Ok, two days ago I went out to my truck to start it and it barely turned over. I unhooked the batteries and charged them a while... It then started and ran fine. The next morning, NUTHIN... I did the same thing again with the charging. It started fine so I had to deliver a Beamer to the dealership and I did not turn it off while unloading since they were in a hurry for me to get my gear out of the customers way. I didn't see any customers but, that was not for me to say. I guess they thought a giant truck in the parking lot of expensive toys scared them...
Anyway when I got home I unhooked the trailer and moved big black. I raised the hood and with the truck off, the left battery was bubbling and the right was fine. I got back in and the danged girl would not start again. I started checking the alternator was not charging. Went down and got another and put it in. While I was gone, I left the batteries unhooked. It took maybe 30 min to go down and back. The bubbling battery was still bubbling. I checked the voltage on each. The right had 10.4 and the left had 10.2 and was still red hot after setting for about 45 min unhooked! I found that it had shorted and after a while had shorted the other battery and then shorted out the alternator. NEVER heard of that! I put the new alternator in and have to get the batteries today. I had INTERSTATE MTP-65 batteries that were 38 months old. They prorated them and I will have to pay 50% for each to get new ones. They are the 1000 amp batteries. I guess since they are in series, that is what took everything out when the first one shorted... I don't know. I just will be glad if this fixes everything. I had to wait for a day to get the batteries because the dealer did not have the big ones in stock and they had to come from the warehouse. I will know this evening. Has anyone ever heard of this happening?

 

A bubbling battery is from it being OVERCHARGED. the alternator was detecting a low charge state and was throwing everything into charging the batteries. then it burned up. In a series connection it means 12v and Double Amperage. Series Parallel would give you 24V and double amperage. Because the alternator can't determine which battery is dead (No Duo-VAC charging system) it charges both batteries equally. When one dies, it's best to replace both of them.

 

That is why they are sending me two new ones. I really like the INTERSTATE batteries. I just kinda wish they were the sealed ones. They have never failed me yet, until now.

 

You know, I was just thinking. The right battery is the one that I thought was the second to go. IF the left battery was getting overcharged, you would think the right one would also. But even being overcharged, it still shows 10 or so volts and not 12 or 13.

I also did not have the truck running for about 3 hrs. during one stop that I shut it down. After I realized that I did turn it off, I just did my erands and came back. When I checked it, it was bubbling even after being off for 3 hrs. and the truck was not running. That doesn't make any sense. When I got it home, is when I finally unhooked them and it still bubbled for 45 min. The alternator doesn't charge when the truck is off...

 

The right one was still serviceable and was taking a charge, so it didn't bubble. the left one was toast, so regardless, the alternator was doing the full-charge boogie on you. I've seen batteries boil for many hours.

 

Was the battery really bubbling or did you just see bubbles on the cells?
I see no way disconnected battery can bubble for 30 minutes.
What likely happened is that one battery cell shortened making it 10V battery, so 12 V charge was boiling it. The good battery was being discharged to 10V what made it warm because of violent discharge. The alternator simply couldn't keep up and burned.
I bought batteries with 100 months warranty at Costco. I remember about $60 a piece.

 

You need to see more batteries that get toasted.

 

It was bubbling so hard that the bubbles were coming out of the vents... I was afraid that it was going to blow up.

 

During the stop that I did turn off the truck for three hours, the battery was still bubbling with the truck not running and the key was out. I can only guess the one that was supposedly good was causing the shorted one to bubble... I just don't know. I have never heard of this.

 

Well, I definitely not go banging on it with a hammer, thats for sure. Boiling that hard is BAD. A little is ok, that much is BAD BAD BAD.

 

I agree with post #9 as for the cause of battery death, and post # 6 for what killed the alternator.

BTW, if I'm not mistaken, our batteries are wired in parallel, that is Pos to Pos and both Neg's to ground. That's why it's still 12 volts. If it were hooked in series (P-N-P-N), you would have 24 volts.

 

You are right about the batteries being in parallel and not series. I saw my mistake after I read ya'll corrected me. My bad!

Good news!! I got the two new batteries this evening and got everything hooked back up. I took her for about a ten mile sprint in the evening cool air with the manual ac windows down here in the quiet country. It was a good ride. Ain't nothing like a summer night ride for a bit without mama and the kids!! Just me and the dog... No radio. Just wind and RA RA RA RA RA from the 7.3... All I can say is it did not last long enough...

When I got back, I popped a cold one and lifted the hood to the sound of.........NOTHING!!!!! No bubbling, no fizzes, no nothing except the sound of the motor starting to cool down. BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Thanks for all the supporting comments and assistance!!! Even though it was only 48 hrs. down, it feels good to have BIG BLACK back. It just ain't right for a man's truck to be all tore up and junk!!!

I could have driven my 69 Camaro today but instead I borrowed mama's Tahoe. I heard it might slightly rain here this afternoon and didn't want my baby to get all wet, dirty and junk. It is a b@$#% to clean the chrome.

Anyway thanks guys!!!

 

That bubbling was the electrolytes in the battery boiling and hydrogen gas venting out of the housing. It is a very dangerous situation because the gas is flammable and the battery is so hot that it could explode, delivering severe burns to your body, face, and loss of vision. Always stay away from a venting battery until it cools down. Never disconnect the battery until the gasses are spent and dissipated. Removing a battery cable often creates a spark that could ignite the hydrogen gas.

 

Interstate batteries. There's the problem right there. I've never got more than a year out of 'factory' interstate batteries. What do I mean by 'factory' batteries, If I bought a vehicle or RV that had Interstate batteries in them and when they died after a year I got rid of them.

 

Glad ya got a good fix.