Was wondering if anyone knows what time the parking passes will release tomorrow or what time they were available last year. DOTS emailed me back and did not know.

I started testing my escalade today for the parasitic draw that killed the battery. Battery Voltage is fine, 12.2v resting and 14.7v with alternator on. I did the entire test on the main under hood fuse box. My multimeter reading was 0.071A (indicating a slight draw). Pulled all the fuses, nothing changed it (radio made it drop to 0.068 amps).

Now for the next fuse location inside the car, i latched the door with a screwdriver but dome light stayed on. I turned the dome light off with the button and now ampage reads 0.037A with the door open (dome light off) and hood open.

Starting to get confused because obviously 0.037 is the perfect range we want to be in, indicating no draw.

Please all help is appreciated!

Hey everyone. I’m trying to track down an electrical issue on my 2006 Cadillac Escalade with the 6.0L V8 and could really use some opinions before I start throwing parts at it.

The truck has around 210k miles and is definitely an older vehicle, so I know there could be multiple things going on.

I also want to mention upfront that I’m trying to use this vehicle as a learning project for working on cars. I know I’m not experienced yet, and I’m trying to approach this the right way instead of just guessing and replacing parts.

I also know that using AI to diagnose car problems is generally frowned upon, and I understand why. That said, I’ve been using it as a starting point for research and it has repeatedly pointed me toward a possible alternator-related parasitic draw, so I’m trying to verify that with real-world experience before I go further.

The original problem (how this started)

This all started a while back when I first got a crankshaft position sensor code.

At that time, the truck began:

• Shaking intermittently
• Occasionally shutting off while driving

The strange part is that the issue eventually went away on its own without me clearing the code or replacing anything.

After that, things slowly started getting worse over time:

• The truck began taking longer and longer to start
• Eventually it would crank but not start at all
• Then I noticed the clock reset to 12:00, which made me think the battery or power supply was dropping out completely
• After that, the vehicle eventually had no power at all

That progression is what makes me think this may not be a simple “bad battery” situation.

Current situation

The Escalade was sitting for roughly 2 weeks. When I went to use it, the battery was completely dead — no interior lights, no headlights, nothing.

The battery is an ACDelco battery. I believe it was installed relatively recently, and the sticker on the battery says 42-month replacement, although I’m still trying to figure out the exact warranty because I don't have the original service record from the shop that installed it.

I removed the battery and brought it to AutoZone. The employee there honestly seemed like he had very little idea what he was doing and almost tested the battery with the protective caps still on the terminals, which made me question the quality of the test. They still charged it for about 2 hours and then tested it, and told me the battery was dead/bad but im not sure yet (don't have a multimeter).

I'm not completely convinced the battery itself is the only issue because of the way the electrical problems progressed before it fully died.

Battery reconnection issue

After getting the battery back, I tried reconnecting it.

I connected the positive terminal first, then started connecting the negative.

The first time, the negative clamp wasn't fully seated on the post yet. While I was tightening it, I heard some clicking/sparking and saw a very small puff of white smoke from the negative connection. I immediately disconnected it.

There was no obvious burning smell.

I later tried again after letting everything sit. Again, when the negative terminal made contact, there was a snap/spark accompanied by a tiny puff of smoke. I disconnected it immediately again.

Both times, the smoke was extremely brief — basically a tiny puff occurring at the same time as the spark. It wasn't continuously smoking after the connection was made.

The battery terminals/clamps don't appear obviously damaged or melted.

I understand that a small spark when reconnecting a modern vehicle battery can be normal because modules wake up and capacitors charge, but the smoke is what concerns me.

I haven't intentionally left it connected long enough to see whether it would continue smoking.

Things that make me suspicious of a deeper electrical issue

Because of the earlier symptoms (crank sensor code, stalling, slow starts, clock reset, then total power loss), I’m wondering if something is draining or destabilizing the electrical system.

Possible suspects I’ve been considering:

• Alternator with a failed diode
• Crankshaft position sensor or related wiring issue (initial trigger?)
• Starter/starter solenoid or high-current wiring issue
• Bad battery cables/grounds
• A module staying awake and draining the system
• Water intrusion/corroded wiring
• Aftermarket electronics
• Something else on a high-current circuit

The water intrusion situation

This is another thing that recently got me thinking.

The third brake light on the liftgate is missing. There has been a wire hanging down from the opening for years.

A few weeks ago, when I opened the liftgate, I distinctly remember hearing what sounded like a lot of water sloshing around inside the liftgate itself.

So I'm wondering if water has been getting through the missing third brake light and collecting inside the liftgate.

I'm concerned there could potentially be corrosion or water damage to wiring/connectors that could cause an intermittent electrical problem or parasitic draw.

I haven't fully taken the liftgate apart yet to inspect everything.

What I have NOT done yet

I currently don't have a multimeter, although I'm planning to get one.

My original plan was:

1. Get the battery charged/tested or determine whether it's covered by warranty
2. Measure resting battery voltage
3. Get the truck running if possible
4. Check charging voltage to determine whether the alternator is charging properly
5. Let the truck shut down/sleep
6. Measure key-off current draw
7. If there is excessive draw, isolate the circuit by pulling fuses/disconnecting components

I've also been considering disconnecting the alternator with the battery completely disconnected first, then reconnecting the battery and seeing whether the unusual spark/smoke behavior changes.

The reasoning is that if disconnecting the alternator causes the heavy spark/smoke to disappear, a failed alternator diode could be a strong possibility. If nothing changes, I'd move on to other circuits.

I would obviously not run the engine with the alternator disconnected.

My questions

What do you guys think is most likely here?

1. Is the progression of symptoms (crank sensor code → stalling → slow starts → no-start → clock reset → total power loss) pointing more toward a charging system issue, a parasitic draw, or a failing module?
2. Is the tiny spark + puff of smoke when reconnecting the negative terminal actually concerning, or could this simply be normal arcing from the battery being reconnected?
3. Could a failed alternator diode cause enough current draw to completely kill a battery after sitting for ~2 weeks and also contribute to the earlier electrical instability?
4. Is it worth isolating the alternator first before doing a full parasitic-draw test, given the symptoms?
5. Could water sitting inside the liftgate from the missing third brake light cause a parasitic draw or short through corroded wiring/connectors?
6. Could the battery itself simply have failed, with the earlier issues (slow start, resets, stalling) being unrelated or caused by low voltage from a weak battery?
7. Is there anything else on these GMT800 Escalades that I should specifically check for a parasitic draw or electrical short given this symptom progression?

I’m trying to diagnose this before spending $200+ on a battery or replacing an alternator unnecessarily, especially since the issue seems like it may have started long before the battery fully died.

If anyone has worked on these trucks and has seen this exact combination of electrical instability → sensor code → stalling → progressive no-start → total power loss + battery drain + spark/puff at reconnect, I’d really appreciate your input.

Thanks!

Hey everyone. I’m trying to track down an electrical issue on my 2006 Cadillac Escalade with the 6.0L V8 and could really use some opinions before I start throwing parts at it.

The truck has around 210k miles and is definitely an older vehicle, so I know there could be multiple things going on.

I also want to mention upfront that I’m trying to use this vehicle as a learning project for working on cars. I know I’m not experienced yet, and I’m trying to approach this the right way instead of just guessing and replacing parts.

I also know that using AI to diagnose car problems is generally frowned upon, and I understand why. That said, I’ve been using it as a starting point for research and it has repeatedly pointed me toward a possible alternator-related parasitic draw, so I’m trying to verify that with real-world experience before I go further.

The original problem (how this started)

This all started a while back when I first got a crankshaft position sensor code.

At that time, the truck began:

• Shaking intermittently
• Occasionally shutting off while driving

The strange part is that the issue eventually went away on its own without me clearing the code or replacing anything.

After that, things slowly started getting worse over time:

• The truck began taking longer and longer to start
• Eventually it would crank but not start at all
• Then I noticed the clock reset to 12:00, which made me think the battery or power supply was dropping out completely
• After that, the vehicle eventually had no power at all

That progression is what makes me think this may not be a simple “bad battery” situation.

Current situation

The Escalade was sitting for roughly 2 weeks. When I went to use it, the battery was completely dead — no interior lights, no headlights, nothing.

The battery is an ACDelco battery. I believe it was installed relatively recently, and the sticker on the battery says 42-month replacement, although I’m still trying to figure out the exact warranty because I don't have the original service record from the shop that installed it.

I removed the battery and brought it to AutoZone. The employee there honestly seemed like he had very little idea what he was doing and almost tested the battery with the protective caps still on the terminals, which made me question the quality of the test. They still charged it for about 2 hours and then tested it, and told me the battery was dead/bad but im not sure yet (don't have a multimeter).

I'm not completely convinced the battery itself is the only issue because of the way the electrical problems progressed before it fully died.

Battery reconnection issue

After getting the battery back, I tried reconnecting it.

I connected the positive terminal first, then started connecting the negative.

The first time, the negative clamp wasn't fully seated on the post yet. While I was tightening it, I heard some clicking/sparking and saw a very small puff of white smoke from the negative connection. I immediately disconnected it.

There was no obvious burning smell.

I later tried again after letting everything sit. Again, when the negative terminal made contact, there was a snap/spark accompanied by a tiny puff of smoke. I disconnected it immediately again.

Both times, the smoke was extremely brief — basically a tiny puff occurring at the same time as the spark. It wasn't continuously smoking after the connection was made.

The battery terminals/clamps don't appear obviously damaged or melted.

I understand that a small spark when reconnecting a modern vehicle battery can be normal because modules wake up and capacitors charge, but the smoke is what concerns me.

I haven't intentionally left it connected long enough to see whether it would continue smoking.

Things that make me suspicious of a deeper electrical issue

Because of the earlier symptoms (crank sensor code, stalling, slow starts, clock reset, then total power loss), I’m wondering if something is draining or destabilizing the electrical system.

Possible suspects I’ve been considering:

• Alternator with a failed diode
• Crankshaft position sensor or related wiring issue (initial trigger?)
• Starter/starter solenoid or high-current wiring issue
• Bad battery cables/grounds
• A module staying awake and draining the system
• Water intrusion/corroded wiring
• Aftermarket electronics
• Something else on a high-current circuit

The water intrusion situation

This is another thing that recently got me thinking.

The third brake light on the liftgate is missing. There has been a wire hanging down from the opening for years.

A few weeks ago, when I opened the liftgate, I distinctly remember hearing what sounded like a lot of water sloshing around inside the liftgate itself.

So I'm wondering if water has been getting through the missing third brake light and collecting inside the liftgate.

I'm concerned there could potentially be corrosion or water damage to wiring/connectors that could cause an intermittent electrical problem or parasitic draw.

I haven't fully taken the liftgate apart yet to inspect everything.

What I have NOT done yet

I currently don't have a multimeter, although I'm planning to get one.

My original plan was:

1. Get the battery charged/tested or determine whether it's covered by warranty
2. Measure resting battery voltage
3. Get the truck running if possible
4. Check charging voltage to determine whether the alternator is charging properly
5. Let the truck shut down/sleep
6. Measure key-off current draw
7. If there is excessive draw, isolate the circuit by pulling fuses/disconnecting components

I've also been considering disconnecting the alternator with the battery completely disconnected first, then reconnecting the battery and seeing whether the unusual spark/smoke behavior changes.

The reasoning is that if disconnecting the alternator causes the heavy spark/smoke to disappear, a failed alternator diode could be a strong possibility. If nothing changes, I'd move on to other circuits.

I would obviously not run the engine with the alternator disconnected.

My questions

What do you guys think is most likely here?

1. Is the progression of symptoms (crank sensor code → stalling → slow starts → no-start → clock reset → total power loss) pointing more toward a charging system issue, a parasitic draw, or a failing module?
2. Is the tiny spark + puff of smoke when reconnecting the negative terminal actually concerning, or could this simply be normal arcing from the battery being reconnected?
3. Could a failed alternator diode cause enough current draw to completely kill a battery after sitting for ~2 weeks and also contribute to the earlier electrical instability?
4. Is it worth isolating the alternator first before doing a full parasitic-draw test, given the symptoms?
5. Could water sitting inside the liftgate from the missing third brake light cause a parasitic draw or short through corroded wiring/connectors?
6. Could the battery itself simply have failed, with the earlier issues (slow start, resets, stalling) being unrelated or caused by low voltage from a weak battery?
7. Is there anything else on these GMT800 Escalades that I should specifically check for a parasitic draw or electrical short given this symptom progression?

I’m trying to diagnose this before spending $200+ on a battery or replacing an alternator unnecessarily, especially since the issue seems like it may have started long before the battery fully died.

If anyone has worked on these trucks and has seen this exact combination of electrical instability → sensor code → stalling → progressive no-start → total power loss + battery drain + spark/puff at reconnect, I’d really appreciate your input.

Thanks!

Hey everyone. I’m trying to track down an electrical issue on my 2006 Cadillac Escalade with the 6.0L V8 and could really use some opinions before I start throwing parts at it.

The truck has around 210k miles and is definitely an older vehicle, so I know there could be multiple things going on.

I also want to mention upfront that I’m trying to use this vehicle as a learning project for working on cars. I know I’m not experienced yet, and I’m trying to approach this the right way instead of just guessing and replacing parts.

I also know that using AI to diagnose car problems is generally frowned upon, and I understand why. That said, I’ve been using it as a starting point for research and it has repeatedly pointed me toward a possible alternator-related parasitic draw, so I’m trying to verify that with real-world experience before I go further.

The original problem (how this started)

This all started a while back when I first got a crankshaft position sensor code.

At that time, the truck began:

• Shaking intermittently
• Occasionally shutting off while driving

The strange part is that the issue eventually went away on its own without me clearing the code or replacing anything.

After that, things slowly started getting worse over time:

• The truck began taking longer and longer to start
• Eventually it would crank but not start at all
• Then I noticed the clock reset to 12:00, which made me think the battery or power supply was dropping out completely
• After that, the vehicle eventually had no power at all

That progression is what makes me think this may not be a simple “bad battery” situation.

Current situation

The Escalade was sitting for roughly 2 weeks. When I went to use it, the battery was completely dead — no interior lights, no headlights, nothing.

The battery is an ACDelco battery. I believe it was installed relatively recently, and the sticker on the battery says 42-month replacement, although I’m still trying to figure out the exact warranty because I don't have the original service record from the shop that installed it.

I removed the battery and brought it to AutoZone. The employee there honestly seemed like he had very little idea what he was doing and almost tested the battery with the protective caps still on the terminals, which made me question the quality of the test. They still charged it for about 2 hours and then tested it, and told me the battery was dead/bad but im not sure yet (don't have a multimeter).

I'm not completely convinced the battery itself is the only issue because of the way the electrical problems progressed before it fully died.

Battery reconnection issue

After getting the battery back, I tried reconnecting it.

I connected the positive terminal first, then started connecting the negative.

The first time, the negative clamp wasn't fully seated on the post yet. While I was tightening it, I heard some clicking/sparking and saw a very small puff of white smoke from the negative connection. I immediately disconnected it.

There was no obvious burning smell.

I later tried again after letting everything sit. Again, when the negative terminal made contact, there was a snap/spark accompanied by a tiny puff of smoke. I disconnected it immediately again.

Both times, the smoke was extremely brief — basically a tiny puff occurring at the same time as the spark. It wasn't continuously smoking after the connection was made.

The battery terminals/clamps don't appear obviously damaged or melted.

I understand that a small spark when reconnecting a modern vehicle battery can be normal because modules wake up and capacitors charge, but the smoke is what concerns me.

I haven't intentionally left it connected long enough to see whether it would continue smoking.

Things that make me suspicious of a deeper electrical issue

Because of the earlier symptoms (crank sensor code, stalling, slow starts, clock reset, then total power loss), I’m wondering if something is draining or destabilizing the electrical system.

Possible suspects I’ve been considering:

• Alternator with a failed diode
• Crankshaft position sensor or related wiring issue (initial trigger?)
• Starter/starter solenoid or high-current wiring issue
• Bad battery cables/grounds
• A module staying awake and draining the system
• Water intrusion/corroded wiring
• Aftermarket electronics
• Something else on a high-current circuit

The water intrusion situation

This is another thing that recently got me thinking.

The third brake light on the liftgate is missing. There has been a wire hanging down from the opening for years.

A few weeks ago, when I opened the liftgate, I distinctly remember hearing what sounded like a lot of water sloshing around inside the liftgate itself.

So I'm wondering if water has been getting through the missing third brake light and collecting inside the liftgate.

I'm concerned there could potentially be corrosion or water damage to wiring/connectors that could cause an intermittent electrical problem or parasitic draw.

I haven't fully taken the liftgate apart yet to inspect everything.

What I have NOT done yet

I currently don't have a multimeter, although I'm planning to get one.

My original plan was:

1. Get the battery charged/tested or determine whether it's covered by warranty
2. Measure resting battery voltage
3. Get the truck running if possible
4. Check charging voltage to determine whether the alternator is charging properly
5. Let the truck shut down/sleep
6. Measure key-off current draw
7. If there is excessive draw, isolate the circuit by pulling fuses/disconnecting components

I've also been considering disconnecting the alternator with the battery completely disconnected first, then reconnecting the battery and seeing whether the unusual spark/smoke behavior changes.

The reasoning is that if disconnecting the alternator causes the heavy spark/smoke to disappear, a failed alternator diode could be a strong possibility. If nothing changes, I'd move on to other circuits.

I would obviously not run the engine with the alternator disconnected.

My questions

What do you guys think is most likely here?

1. Is the progression of symptoms (crank sensor code → stalling → slow starts → no-start → clock reset → total power loss) pointing more toward a charging system issue, a parasitic draw, or a failing module?
2. Is the tiny spark + puff of smoke when reconnecting the negative terminal actually concerning, or could this simply be normal arcing from the battery being reconnected?
3. Could a failed alternator diode cause enough current draw to completely kill a battery after sitting for ~2 weeks and also contribute to the earlier electrical instability?
4. Is it worth isolating the alternator first before doing a full parasitic-draw test, given the symptoms?
5. Could water sitting inside the liftgate from the missing third brake light cause a parasitic draw or short through corroded wiring/connectors?
6. Could the battery itself simply have failed, with the earlier issues (slow start, resets, stalling) being unrelated or caused by low voltage from a weak battery?
7. Is there anything else on these GMT800 Escalades that I should specifically check for a parasitic draw or electrical short given this symptom progression?

I’m trying to diagnose this before spending $200+ on a battery or replacing an alternator unnecessarily, especially since the issue seems like it may have started long before the battery fully died.

If anyone has worked on these trucks and has seen this exact combination of electrical instability → sensor code → stalling → progressive no-start → total power loss + battery drain + spark/puff at reconnect, I’d really appreciate your input.

Thanks!