Dead Batterys

[chipola]

Yeah i know pics. These are not related to the subject but i thought you might like to see them. The first three are of the cole coming home to her birthplace.Sad .The size of that hole wish i could have pics of that to show but thats a no,no. The second is sis don.t she look proud at orlando 77. Third and final pic i hope some of you old swabies will know her. i was late getting there, i'd estimate about a 50,000 came to see her go.I know the pic is terrible i was proud of her i worked on her for 2yrs.I'll give you a hint FDR's BIG STICK Now back to subject has any body determined why the batterys go dead so quickly even new ones. Is there a prevalent short of some kind .I've heard alot of motorpools had this problem.I guess i'm asking is there a fix . dud

 

[drgreg]

Have not had that problem.

 

[emr]

Have ALOT of battery experience never heard of a problem that was not in the truck with these batts, I have 14 mil 6 tls, and 8 regular batts that i run all year, Im getting 8 years plus from the ones i get for the oldest so far, all others are up and charged , I always keep up on maintenence and always take em out and clean em at least once a year and individually charge em up, and test em, a fully charged batt will not sulphate, well technically they all will eventually, but not noticable, batts left for 4 days should be on a maintainer, there are so many posts on this its worth reading em all, A cold batt or a hot bat will sulphate faster , batts like the low 70 degree range fully charged to live the longest, but a good charger/maintainer/desulphator is every batts best friend....if one has a very small short , and they trickle down they are not just a nuicence they are sulphating the crap out of ones batts because they do not want to be low, for any period of time, and severly shortening the life of the batts too...

 

[G-Force]

Charge your batteries up and then start the truck to verify the alternator is working. If so, shut it down and disconnect the 24 + cable and put a test light in series between the post and the cable end (preferably a 24 volt test light). If the light lights even dimly then you have a draw on the batteries. Now go and start disconnecting wires until the light goes out. My bet is you have a bad rectifier in your alternator.

 

[Keith_J]

The most damage is from partial charging. Batteries discharge by turning lead/lead oxide into lead sulfate. In return, the sulfuric acid electrolyte decreases in H2SO4 concentration, the lead oxide "gives up" the oxygen while the H2SO4 "gives up" hydrogen, forming water.

In the recharge process, the lead sulfate turns back into sulfuric acid and lead/lead oxide, for the most part. Larger crystals of lead sulfate form, these are more resistant to the charging process since lead sulfate doesn't conduct electricity too well. Over time, these crystals build up, making the battery weak. The battery can be charged per the voltage output BUT after disconnecting, the voltage drops. The worst offender is letting discharged batteries sit without charging. And same with slow self-discharge. Do you wonder why seldom used vehicles have issues?

Most old style chargers cannot detect this "false peak". Newer "intelligent" chargers do, like Deltran's products.

By the way, military batteries are shipped dry charged to prevent self-discharge. The plates are loaded with lead/lead oxide and the electrolyte is shipped separately.

So, what to do? First, get a GOOD hydrometer. The optical refractive index kind are most accurate as they are temperature compensated. And get a good battery charger/maintainer. Hook it up and monitor.

 

[wreckerman893]

One of the biggest battery drainers is people that don't know if the the power switch is left in the "ON" position the air warning buzzer will come on and drain the batteries.
Years ago one of the checks we had as CQ (Charge of Quarters) was to cruise through the Motor Pool and listen for the BUZZZZZZZZ that indicated that "Joe Snuffy" had left the switch on.
That is the reason a lot of vehicles at GL locations have dead batteries. The last time I was at Redstone I turned two switches off after hearing the buzzers.

 

[chipola]

good info

A lot of good info i will make good use of it, Thanks dud

 

[emr]

The most damage is from partial charging. Batteries discharge by turning lead/lead oxide into lead sulfate. In return, the sulfuric acid electrolyte decreases in H2SO4 concentration, the lead oxide "gives up" the oxygen while the H2SO4 "gives up" hydrogen, forming water.

In the recharge process, the lead sulfate turns back into sulfuric acid and lead/lead oxide, for the most part. Larger crystals of lead sulfate form, these are more resistant to the charging process since lead sulfate doesn't conduct electricity too well. Over time, these crystals build up, making the battery weak. The battery can be charged per the voltage output BUT after disconnecting, the voltage drops. The worst offender is letting discharged batteries sit without charging. And same with slow self-discharge. Do you wonder why seldom used vehicles have issues?

Most old style chargers cannot detect this "false peak". Newer "intelligent" chargers do, like Deltran's products.

By the way, military batteries are shipped dry charged to prevent self-discharge. The plates are loaded with lead/lead oxide and the electrolyte is shipped separately.

So, what to do? First, get a GOOD hydrometer. The optical refractive index kind are most accurate as they are temperature compensated. And get a good battery charger/maintainer. Hook it up and monitor.

... I LOVE this kinda talk, i am printing it all, Nice Job, i LOVE learning new technical stuff !!That false peak can be a real pain when one does not understand that this can happen I learned the hard way for many years, A Batt can show full on a old/cheapo charger and be dead. Charge all batts individually wait a day, and test with hydrometer, if the hydrometer is old, fill it and let it sit for a little, then use it, use batts together that show equal on testing or U are shortening the life of both,.

 

[tmbrwolf]

We have a problem with fire departments tapping the rear battery for 12V accessories, it causes the rear battery to go flat and the front to overcharge. Another common problem is a bad alternator regulator, or rectifier diode.

 

[cranetruck]

Would be nice to be able to rebuild batteries....remove old plates and drop new ones in....yes, I know sulfuric acid, but still.