Big Ugly won't start - batteries I think

[AJMBLAZER]

Big Ugly wouldn't start today. Hasn't left the garage since mid November but it has been started and run for at least half an hour once a month up until February or early March. Kinda slacked since then with working on our house to sell it this summer.

Put the key in, turn it to the start position, lights and stuff all come on, put the pedal to the floor, wait light goes out, turn the key...

...chugachugachugachugachuga...chuuuuuugachuuuuuugachuuuuuga...

...and then I stop trying. It seems to be low on juice. Can someone run me through trouble shooting the batteries?

I seem to remember that one of the batteries typically runs down first. Which one?

If I do have a low charge battery, how do I charge/jump it with a 12 volt charger and vehicle?

 

[beaubeau]

RE: Big Ugly won

I would disconnect the cables and charge 1 Battery at a time. Put a slow charge overnite. Do not try to start with Low bats. Thats the quickest way to blow a good starter. Good luck, Phil

 

[Croatan_Kid]

I thinik when I burned up a fuseable link, my rear battery kept going dead first. I burned up the passenger side alternator fuseable link...it grounded out while changing the belts, all my fault!


I think if I was you, I would just charge them both and hook it back up. Of course, if you have a multimeter, check them first.

 

[Tibby]

RE: Big Ugly won

I you have 6TLs, you can test them with a hydrometer. Available at auto parts stores. The number of the little balls that float tells the state of charge. The easiest way to charge them with what you have is the way beaubeau says. I once did a Google search for '24 volt battery charger'. There are chargers out there that will charge 2 12 volt batteries at the same time (each battery has a separate pair of connections), but you won't find them at Autozone.

 

[Michael]

I just unhook the ground on the front battery then charge one at a time with an automatic charger. If you have two 12 volt chargers you wouldn't have to unhook anything. If you don't unhook something you risk reverse charging the other battery if there is any voltage leakage.

I would just charge both batteries then check for 14 to 14.5 bolts across each battery's terminals. Thirty min running probably didn't bring the batteries to full charge each time.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

I'm starting to get that feeling.

It needs new glowplugs so I think I was confusing the lengthy start ups for just being cold blooded.


I need to move now!

Thanks guys, I'll let you know how it goes from here. Hopefully my battery charger still works.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Okay...think I did something wrong.

Took my little hand held multimeter, switched it to DC 20, put the black on a bolt head, the red on the front battery's positive terminal and I get a spark, the number starts zooming up past 12, and then the leads get hot.

Was I supposed to disconnect the batteries before I checked their voltage?

Now I have all of the battery terminals disconnected and can't get a reading. Wondering if I maybe fried the multimeter some how?





I hate electrical shhhhhh.....tuff.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Okay, let's just say I shouldn't be allowed to play with electronics. Had the multimeter on the wrong setting.

Turned the dial a few over to the correct setting and both batteries were between 12.0x and 12.3x. I put the charger on the front and the dial on it says the battery is damn near empty. I'll check back later.

 

[CCATLETT1984]

hehe, everyone's done it.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

I fried my last battery charger on accident. The battery in my Tracker has the terminals reversed of how my Ranger had them. I had been working on the Ranger when the Tracker's battery started giving me troubles...pulled the battery out, set it down, hooked up the charger, flipped the on switch, and POP I killed it and the battery like that.

Had the connections reversed. Whoops.

 

[emmado22]

Check and add distilled water (NOT tap water), charge the batts, and see if you can bring them to a Sears Auto Center or elsewhere where they have a specialized car battery tester that can give you more than a voltage..

 

[CCATLETT1984]

yup distilled water only, and any autozone or the like can load test them, they will whine about how it doesnt fit inside the safety box though

 

[AJMBLAZER]

My batteries are maintenance free. Appear to be sealed.


Gag how I HATE adding water to batteries. Did enough of that in the Marines.

 

[CCATLETT1984]

in that case that battery may be done for.

trickle charge it overnight, then have it load tested.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Just so I know...Group 31 are the civy batteries, right?

How many CCA are the stockers?

 

[AJMBLAZER]

The front battery charged up to 100% full overnight. Moved the charger to the rear battery this morning and it read closer to 50%.

 

[acetomatoco]

Get out the NATO slave cable and use the plug on the front of your truck for its intended purpose.

 

[Croatan_Kid]

Ya know....that'd be a good excuse to buy another CUCV!

"....But dad, how am I gunna jump start it if I don't have another 24V truck?!"

 

[AJMBLAZER]

There might be another CUCV...a 1009 more than likely...in my future but as soon as the starter or alternators give me trouble Big Ugly and any future CUCV's are getting the 12v conversion.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

A visit to Advanced Auto's battery tester said both batteries failed...miserably.
They were also decently old which confuses me as when I got the truck they looked shiny and new...Alfa strikes again. Kinda small too - 760 CCA.

$85 each and I have two of Advanced's house brand truck and tractor Group 31's with a CCA of 9xx. Should work nicely.

The honeydo list is interfering so I will have to wait until tomorrow to clean up the battery tray and terminals and then install the batteries and start the truck.