Batteries are dead

[RustyOO7]

On Wednesday of this week my 1999 6.5 Chevy was slow to crank. The starter was lagging. I immediately when to the terminals and discovered they were not tight. That night I disconnected and cleaned all the terminals and reassembled. No corrosion build up. The truck then started ok as it was hot. I expected the alternator to be in a overcharge position but is was below 12. Tough to read the "number" on the gauge

Yesterday I went to start the truck and it was dead. I mean the light in the engine bay was not even a faint glimmer.

Any way by connecting a dead battery it could drain the other working one?

The batteries are from 2006 September. Both replaced at the same time.

 

[ak diesel driver]

sounds like it's time for new batts. make sure you double check all grounds and connections before you condemn them.

 

[JMJNet]

Battery usually last about 3-4 years. In rare occasions, they last longer than that. So, yes, you probably need new ones.

Yes, the bad one usually take out the good one.

Make sure you get 2 batteries even though one may be better than the other one.

 

[RustyOO7]

I just installed two fresh batteries 850CCA. Truck started as per usual. Volt meter is in the usual position, one small line over 14Amp on the gauge.

One battery had moister at the top. Case did not appear cracked however fluid appeared to have come from the cap.

Lets see if the batteries keep at the correct charge so I can eliminate a short or a problem with the alternator or ?.

I am truly amazed that one battery could take out the other like that! On the Voltmeter I am getting 4 or 5 volts.

Also should the 4 or 5 volts be enough to power a faint glow from the engine bay light?

Thanks for your help

 

[JMJNet]

Check the battery connections and the cable especially the one connecting the 2 batteries. They can be corroded inside.
Also make sure all your grounds are clean, there is a pictorial thread by TurbineDoc in the Technical library on where all the grounds are located.

Also, there is a battery terminal mod in the Tech Library that you may want to do. This will improve the reliability of side post cable mounting.

Is the moisture on the new battery, if so, you should ask for replacement immediately.

 

[RustyOO7]

"One battery had moister at the top. Case did not appear cracked however fluid appeared to have come from the cap" Whoops! The comment was for the old removed battery not the new replacements.

I will check the tech library. Might be time to do the battery mod now. I had more trouble connecting the AC Delco Batteries than my Costco replacements. The AC Delco cases would crack and leak like a sieve. There would then be considerable buildup (Acid Snow) at the terminals especially the positive connection at the passenger battery from the drivers. The replacements and the last set were Costco and do not leak.

 

[Turbine Doc]

IMO every vehicle owner should have one of these, eliminates a LOT of guesswork, they come in various price ranges and can be bought at various places, but to know if your battery is up to snuff you have to put a load on it. Harbor freight sells this one, it is a basic unit and will tell you if battery is on it's way out, you can always carry to Auto zone or another for a detailed load test.

Since modern vehicles and "fly by wire" systems via PCM control are voltage dependent you need one for vehicles with a single battery as well.

 

[Turbine Doc]

Rusty while at it go ahead and have the alternator tested it only takes about 5-10 minutes to get it out, poor charging can make a battery die early, also how old is your serp belt, one that is at full limit of travel can slip the pulley a little and give poor charging.

GNDs GNDs GNDs have you checked them all of them, also another culprit of early battery death, depending on batts 3 years may have been a good run, I like the Duralast golds as if they die early there is generally enough prorated warranty left in it to pay for one of the pair.

I always replace in pairs, of same mfg lot even if I have to wait for 2 new ones to come in, which may be anal, but I want mine to age at same rate.

 

[Turbine Doc]

Dang JMJ I didn't see that you had already advised on the gnd message good on ya thanks :thumbsup:

 

[RustyOO7]

Wow great information guys. Very Very Helpful.

My belt was replaced April 2009. It appears new tight with little wear. I checked the alternator by testing with my voltmeter with the engine off 11V and then runnign at 13V. The Alternator is original 1999, or my maintenance records are incomplete. The last set of batteries were replaced as a set and they were rated 800 CCA. I can't find a local retailer for Duragold up here on Vancouver Island.

My next chore is to check the grounds

Thanks

Rusty

 

[Turbine Doc]

Rusty you may already know this some others may not.

Volt meter will only give you the state of the surface charge of the battery, it needs to be tested with a load, same with your alternator.

Think of it as trickle charge vs full charge still 12v read at the meter, but only mV of charging current being produced, the voltage regulator of the alt needs to be checked for ability to charge at load, GM alts are not the most robust of alts.

Bad batts kill or weaken an alt as for a while they will try to keep compromised batts alive and also try to keep the vehicle load supplied as well. Think of an air compressor tank, compressor fills the tank and air is used up the compressor maintains on and off cycling to keep up with the demand, bleed down the tank completely and your compressor works it's tail off to meet the demand until it is so over worked the motor trips a breaker on overload, or compressor mechanically it slap wears itself out.

To an extent your charging system is similar to that, batteries being the air tank to store up energy for times of high current demand, ergo glows/starter, dirty plates in the battery and they won't take the charge, dirty connections on gnd & positive cables trons dont flow well, sort of like a pinched off air hose letting pressure by but volume is down.

Or in case of trons volts are there, amps aren't look at the wires coming out of the battery big, look at wires in the alt small, and the single wire charging the batt also small, when you try to pass a lot of tron amps through too small a wire something has gotta give usually it is the voltage regulator section of an alternator.

When I have battery/charging issues I just check everything at one time rather than chase the dragon, batts-to belts-to alts-to gnds, make a day of it and go through your entire system.

It's easy enough job to remove and take for test, oh if you do find the alt is bad, make sure the pulley on replacement alt is same size as old alt as the tach signal on the dash comes from the alt. wrong size alt and indicated engine speed will be off. PCM does not care as it monitors speed from crank sensor in the engine.

 

[Turbine Doc]

Wow great information guys. Very Very Helpful.

My belt was replaced April 2009. It appears new tight with little wear.

What does the tensioner show for wear in middle of the range or at far end, reason I ask, brand new gator back on mine within a week was stretched too long, I'm finding that some of the former good belt makers like Goodyear are outsourcing belts and the rubber compounds are not holding up.

I did not realize until you made mention of it you were North of the border, one of the Canadian guys can weigh in what is a good place to get good batts in Canada.

Johnson Controls makes the lions share of batteries in the USA I would suspect similar for Canada, they just brand them differently, same battery inside different markings on outside, with different warranty coverage depending who's label ultimately winds up on the battery?

 

[RustyOO7]

Ok

Here is a picture of the tensioner. I don't know how to read the results but I would assume either they are really good or really bad.

 

[Turbine Doc]

Rusty if I'm looking at it correctly it is out of range loose, check this thread http://www.thetruckstop.us/forum/showthread.php?t=14784&highlight=tensioner

 

[Turbine Doc]

your join date shows April 2009 join date but your post count is low, are you on here very much, I don't recall seeing you on much, with that I'll re welcome you to the forum, :welcome5:

BTW has anybody shown you how do an effective topic search ??? it's a handy feature to use when nobody else may be on the forum we might already have some helpful info already posted if you need help in a hurry.