Battery question
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Senior User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 285
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From: north louisiana
Battery question
Is one of the batteries on the 6.0 the primary?, do they both get charged the same from the alternator? I was doing some maintenance,and running a 12 v.tire inflator, had the hood up and doors open, so I used some juice. So I decided to hook up a charger to my batteries to check charge status. I hooked to the driver side battery, and it showed somewhere between 75 and 100% charged, no way to know for sure on the gauge. So, I left it on 2amp auto setting all night(a good twelve hours). Next morning I checked it, and it was still taking the slow charge. I switched the charger to 10amp, and it immediately showed full charge. I then moved to the passenger side battery, and it immediately showed full charge. So, did I discharge the driver side battery only, and not the passenger side battery?
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2005
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The two batteries are actually paralleled, so there's not really a "primary" and "secondary" battery. They essentially function as one 12V battery with extra capacity and current generation (for cranking). There's no isolator or anything. They charge as one and discharge as one.
Depending on how smart your battery charger is, the batteries may take that 2A charge forever (until you boil them over). To adequately charge a 12V battery, you have to charge it at a higher voltage (this is why the alternator produces 13.8V). A smart battery charger will observe several conditions to determine the charge state of your battery and eventually shut off. If the charger isn't very smart, it can continue dumping 2A at 13.8-14.4V into the batteries until the electrolyte boils away from heating, destroying the batteries.
Your average $19 Walmart battery charger special isn't too bright. I use a 3-stage smart battery charger intended to maintain battery banks at communications sites and it does a great job (it's also over $300...)
Depending on how smart your battery charger is, the batteries may take that 2A charge forever (until you boil them over). To adequately charge a 12V battery, you have to charge it at a higher voltage (this is why the alternator produces 13.8V). A smart battery charger will observe several conditions to determine the charge state of your battery and eventually shut off. If the charger isn't very smart, it can continue dumping 2A at 13.8-14.4V into the batteries until the electrolyte boils away from heating, destroying the batteries.
Your average $19 Walmart battery charger special isn't too bright. I use a 3-stage smart battery charger intended to maintain battery banks at communications sites and it does a great job (it's also over $300...)
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 920
Likes: 2
From: CA
Either known by Primary/Secondary and/or primary 'Auxiliary battery' more or less identifies battery position/function to the truck.. Also known as battery I or II.. The Primary battery is fed by the alterator and wired parallel to the secondary/auxiliary that controls 'most' of the power distribution.. Starter draw as well as glow control are pulled from the Primary Battery (atlthough paralleled to the secondary).. This is why a jump start in a 'dead' condition is suggested to be done from the primary side.. Again..ID...
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