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So; needing jump start at least once a day for 2004 GMC Envoy.
And EVERY time ... without fail ... I know before I put my key in, that it's not going to start: Because the rear end has sunk down over the rear tires. Front end? Is fine. If the rear end is in normal position? It will start fine. If I'm "low riding"? Dead.
I can somewhat predict when it's going to be dead if I hear a "click" through my speakers when I start the car. If my speakers "click" ... the car will be dead within the next 3 start-ups.
I wanted to buy a new battery today but I'm concerned that "something" is draining the battery while parked & it will just drain a new battery as well. Battery gauge while running is always straight up, midpoint between negative & positive.
I really hope I just need a new battery ... something tells me NO, despite the fact that I'm about as mechanically inclined as a rock.
Simple/not very involved is to have an auto parts store or mechanic do a "load test" on the battery. Parts stores will usually do this for free, but you should be decent and buy the battery from them if you use their service.
More involved is to use a multi-meter to check the drain/load on the battery when the vehicle is sitting, ideally with a meter that can log the results over time (no sense in explaining this as if you don't have the tools it won't matter, and if you have the tools you should know how to use them).
What you didn't say is how old the current battery is. I've had them fail within 2 years and last as many as 10, but my car eats them every 5 like clockwork (so long as I use OEM, else it's the 2 years mentioned ~ and yes, I've had the car for 16 years to track this). Similarly, if you're forcing your car to recharge the battery from dead, you're adding a load that was never intended to the rest of the system and not getting the most return on value for the battery. Each time it's fully discharged, it's damaged. Using a top quality smart charger can Vastly mitigate the damage, but I'm thinking you don't have this option based on the question asked.
It's possible you have 2 issues.. a bad battery AND something else. It's smart to know ahead of time too, but this is something that needs to be sorted by someone mechanically inclined (with a good understanding of 12v electrical systems, which is sadly not common).
I have no experience with Envoy rear leveling systems other than reading here, a quick web search, and my own intuition as a shade tree mechanic.
Your leveling system is running the compressor, in attempt to re level the sagging rear, until your battery is run down. Probably a leak somewhere. Maybe you can take the fuse out and see if the battery holds. Maybe there's a way to manually inflate the system.
I have never seen an air leveling system run when the engine is off, so that would be where to look for a short. Another way is to replace the leaky air shock, or plastic air tube leak, as a quick fix, so that it doesn't leak down. Probably is leaking down on one side. Should be able to soap it down and find where the leak is. Would also run it by a battery shop and have them test the battery and the alternator. The needle is straight up and I would look for it to be charging to the right.
These types of problems are entirely too simple to mess around with guesswork.
Get the battery and charging system tested by a knowledgeable tech, replace parts as required.
If there's a parasitic draw on the system, then it's not difficult to isolate which system is at fault. The hard part may be trouble shooting the component or wire that's the problem if it's buried in the car somewhere ... Depending upon which system is at fault, and specifically if it's an intermittent failure.
I have never seen an air leveling system run when the engine is off, so that would be where to look for a short. Another way is to replace the leaky air shock, or plastic air tube leak, as a quick fix, so that it doesn't leak down. Probably is leaking down on one side. Should be able to soap it down and find where the leak is. Would also run it by a battery shop and have them test the battery and the alternator. The needle is straight up and I would look for it to be charging to the right.
I had a Buick with air suspension and once the rear shocks leaked bad enough it would run constantly when the car was off. I eventually pulled the air suspension system fuse so it wouldn't run my battery down.
Really, get a multi-meter and remote starter. After turning the engine off, disconnect the '-' terminal; then run an amperage draw test on the battery to ground with the key in ignition OFF [no key]. - This will tell if you have a unsuspected battery drain.
To bypass all of your electronics and test if your starter is good, use a "remote starter" thingy...
Speakers shouldn't click - that is the sound of your starter clicking an engagement instead. If power is not enough, then the vehicle won't crank. Really, get a multimeter to check the voltage of your battery. I know my Deep Cycle batteries are fully charged at 12.7 volts, and I should not run them below 12.0 volts.
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