Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Battery popped, again

[jtisdale]

My passanger side battery is leaking agian. The Dealer replaced the original last April. Now this one is oozing too. They assured me everything was fine, and it was just a bad battery to begin with.

How do I test to see if they are getting to much charge? I have a volt meter, but I dont know what the reading shoud be.

 

[Motorhead]

Your cab volt meter should read above 14volts when running. I would check it with a reliable digital volt meter. You should see no more than 14. 75 volts with the batteries fully charged, engine running at 1200RPM (+/-) 100rpm. If you are above 15 volts, it's over charging. Chris

 

[BV]

dual batteries

I have heard that in a dual battery setup, you should always replace both at the same time with same type/size/brand so they are matched.



Is it possible that the original battery is weak and causes the passenger side battery to overcharge trying to compensate?

 

[jtisdale]

I checked the voltage @1200 rpm and both batteries showed 14. 0. Any other ideas before I take it to the dealer? Luckily, this is still covered under warranty.

 

[jtisdale]

I talked to the dealer today. They dont have any batteries in stock. (?) And, they wont replace both, only the one leaking. Isnt that like replacing only one tire or one brake or one shock?? They said they will hook up their "monitor" to see whats causing the battery to keep going bad. But he already seemed convinced it was just another bad battery.

This will be the third battery on the passenger side in less than 1. 5 years, and less than 19,000 miles. How does the LEMON LAW read? I think I am half way there, if I remember right.

 

[StakeMan]

I could be way off base here, but... .



Isn't there a sensor under one of the battery trays that determines how much charge the batteries should recieve?

 

[Devildog]

has anybody looked into the Odyssey dry cell battery?

here's a link. http://www.odysseybatteries.com/

 

[Smokin Joes 2500]

Originally posted by Motorhead

Your cab volt meter should read above 14volts when running. I would check it with a reliable digital volt meter. You should see no more than 14. 75 volts with the batteries fully charged, engine running at 1200RPM (+/-) 100rpm. If you are above 15 volts, it's over charging. Chris

 

[emjay]

Usually an overcharged battery will have the telltale "bloat". But since the batteries are hardwired together, and it's always the same one, I'd be looking for mechanical obstructions, like a screw poking through it, etc. . Perhaps they're over-tightening the battery hold-down? Does it always leak in the same place? Does the guy who installs the batteries always use his favorite sledge hammer to get the terminals on good?



There is a temp sensor for the batteries, but the voltage is good and only the one battery fails consistently. Unless that sensor is somehow digging through the case, my guess is that it's probably not that.



If you have one weak battery, it will drain the good one, but it won't make it leak. You can check for this imbalance by disconnecting both + terminals, and connecting a test lamp across them. If you can see it glow, that's definitely a problem. If not, measure the voltage across the test lamp. If it zero, that's good. if it is over 100 mV (0. 1 volts) that's looking bad. If your meter has 10 amp current measuring capability, you can measure the current between the two positive terminals. If it's more than, say 10 mA (0. 01 amp) you may have one draining the other. if the meter is reading positive current, the battery with the black probe connected to it is the bad one. If the meter reads negative current, the one with the red probe is bad. In any case, current flowing between two otherwise disconnected batteries (except ground) is not good.



BTW, the charging is controlled by the PCM, which regulates the voltage by varying the current through the rotor in the alternator.



Hope this helps!