I just had my truck load tested and it passed, it started up a few times with no problems once I jumped it to get to the station. But when its below zero and the first start of the day it wont start. When I try to start the truck it will crank slow then nothing. I used my battery charger each time and it starts right up. I think the cold cranking amps are bad. Can a load test be wrong? I haven't tested the starter yet. The battery is 5 years old.

 

It could be your alternator, but from how you described it it sounds unlikely. If that were the case it would quit soon after you started it. 5 years is a good life for a battery, so it could be getting weak. When you tested it, had you just shut the truck off? Try letting the truck sit overnight then test the battery. It might not be able to hold a charge overnight.

Trevor

 

thanks when i put the charger on it in the mornings the battery reads dead.

 

I have and Optima Red top and while the shop was working on the rear end they left the hood open and it drained the battery so they charged it for me. Well it does the same thing as the original posters battery, but when I took it to sears they charge it for a half hour before they will test it, so it will always come out as a good battery. Anyway around sears dumb rule? I have had to jump it 2 times to get it going now.

 

Tell the shop mgr that he owes you a battery or no more business with em. They drained it, they replace it.

 

It was for my rear end, I don't see needing them to work on my truck for a long long time, if ever again. Can I get sears to test my battery without charging it for 30 minutes prior to testing?

 

Can something be draining my battery how can i check this?

 

Do you have any accessories that may be draining the battery? (Radio, amp, etc.) Disconnect your battery cables, wait a couple minutes and then reattach them. If there is a good arc then something is draining the battery. Another test would be to take out, or at least disconnect the battery and then take it off the charge when it is fully charged, let it sit several days and then try starting the truck with it after it has been sitting. This will prove whether or not the battery is holding a charge (since nothing is on it to discharge it). The real test would be to leave it outside in the cold after fully charging it and then try starting a cold engine with the battery cold. Basically if you do this and the truck still starts after the battery disconnected for a while then something is draining the battery causing it to not be able to produce the amperage required to start the truck in the cold.

As far as sears, tell them they can charge it for 30 min, but tell them to test it a day later, and tell them that a good battery should hold a charge for much longer than one day, but i think you have something draining it in your electrical system somewhere. If the battery is good, try pulling fuses for different things and letting the truck sit. It the truck starts, one of those fuses pulled is connected to something that is draining your battery. I have a stereo amplifier in my Bronco, and when it sits overnight in sub zero temperatures, it won't start if the amp was hooked up (even when turned off) so i wired up a switch to disconnect the power to it whenever the truck is going to sit in the cold or for a long period of time. Now it starts everytime. Hope this helps.

 

I don't have any electric gremlins. I have already pulled all the fuses in order and nothing changed. Checked all my cables and ends and connections, all are good.

 

Lead acid starting batteries do not like to be sent through cycles of deep-discharge and rapid recharge. This leads to plate sulfation, which reduces capacity, and can lead to shorted cells or cell bridging (where the battery discharges itself overnight). If you run your battery down dead, it is best to bring it back by a slow recharge (1 to 2 amps). This will take all night and the wait is usually inconvenient for those needing to use their daily driver. But the usual alternative is a quick jump and recharge of the battery using the full output of the alternator. Often, the owner doesn't have much choice, but most starting batteries only live through 3 to 10 episodes of this abuse before they are ruined.

If Sears put the battery on a 30 minute "rapid charge" (usually 10 to 20 amps), this is acceptable, though it will contribute slightly to further damage. There's no good way to load test a completely dead battery -- you have to put at least some energy back into it in order to measure the internal resistance. If they put it on a 40 amp + (high and start) setting on the charger, this is deplorable -- they probably did it to get the battery fully charged up and to get you out of the store, but it adds yet another deep-discharge, rapid recharge cycle to the already hurting battery.

Optima Red Tops are somewhat more vulnerable than many others. I have a similarly dead Red Top -- I was somewhat abusing it as a temporary starting battery for project vehicles.

Deep Cycle batteries, such as the Optima Yellow Top, are built to stand up to continuous discharge/recharge cycles, though you still need to control the rate of recharge -- don't be using that 40 amp position on the charger.

The "spark test" for hidden electrical use is not a reliable test with newer vehicles. (It used to work well -- I remember using it on 60's, 70's, and early 80's cars.) Many newfangled things like amplifiers and fuel injection computers have "ride through" capacitors that get charged up every time you remove and reapply power. You will always draw a spark if you disconnect the battery for several minutes, even though there is nothing wrong with the wiring, and no continuous draw.

To measure stand-by current draw accurately, you need an ammeter, or to rig one up with a resistor and voltmeter. The initialcurrent spike does not matter, it is the amount of current drawn one minute or so after battery hookup that you are looking for. This sustained draw needs to be 50 ma or less if you expect to be able restart your vehicle after not using it for 3 weeks or more.

Another way to check whether the problem is in the vehicle or the battery is to charge up the battery, verify the truck starts OK in the evening when you park it, disconnect the battery overnight. In the morning, reconnect the battery and see if it starts. If there is plenty of starting energy, your truck has some hidden power usage and the battery is probably OK. If the battery is dead in the morning, it has an internal short and is self-discharging. You will likely need a new battery, though for extra credit you could investigate "de-sulfating pulse rechargers".

 

had my battery tested at another garage and they said it passed the load test but he would replace it because the test showed it was getting old. Replced it and no problems now. thanks

 

The problem came back. It was the poss. cable (with the copper end) that runs to the starter, it was real dirty.
Thanks, guys