Author Topic: Truck Killing The Battery  (Read 2078 times)

Offline mudman1

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Truck Killing The Battery
« on: July 23, 2018, 07:59:09 AM »
Got an 86 C10 that I bought. There seems to be a problem of battery drain and don't know where to start. The original battery I thought was bad because always had to jump it to move it into the garage while it was being fixed up to pass inspection. Afterwards I bought a new battery and it held charge for quite a while and then started to lose it charge. I even went as far as buying a battery disconnect switch that mounted on the negative battery post. Even after having the battery "disconnected" it still went dead. Is it still possible to draw power away from the battery even though the negative is disconnected? The alternator outs out almost 14v, so I know it is charging.

Online Rapid Roy

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Re: Truck Killing The Battery
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2018, 09:03:47 AM »
Welcome to the site.
1974 Cheyenne 10 LWB STOCK 350 W HEI /TH350/AC/4 BBL Quadrajet
Mopar by Birth
Chevy by Choice

Offline mudman1

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Re: Truck Killing The Battery
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2018, 10:27:49 AM »
Thanks!!!

Offline Frozenoak

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Re: Truck Killing The Battery
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2018, 10:51:50 AM »
You may want to have your alternator tested.  I have had this issue before.
1974 Cheyenne Super C10 Short Wide 350/TH350/4 BBL

Offline VileZambonie

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Re: Truck Killing The Battery
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2018, 05:58:04 PM »
What is the battery voltage when it doesn't start? Search the forum for "parasitic draw"
,                           ___ 
                         /  _ _ _\_
              ⌠¯¯¯¯¯'   [☼===☼]
              `()_);-;()_)--o--)_)

74 GMC, 75 K5, 84 GMC, 85 K20, 86 k20, 79 K10

Offline Irish_Alley

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Re: Truck Killing The Battery
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2018, 07:11:36 PM »
welcome from maryland. and no its not possible to have the truck drain the battery if one cable isnt connected regardless if its neg or positive.
If you can’t tell yourself the truth, who can you tell it to?~Irish_Alley

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth ~Sherlock Holmes

Offline mudman1

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Re: Truck Killing The Battery
« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2018, 09:53:41 AM »
Had the battery charged up last week and now even unhooked both terminals from the battery. It is now completely dead, so I think the new battery took a crap. Bought it from tractor supply 2 months ago and don't have the receipt. So who knows if they will allow an exchange?

Offline Irish_Alley

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Re: Truck Killing The Battery
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2018, 09:58:08 AM »
never gotten one from them, they might be able to look it up if you paid with a credit card and know the date (maybe time) but check the water level in the battery charge it and take it to a parts store to have them test it. if they can give you a print out saying its bad it might make your time at TS a little easier
If you can’t tell yourself the truth, who can you tell it to?~Irish_Alley

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth ~Sherlock Holmes

Offline Jon87V20

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Re: Truck Killing The Battery
« Reply #8 on: July 27, 2018, 11:58:17 AM »
When it comes to dealing with customer service issues, the position I always take is "You have two choices. You can give me another battery and lose X amount of dollars this time. Or you could miss out on all the hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars I won't spend in here when I start going to a competitor instead".
1987 Chevrolet Suburban V20 Silverado
350ci TBI TH400 NP208