Columbia can't keep a charge

2013 FL cascadia. new batteries 4 months ago. new starter 3 weeks ago. my truck would crank and start with 11.85 on the dash. before batteries and starter got replaced.

the op stated 12 volts on dash AFTER 12 hours sitting. that don't mean the alternator is bad. could be a battery drain.

that $30 tool to test batteries isn't good enough for cars. let alone trucks. it only pulls 100 amps. to accurately test truck batteries you need 410 amps pull. although, that tool will work just fine, for a battery that's totally junk.

can't test the electrolyte. batteries are sealed these days.

what does the dash voltmeter read with engine running??? what does voltmeter read with ALL accessories turned on. should be 14 or slightly above. if it drops with accessories turn on. that's a sign the alternator is on it's way out.

the alternator should be able to charge, at an idle. it should be able to run all accessories and still maintain .5 volt to charge the batteries. full battery voltage is typically 12.6 volts. + .5 volts means you need a minimum of 13.1 volts from the alternator at an idle. although, with todays alternators. generally, if voltage drops as accessories are turned on. it's having a hard time keeping up.

if one battery has a bad cell, that's a huge draw on the alternator. and will also cause a drain when the truck is shut down. which is what sounds like the op's problem. his batteries are draining for some reason. and his case sounds bad enough, that whatever the problem is. will destroy the life span of them new batteries.

the op mentions THREE trucks. is this a problem on all 3 trucks???? either he needs to find another store for better quality batteries. or all 3 trucks have something rigged that's killing the batteries. like a fridge for instance. there's also the possibility of them newer batteries not being 1000 amp truck batteries. maybe someone went cheap and put 2 car batteries in. 500 amps a peace.

my truck will start at 11.85 volts. op needs a jump at 12 volts. might need to have the starter motor itself tested out for old age also. starter motor could be pulling more amps then it's supposed to. meaning it's on it's way of going out also.

the op's problem sounds like a battery drain. one post mentioned bad cell.

 

Snowwy, I don't want to argue with you but I've used a load tester on probably fifty different trucks and it works just fine.

 

Excellent post. He's correct in everything he said especially about the large battery tester. Waltz into any garage and see what they test your truck battery with. It's about the size of a brief case. The mechanic will program it for your battery size and do the test. Ask him how many amps. It will be about 400 to 500.

You are correct with the small hand held one. If your battery is toast it will show that but to test if it really has the power to start a truck you need the larger tester.

 

remember that you can't clip the ends of your tester to the posts.you must clip on to the base of the post where it meets the plastic top of the battery.your battery cable ends do not get power/ground from the posts,but at the base of the posts.good luck.

 

WHAT?!?!?! That's ridiculous

 

Uh Go to your battery box and make sure that all the positive and negatives are hooked together and while cranking the truck up rev it for about 3-4 mins a lot to do with grandpa have a century class 10spd cummins n14

 

didn't say the machine dn't work just fine, i said it's not the proper tool. so go ahead and argue.

to do the proper test. you need a machine that pulls down HALF the amps the battery is rated at. truck batteries are rated at 925 amps. you need to pull down 410 amps. for 15 seconds. battery shouldn't drop below 11 volts. the starter motor itself pulls down around 350 amps.

car batteries are generally rated for 500 CCA. you need 250 amps for 15 seconds. my 4 cylinder car pulls 80 amps. my uncles v8 truck pulls 120 amps.

if you have the old harborfreight tool for $30. it was only 50 amps. the new tool is now 100 amps. unless the battery is totally junk. it's going to pass with that weak tool.

BTW. i have the 100 amp tool. and it can't take 15 seconds. it'll melt. one of these days i'm going to buy the $60 tool. it'll pull 500 amps. but the quality is anyones guess. it's also a good diagnostic tool to test amp output of the alternator.

here's an example of how to load test batteries. i say example becuase the chart is somewhat misleading. the battery can't technically go below 11 volts for a good test. 11 volts is minimum what you need to get your vehicle started. anythng lower will result in crank but no start. voltage isn't high enough to provide spark while cranking. yes, your voltage drops while cranking.

https://www.pacificpowerbatteries.com/aboutbatts/Car Battery FAQ/carfaq4.html

 

here's the correct tool for the job. it can also test alternator amp output.

http://www.harborfreight.com/500-amp-carbon-pile-load-tester-91129.html


this tool. is not. and can't test alternators.

http://www.harborfreight.com/100-amp-6-volt12-volt-battery-load-tester-69888-9193.html

 

snowwy is right. I also learned this a while ago. Tested batteries with hand held one and they tested fine and was looking for a different problem until my mechanic did the test with the correct tester.

 

Not rediculous. The studs are steel and the lead is molded around them. The studs can (and do) come loose. When you disconnect the cables, you have a very good chance of having a poor connection at the stud that can show a bad battery. You want to use the lead base to get good consistent readings. Once the nuts are tight, the stud has a good connection, but not loose.

Also, if you're using an impedance load tester, the battery needs to be clean and dry. Water and dirt on the battery can conduct and skew readings.