Is it a battery problem or starter??

They can check the alternator, but not the batteries. He'll have to disconnect all the batteries expect one for starting. Easy enough to do, but don't buy your batteries from the parts house. They are too expensive and they won't have stud post batteries. Try to find blem batteries in your area if you need new ones.

 

I have had them check my batteries in my trucks. All you need to do is disconnect the cables and they can check them just as well as any shop. Most of them also sell truck batteries. I bought a couple of batteries from O'Reilly's last year for about $90 each. I also have a local International dealer who sells Exide batteries for $74.99. Some of the parts stores will negotiate a better price on truck batteries. I prefer buying them from my local dealer unless I get in a bind and have to buy one on the road. I try to stay away from having to buy one from a truck stop. They are way over priced.

 

I just put 4 brand new 100.00 battries in my truck.I still have this ''starting issue'' only in the cold months..In the summer i have NO ISSUES..So i have to look into this a bit deeper.

 

I have also bought blem batteries from a local battery dealer. They didn't last very long. I think he charges $55 each. For the difference in price, I would prefer going to my local International dealer. But, if you are in a financial crunch, the blems will work for a while. Most of the time the blems only have a 90 day warranty and if you have a problem on the road with them, you won't likely be able to get any warranty covered. I think O'Reilly's has a 18 month replacement warranty and the Exide batteries are good for 12 months. I would expect that you could go to any International dealer who could warranty them as long as you purchased them from another dealer. Sometimes the cheapest isn't the best. In fact, you can sometimes pay more in the long run for cheaper than if you pay a little more in the beginning.

 

Even a new battery can be weak. Sometimes you can get a dud. I would check all of them to make sure they are in good shape. I would also check connections and for corrosion. It takes more power to turn over an engine in cold weather than in warm.

 

WOW...

About as bad of information as I have heard in a while on here.

Parts houses aren't always any more expensive than an outlet store.

Due your due diligence and call around for the best deal. It's the only way to find a good price.

Starting batteries SUCK in trucks for the very reason that the WRONG type of battery is being used.

They do not have the reserve capacity or the CCA to do the job if you simply use a Group 31 starting battery. Especially a 750 CCA battery that so many shops WANT to sell you.

With the constant draw that people have on them with inverters (loaded with capacitors) and the coolers/computers/ecms etc that are installed in trucks, they take a LARGE reserve capacity to last any amount of time.

With the cold weather, you demand a LARGE cold cranking amps to still start that cold block of steel in the morning.

Together, those two are conflicting demands on a battery. You can't have both unless you get rather large batteries installed.

There is something to be said for those monster 6 volts wired in series/parallel.

 

I try to find 1,000 cca batteries. You should have at least 925 cca for these big trucks. It takes a lot of energy to start a class 8 truck.

 

your starter is probably "dragging"get a volt meter.put the probes on the battery posts.keep an eye on reading.i.e.if it reads 14v at rest,it should not drop more than 3 volts while cranking.if it does,your starter is dragging down the battery voltage or you have a bad ground cable from starter to frame rail.good luck.

 

they won't have stud post batteries. Original poster is in CANADA their AUTO supply stores actually sell HD Truck Batteries