PLEASE HELP! Did big 3 and now battery is dead!

[afrakes]

Double checked the entire install today, everything looks fine in my eyes. But like others and you have said, I need to load test it. Didn't have the ability to do it today but I'm actually going to have it tested tomorrow after work. If I need a new battery, then so be it. It still just baffles me why this could have happened.

Only thing I can think of now is that when I plugged the amp in to make sure it powered up, that was the first time th truck wouldn't start. Thinking that fusing that run to the back somehow caused my battery to unload when I reconnected the battery. I disconnected the battery, wired up the amp, inserted fuse, reconnected battery ground, then went to start the truck. Which was the first time my battery dropped down lowwwww

[Bayuk89]

You should really do a slow trickle charge for about 10 to 12 hrs to fully get that batteries life back . Hope it all works out . A rule I've always been told by old techs is you can fully drain and recharge a battery 3 times before its done.

^^^^^^ Agreed all of our scissor lifts at work have built in 15 amp 24volt trickle chargers

your getting a "better" battery charge when u do it slow and allows the battery to "absorb" the current better verses a fast 50 amp+ charge because that is forcing current in.

A 100% fully charged standard battery should be resting around 12.5-12.7 volts but like i said u can have the volts of a good battery but if ur battery pleats are deteriating u wont have the amps. Standard lead acid batteries have 6 2volt pleats and the pleat thickness determind ur amperage output. Over time with vibration and hot and cold weather ur pleats deteriate and ur battery starts to lose amperage output and ability to take and hold a charge. I replaced a guys battery in his skidsteer even though it was 3 weeks old, his son dropped the battery on the ground while installing it and the shock from the drop broke one of the pleats loose inside (i draind the water out and cut the top of the battery open) Hope you get this fix man let us know what u find out

[afrakes]

So went back down to Napa today. Had the battery load tested. All cells read normal/working, and the battery apparently had 50%capacity. The battery also tested to put out 550 ccas as compared to the 725 it was rated for. Also found out the battery IS NOT 3 years past expiration, turns out the only date they put on this battery was the purchase date, so it's 3 years old.

So then I pulled the alt and had that bench tested. Normal.

So I found a good deal on a new battery and jumped on a diehard advanced gold agm group 78. It was a very tight fit but got the battery dropped in with no cutting of the tray! Rated at 775 cca and 55ah.

As it stands right now nothing has changed from before besides the fact that everything has been pulled/reinstalled plus the new battery. The run of positive 1/0 I ran from batt to alt is reconnected without a fuse. So if everything holds up well I am going to pop that fuse back in there and see if any issues arise. I'll be back if so.

[MrSkippyJ]

You have an electrical issue so you re-ran wires without fuses?

[3vil]

Did you say that there is currently no connection between your alts output and the battery positive, because you pulled the fuse?

[afrakes]

Did you say that there is currently no connection between your alts output and the battery positive, because you pulled the fuse?

No. I pulled the fuse on my upgraded big 3 positive cable. The stock electrical is still the same. Battery is receiving the alternators voltage just fine. There's no equipment/amps in the vehicle. I'm having (at least had) minor parasitic draw issues as well. Just trying to make sure it's not my positive run I made. The whole story here is described over the past few pages.

[afrakes]

You have an electrical issue so you re-ran wires without fuses?

I didn't re run anything. Sorry I worded that funny. When I pulled the battery and alt to get bench tested every new connection I made was pulled (minus my new volt meter) and inspected. Then reconnected again when I reinstalled my battery and alt.

[MrSkippyJ]

Ok good

[3vil]

Well if everything is looking good now, and you do not have any low current drains on the batt, you should be ok. I'm willing to bet you left a dome light on, or a something else small like that, and that's what caused all your issues in the first place. You were working on the electrical so that's why you're trying to blame the big 3, but as long as installed everything correctly then it shouldn't be the problem. Sometimes stupid little things go wrong while doing something completed unrelated, but you want to draw a connection because "everything worked before i messed with..."

[Ron36]

Good point if u left the doors open while doing big 3 depending on how long it took could have drained the battery. Everything good now trucks starts ok?