So the truck hasn't run in a couple months now. Just sitting in the shop away from the snow. I know it has a bad ground somewhere because I had to boost it every time I went to start it. Even if I ran it and shut it off It would need a boost to go again. I replaced the alternator a while back with a brand new one and the battery is only about 6 months old.

I went to try and get it going tonight so like I always do, I put the charger on it and walked away to blow snow. About 20 minutes later I went into the shop and could smell something like rotten eggs or burning manure. I sniffed around and found it was coming from the battery. I had the charger on a very low setting so don't worry about that.

Anyone have any ideas?
Or maybe you could point me in the right direction in where to look for a bad ground?

 

Load test the battery, regardless of its age.

Could have been frozen when you tried to charge it today b/c it was dead (bad cell, internal short, etc)

 

If a battery freezes is it shot forever?

 

The question is why did it discharge so much that it froze? Could be a electrical draw in the truck system or a dud of a battery. May be salvageable if just "slushy", not if frozen solid.

Most of the time the case cracks, then it thaws and leaks the acid, ruining the battery tray and inner fender. Obviously then the battery is toast also.

 

It only takes a few extremely deep discharges to wreck a battery. Have it tested. It'll be bad.

Now, when you put in the new one, disconnect the under hood light, then notice if there's a slight spark when you connect the terminals. If so, something is on somewhere drawing enough current to kill the battery.

A dome lamp will kill a fully charged group 31 battery in about 24 - 36 hours. (don't ask)

Until you figure it out, disconnect the battery when not in use so it isn't destroyed by deep discharge.

 

Personal experience tells me jump starting too often can kill a brand new battery. My 91 flatbed went through 2-3 batteries a year until a guy at Topeka Battery sold me an idolator pad, basically a foam pad that the battery sat on and rubber tie downs . He said that the vibration/shock of the engine and suspension were probably what was causing the cells to go bad/or the posts to break. ( I was driving a lot of low maintenance roads and pastures)
Don't know how techinacly accurate he was, but that was the lady battery I had to buy for it
Now, I had been buying Everstarts and Tsc batteries, añd that time I spent the extra $$ for an Interstate, and that may have been the actual difference

 

Sounds like I'm borrowing a load tester. The battery has a warranty so I'll look into that. The new battery will go in the heated half of the garage until spring I'll pull it before it starts to leak and wreck my new paint. Anybody know where I should start looking for bad grounds? Any common spots? Keep in mind I did put a new cab on the truck meaning the dash was completely unhooked and switched over

 

First whenever you smell hydrogen sulfide gas (rotten eggs), be very careful there are no sparks, flames or a cigarette in your mouth, the battery can easily explode.

If the battery is off gassing when there is 12-volts applied to the battery and the battery is not being equalized, turn your headlights on for a few minutes and then turn them off, use a DVM and check the surface charge if there is less than 12.8-13 volts but is around 10-volts you have at least 1 dead cell.

Your 12 volt system is trying to charge a 10 volt battery.

If you have a battery that is going to set for most of the year you should keep it warm with a small trickle charger/ high frequency desulphater.

Our Forest Service Trucks have a battery disconnect switch to disconnect them when they are out of service.

Things that will drain your battery:

Glove Box Light stays on,
Under Hood Light stays on (if you park on an incline)
Halo Light Timer stays on,
Brake Lights stay on, Switch adjustment needed.
Dome Lights (pin switch slipped)
Radio Memory excessive,
Alarm will kill a normal car battery in about 2 weeks, (airport parking)
Dirty moist battery top.
Cargo Light left on,

Best way to optimize your alternator output,
Replace the alternator charge wire from the "BAT" Terminal to the battery (+) post using minimum #2 welding cable with a 150-amp T-fuse at the battery.

Also install a #2 welding cable ground wire from the alternator case to the engine block, to the frame rail, to the battery (-) post.

Factory wire is #8-gauge and 2) bullet connectors.

Jim

 

So true, my Land Rover had so many vampire drains that it would completely drain the battery in 1 week, so what good is the alarm? Same with our fire trucks, each one would have a Cole-Hersey switch that would disconnect both batteries. Being the fun sort of guys that we are, sometimes a crew would turn on all the emergency lights and siren of another crew's rig (sometimes while parked at a hospital ), so that when the engineer would turn on the switch, well you can imagine. A bunch of funny guys...Mark

 

Continuing the discussion, it sounds to me like the battery was bad out the gate and there's probably isn't any drain in the truck.

However, a moment with a digital volt meter can verify that.

Hook up the positive post, turn the DVM to check amps, touch one lead to the ground post, the other to the ground cable. If it shows any amps, start pulling fuses (1 at a time) til it drops to none, that's the circuit draining your battery.

It doesn't take much, we had a .2 amp drain kill 2 sets of batteries on a tractor one winter.

 

Remove your battery and check the fluid level. Load test it, if come up bad or low charge slow and low for 24hr and retest. If tests good reinstall battery connect positive and before you connect negative put a test light between negative battery post and negative cable. If the light lights then you know you have a dead short.