check gauges light

[Ghosterbear]

Check gauges light came on the other day. stopped to shop, came back out fired up truck and no more check gauges light. Truck sat for 3 days. went to start and the starter doesn't even click. I am not good with electrical but would appreciate any ideas on where to start.
I will check the batteries but just did that a short time ago.
Are there any fuses associated with this problem?
Electric windows will shut but extremely slowly.
Need to get her running as my tractor is blocked in barn behind her.

This is a 2006 5.9 with 93,000 miles. Not driven in the snow/salt much.
.

 

[bcbender]

Sounds like maybe a bad battery or battery with a had cell? Disconnect the batteries from one and other and check voltage, one may be defective and drawing down the other. When it the last time you did batteries? I did two sets in my 04 over the course of 10yrs.. never got more than about 5 out of a set. Always have to replace them as a pair as well due to the above mentioned phenomena where a old or damaged battery can draw down a known good one.

 

[Ghosterbear]

Sounds like maybe a bad battery or battery with a had cell? Disconnect the batteries from one and other and check voltage, one may be defective and drawing down the other. When it the last time you did batteries? I did two sets in my 04 over the course of 10yrs.. never got more than about 5 out of a set. Always have to replace them as a pair as well due to the above mentioned phenomena where a old or damaged battery can draw down a known good one.

 

[Ghosterbear]

Thanks guys. In the time since I posted. I had put chargers on both batteries for aprox. 3 hours. One battery was only up to 4.5 volts and the other only to 11Volts. Decided to pull them both out and put chargers on them overnight. In the process of removing the batteries I found a broken wire that runs form the positive battery terminal on the passenger side to what looks like a coil. Wire is between 4 and 6 inches long. I'm thinking that might be the problem. Will give feedback tomorrow.

 

[Yo Hoot]

If the batteries are more than 5 years old I would replace them

 

[cerberusiam]

Thanks guys. In the time since I posted. I had put chargers on both batteries for aprox. 3 hours. One battery was only up to 4.5 volts and the other only to 11Volts. Decided to pull them both out and put chargers on them overnight. In the process of removing the batteries I found a broken wire that runs form the positive battery terminal on the passenger side to what looks like a coil. Wire is between 4 and 6 inches long. I'm thinking that might be the problem. Will give feedback tomorrow.

Replace the batteries, they are done. The broken wire on the passenger side battery is the grid heater draw wire, if it is burnt off you probbaly have bad connections on the battery cable ends. Time to add marine lugs and cut the ends of of wires and cables to install terminals. When you cut the end off of each cable if they are soft and you see corrosion replace the cable, they are bad. Check the cross over cable closely, you might have to cut it open and reseal.

 

[AH64ID]

Those batteries are toast.

I would look at the crossover cable and all major battery connections.

It very possible that the alternator is done too, as bad connections or weak batteries will wear the brushes out in a hurry.

 

[Tuesdak]

4.5 volts and the other only to 11Volts

I am guessing you didn't pull a ground off one battery when you checked them awhile ago? Thus the good battery hid the bad one.

Always remove the negative cables first: because if you short the tool from the negative post to ground nothing happens. With both the battery grounds off a positive short to the fender does nothing. (With the (a) battery ground(s) on the positive post tool short arc welds.)

11V means one of the 2V cells is shorted out in the battery.
4.5V Means over 1/2 the cells are shorted out.

When batteries go bad all kinds of "weird" happens to electronics.

 

[Ghosterbear]

UPDATE: The broken wire is a thermocouple wire that goes from battery cable size down to ???? My guess is its a size 10Awg wire.
Does anyone know where I can buy this thermocouple wire. Dodge will only sell the complete wire harness for $200+.
Went to all the automotive store in town with no luck. I am going to try the internet next.
By the way I managed to get 11 good years out of my original batteries.

 

[bcbender]

11 years is quite the feat!.. Not sure why there would be any type of thermocouple wire there unless its part of the battery temp sensor? Id take a photo and share with the group, Im not too familiar with the 06 but would think its a grid heater wire from whats been said.

 

[cerberusiam]

The grid heater supply wire is a fusible link so it will burn off if there is an issue with grid draw. A fusible link in any size should be available in bulk to replace it.

 

[Ghosterbear]

The grid heater supply wire is a fusible link so it will burn off if there is an issue with grid draw. A fusible link in any size should be available in bulk to replace it.

 

[Mikey-KE7LBB]

FWIW, any lead acid battery is on borrowed time once it falls below 10.5V...

 

[sag2]

A good Napa store should have fuse link wire, otherwise Amazon has it.

 

[Ghosterbear]

Last update on this one. Genos Garage has the thermocouple wire. Original was so short that every time I took the positive lead off of the passenger side battery to clean it I had to bend the thermocouple wire. I believe that it started to break at that point and eventually broke. I always clean and check my battery terminals every spring. My original batteries lasted 11 years and were sealed. The batteries I had in it were not sealed but were checked at least every month. They were Walmart brand that are made by Johnson Controls and I have always had good luck with them in the past. I bought the new set from Walmart too and they are also made by Johnson Controls, but these are sealed batteries so maybe I will have better luck with them. They are Group 65 batteries. Have NOT found out why the old batteries went bad so quickly although they died 2 mouths shy of any warranty. Yes the alternator is working fine and I have had no warnings of any problems. I will however be checking every thing again for awhile. Thanks for all the suggestions they always help!

 

[Blakers]

I got 9 years out of my original batteries, then 9 years out of the Exide AGM batteries I replaced them with. I just installed new NAPA AGM batteries. One of the original batteries that came with the truck (18 years old) still has enough life in it to run one of our Gravely tractors.