I do not drive my truck alot so it does sit its a 04 and i bought it new and i have never drove it alot 75,000 miles i have replaced the battery 3 times in the last 6 to 8 months and i have always let my truck set so that is nothing new but why wont the battery all of a sudden not keep charge the only other thing i noticed is there is a wire hanging underneath on the back driver side back by the gas tank i was told that was a ground wire and really wouldnt hurt any thing so would that have any thing to do with the battery not keeping charge any help would be appreciated!!! Thanks in advance!!!
Batteries will self discharge over a period of time especially in cold weather
however 3 batteries replaced in 6 months raises issues
first question is why would they not charge up on a charger or a run in the vehicle
second question is the battery of sufficient size to run the electronics
have you had the alternator bench tested to check for correct out put, regulator operation and rectifier problems
check drive belt condition and tension
the wire could be a ground wire but I would think that if it is significant then something would not be working correctly
I had a warranty on the battery from advance auto so i took them in and they replaced them but now they dont want to replace them since i have went through 3 of them in a short period ..i did buy the best battery that they offer ..i have not had the alternator checked but i will do that next (thanks) ..i did not know the drive belt condition and tension could cause this how can this be checked? ..thanks for all the info!
drive belts ( i suspect yours will be a serpentine belt or multi grooved) go hard over time and develop cracks across the grooves
The hardness of the belt lowers the ability to grip on the pulleys and so tend to slip under load
the tension should be checked by apply pressure to the longest section between pulleys and a deflection of around 1/4" or less indicates a proper adjustment
It takes considerable power to drive an alternator under full charge so if the belt is not in good condition then the full charge need to keep the electronics operational and to recharge the battery is not reached and so the battery will be depleted
On the other end of the scale if the alternator is producing more than the required 14.5-14.8 volts , it will boil a battery and cause plate damage requiring a replacement battery
You state that you haven't had the alternator tested ( bench test is the best ) so it is very possible that the alternator and /or regulator is faulty and that is causing your battery failure rate to be so high
Thanks again i will have all of the above checked! THANKS!
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