Cadillac Repair: this is not about cadillac..., electric door locks, gmc safari

Question
this is not about cadillac but GMC safari van(GM Product).
battery went totally dead.
replace with new battery.
when reading on batteries on internet i came across statement that said electrical shorts could cause bad battery.
i remembered that prior to battery going bad the electric door locks in van seem to start popping up and down with no one touching button?  i wondered after reading about batteries if this was a short or just a indication battery power was low or what? never had this happen before.
thought about checking alternator too.
Please offer your thoughts
Thanks,
S Hill

Answer
The power door lock relay or other device within the electrical system is drawing to much amperage from the battery thus cayusing the battery to go flat.

maximum amperage draw froma battery when the vehicle is parked over night is 0.50 (1/2 amp).

Your most likely suspect is that either the door lock relay or the door lock switch has an intermittent fault causing the power door locks to lock and unlock over night.

What you can try is to make sure that the battery is fullly charged and just after you park it for the night REMOVE the DOOR LOCK FUSE and see if your problem is resolved.


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