrected. All is well now.

 

[MSGran]

PapaMike:

Is the a/c drain line located under the hood?

 

[rbarrios]

its located on the firewall somewhere- I cant remember which side.

 

[jsimms]

The A/C drain line is on the left side; run your A/C long enough and you should get some condensation to help you find it