batteries dead after sitting 2 weeks with newer diehard platnums

[JLDickmon]

Just my take, not trying to ripple the waves...but...I grew up on a farm in a cold place "on the edge of the prairie" here in CONUS -- Dave, you can freeze a discharged battery...for sure! Been there, done that, more than once ...!!! Once discharged it's like pickle juice or vinegar and the electrolyte's specific gravity drops and it does indeed...turn into ice crystals. Charging a frozen battery is delicate, best to let it thaw first, or watch the amps unless you want an explosion. That would be ugly. And you've likely killed it for the huge CCA load we put on 'em with these engines, regardless.

Read the attached article (below)...or google this phrase, if you want to learn more about it, and to know how to protect your batteries from freezing: "freezepoint of discharged battery". If you read the Wikipedia article, you'll see mention also of sulphation of the lead plates -- hence the desulphate mode on the charger in the earlier post.

-Rich

You won't be reading it today...

Wikipedia is shut down for 24 hrs to protest SOPA/PIPA acts in Congress

 

[hrc200x]

irace: When I first got truck last year the batteries were mismatched, they went dead and one froze after sitting 2-3 weeks in cold MN winter. A couple months later I replaced both at the same time with die hard platnums and thats whats currently in truck. They had been fine up until this point, but I don't think truck has sat for 3 weeks in a row since the new batteries, and when I bought the batteries in may/april the temps here in MN are started to warm up.

I'm wondering if its normal draw from clock/radio, combined with cold weather, combined with not driving it for 3 weeks. They wern't totatly dead, but when the glow plugs came on that killed everything within a couple seconds.

If anyone has a way to test for somthing thats drawing them down I'm all ears, I believe I did the test right with the multimeter between the NEG post and NEG cable.

 

[BIG JOE]

irace: When I first got truck last year the batteries were mismatched, they went dead and one froze after sitting 2-3 weeks in cold MN winter. A couple months later I replaced both at the same time with die hard platnums and thats whats currently in truck. They had been fine up until this point, but I don't think truck has sat for 3 weeks in a row since the new batteries, and when I bought the batteries in may/april the temps here in MN are started to warm up.

>>I'm wondering if its normal draw from clock/radio, combined with cold weather, combined with not driving it for 3 weeks. They wern't totatly dead, but when the glow plugs came on that killed everything within a couple seconds.<<

If anyone has a way to test for somthing thats drawing them down I'm all ears, I believe I did the test right with the multimeter between the NEG post and NEG cable.

I don't remember the Tech side of this but.. IIRC, a prolonged, static, paracidic mili-amp draw (3 weeks ?) will/can effect the Amps and CCA's.. seems like then.. a 200+ amp Glow Plug (surge) draw.. followed by a Start draw, could be the answer to your issue ?

As allready mentioned.. a Battery Minder, to keep the Charge level Up, and the Freeze level Down.. might be the simple Fix ?

Worth a Shot ?

Joe

 

[hrc200x]

I don't remember the Tech side of this but.. IIRC, a prolonged, static, paracidic mili-amp draw (3 weeks ?) will/can effect the Amps and CCA's.. seems like then.. a 200+ amp Glow Plug (surge) draw.. followed by a Start draw, could be the answer to your issue ?

As allready mentioned.. a Battery Minder, to keep the Charge level Up, and the Freeze level Down.. might be the simple Fix ?

Worth a Shot ?

Joe

I'd guess all those things plus colder weather could lead to my problem. I'm sure these newer vehicles have a larger miliamp draw even if nothing is wrong compared to vehicles from the 80s (which is what I'm used to). Power programers, Power heated seats, power peddles, mirrors, windows, locks, etc.

Is the word paracidic refering to somthing that is wrong in the electrical system using power when it shouldn't be? If so I'd like to find what it is.

Friend of mine has a '99 chevy 1/2 ton pickup that had somthing drawing, I belive over night battery would be dead. He got lucky and when it was sitting in his garage with no music or other garage noises he heard a clicking comming from the power seat. Come to find out the switch to move the seat was stuck and kept feeding the motor. From what I remember he thinks the motor would give power for a short peroid then quit because the seat was moved all the way, then motor would try again, kept going till battery was dead.

 

[DaveBen]

Three weeks is too long to go between running the truck. Two weeks is just about the longest you would want to go in winter.

Dave

 

[BIG JOE]

[Parasitic].. might have been a bad word choice, but ANY voltage draw, Key Off, could be labeled as Parasitic. the Clock, Radio pre-sets, anything with a memory... pulls some level, albeit small.. Voltage & Amps.

Anything Aftermarket, like Sound systems (?) combined with what OEM options Ford installed in your PSD.. also adds to it. (the key off, draw)

OE Alternators are a known issue, when a Diode goes bad. The AIH relay can be a suspect too.

But as I said.. Prolonged, even Milliamp/Voltage draws.. in cold weather, can, and will eventually have, a negative effect on a Battery(s).. State Of Charge.

I'm think'n thats where yer at.

My .03 to you would be: Put a Battery Minder on it..Plug the block heater in for 2-3 hours and Start it every few days. Drive it around till it warms up good.

Dead Batts aren't the only thing that goes bad during Non-Use.. seals and gaskets shrink up... then.. when things pressurize and expand..... All Kinds Of Gremlins can pop up. (and out )

Joe

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Sounds like a parasitic draw. If I remember correctly on these trucks its typically the alternator.

That is a very possible cause for an otherwise elusive parasitic power drain.

There are several diodes in an alternator. If even one is getting weak, it may back feed causing a power drain.

There a couple ways to test them. One is to disconnect the +/pos lead from the alternator. If the power drain goes away, then you know that you've greatly narrowed it down.

The better way is to open the alternator housing and disconnect the diode leads. Then check each diode with an ohm meter. You should get a reading one way, but not the other when you reverse the ohm meter leads. If you get a reading in both directions, that diode is bad.

Damn, that second way sounds just like an oral exam I got from my professor when I was still in school!!

 

[BIG DUTY]

The Diehard Platinum Batteries are AGM batteries. This means absorbed glass mat. You will not be able to hear them "sloshing". The liquid in the battery is absorbed, similar to a gel battery like optima. This is why these batteries are more resistant to vibration/ shock and can ge mounted on their side without leaking.

 

[hrc200x]

My battery drain is still happening, finally I'm attemping to fix it. I looked up videos on youtube, they say to put the multimeter between the NEG battery post and NEG battery cable and set it to milliamps. 50 and below milliamps is acceptable. While the meter is hooked up start pulling fuses to pinpoint what circuit the drain is on. When the meter drops to an acceptable level you have an idea where to start looking. So I did this, my milliamps were around 150. It seems that fuses # 12, 34, 35 are potentily causing the issue. According to the manual #12 is cig lighter/obd II. So i pulled that fuse out and left it out. Got to fuse 34 and 35 and when pulling them it would take the meter a few seconds before it would go down which seemed strange. #34 is brake on-off switch and 35 is instrument cluster. If brake on off switch is the brake light switch what is the difference between that and fuse #18 which the manual says is turn lamps/brake on off switch (high)? I would have done more troubleshooting but I bumped the power seat switch and blew the fuse in my meter.

Does anyone know if the sensors and other stuff on the engine go through fuses? Or should all sensors be "dead" with key off?

I still havn't ruled out the alternator, if I unplug both the large red wire and two smaller wires to the alternator will power still fully flow to the cab/fuse pannel?

Where does the large red wire on the alternator come from?

 

[DaveBen]

Everything on your truck is fused or runs through a fuse link. The battery is the central point from which all electrical power is drawn. The alternator puts power into the battery and all the rest draw power from the battery. Removing the leads to the alternator will isolate the alternator form the electrical system and will tell you if the alternator is the problem.

Dave