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BOTH Batteries dead in two years?
- Thread starter ccmartin2
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I highly recommend putting the truck on a trickle charger when its going to sit for more than a few days to help battery life. I like the NOCO Genius series of chargers since they only charge when the battery needs the charge, unlike many trickly chargers, so the batteries aren't at risk of overcharge. I have found the 5A version to be more than adequate.
H3LZSN1P3R
You're doing it wrong
My 19 is still running the OEM batteries and they test strong, never been on a maintainer and the truck has a plow on it 3-4 months out of the year.
That is exactly what is happening, but the grid heater light only illuminates before startup, it will not illuminate as the heater cycles during warmup.
ON the older trucks it used to dim the cluster lights/interior lights when it would cycle.
This thread has me a bit concerned. I regularly leave the truck unplugged and outside for 5-7 days at the cabin while we snowmobile. My 4th gen had the original batteries 8 years in at 140k and never missed a beat.
H3LZSN1P3R
You're doing it wrong
It still dims the lights on the newer trucks if you have halogens. I have dual 220A alternators and you can still see it dim slightly when the heater kicks on.
oledirteh
Well-Known Member
If you have a interstate battery warehouse local, you can go right to the warehouse and they give you 50$ off each battery.
At least they do here.
At least they do here.
Great White North Eh
Squish Cat - And So
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There is also the electrical draw from the 6000 giga-watt cabin heater …but I love it so. Took my daughter to dance class at -15C IN THE 12 Diesel the other day and she complained she froze halfway to town. Told her back when I was a kid the ice didn’t even melt out of the farm trucks floorboards until spring each year. Got the look 
. Society is soft now me thinks.
. Society is soft now me thinks.
CdnHO
Well-Known Member
Exacty what I do. I did find the 5 amp NOCO painfully slow and ended up putting it in my 2012 Honda Accord when it is stored for each winter. Put a 10 amp in the truck. Batteries left idle at a higher state of charge will last longer.
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Interesting you found it slow, that indicates that your batteries are at a low SOC when you hook the trickle charger up.
H3LZSN1P3R
You're doing it wrong
There is something up with the batteries then my 5 amp keeps my 2 4D batteries topped up fairly quickly
Thorvald
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You guys aren’t kidding about the dimming. Now that I have the voltmeter of all the time I can see that even in above zero temperatures, it’ll bring the batteries down into the mid 11 V range while cranking the engine. It then hovers around 12 to 12.5 V for a few seconds before some relay kicks in and the alternator starts providing power back up to 13 and change volts and one’s driving 14 to 14.4.
Thorvald
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For battery charging and storage/maintaining, I am a Victron fan, I went through years of all the crappy junk battery tenders out there. At the moment I use the 10 Amp version as it’s a good balance between cost and performance.
www.victronenergy.com
Uses the same Victron app that one would use for our trailers and home solar systems. So, from inside the house, I can pull up the app and check the voltage, graph, battery status, etc. via the Bluetooth connection. All our cars that we store for the winter we have these connected.
Blue Smart IP65 Charger | Victron Energy
The Blue Smart IP65 Charger is the new professional battery charger with built-in bluetooth. Find a Victron Energy dealer near you.
www.victronenergy.com
Uses the same Victron app that one would use for our trailers and home solar systems. So, from inside the house, I can pull up the app and check the voltage, graph, battery status, etc. via the Bluetooth connection. All our cars that we store for the winter we have these connected.
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For battery charging and storage/maintaining, I am a Victron fan, I went through years of all the crappy junk battery tenders out there. At the moment I use the 10 Amp version as it’s a good balance between cost and performance.
Blue Smart IP65 Charger | Victron Energy
The Blue Smart IP65 Charger is the new professional battery charger with built-in bluetooth. Find a Victron Energy dealer near you.
Uses the same Victron app that one would use for our trailers and home solar systems. So, from inside the house, I can pull up the app and check the voltage, graph, battery status, etc. via the Bluetooth connection. All our cars that we store for the winter we have these connected.
I’m also a victron fan, but don’t use their maintainers because they never remove the charge voltage fully like the NOCO Genius does.
CdnHO
Well-Known Member
In hindsight when I was using the 5 amp, I am pretty sure the batteries were on their way out. Although at the two year mark, I did not count on batteries being bad. So I installed the 10 amp back then. Now I have two new AGMs so the 5 amp might work with them. My use of the truck is somewhat unpredictable since it is my grocery getter and for getting around when we spend the winter in the south. I usually start up the charger if the truck has been sitting more than three or four days. During the summer the truck sits on the charger most of the time.
My 19 is still on original batteries and no issue (knock on wood). As I've mentioned many times before I don't drive this truck once the snow falls, it stays parked until the spring and on the battery tender (CTEK).
Just bought a few 1A NOCO tenders on huge sale, one will stay on my ATV and one on my 15 RAM, don't tell me it ain't enough to maintain the batteries when truck isn't in use??
Just bought a few 1A NOCO tenders on huge sale, one will stay on my ATV and one on my 15 RAM, don't tell me it ain't enough to maintain the batteries when truck isn't in use??
H3LZSN1P3R
You're doing it wrong
Its plenty fine to keep the batteries topped off
Thorvald
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Forgot to mention something else, when I pulled the batteries the tray beneath was full of thick ice. This goes back to the old problem of the emblems on the hood letting water into the hood and engine bay.
The battery tray has a bunch of cavities and braces for strength but they also create water traps. I drilled small holes in each cavity to allow the water to drain (have to be damn careful and tape your bit so it doesn’t go too far or you might find a wiring harness under there lol!). I suspect once the water filled the tray it would spill over but I wasn’t taking a chance a $350 battery could get it’s case split.
The battery tray has a bunch of cavities and braces for strength but they also create water traps. I drilled small holes in each cavity to allow the water to drain (have to be damn careful and tape your bit so it doesn’t go too far or you might find a wiring harness under there lol!). I suspect once the water filled the tray it would spill over but I wasn’t taking a chance a $350 battery could get it’s case split.
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H3LZSN1P3R
You're doing it wrong
But now if you have a battery leak it will damage whatever is below it.