My 2006 ps battery is boiling over and the alternator is not charging. I noticed this when I was starting my truck and it turned over slower than normal while cranking. The alternator was not charging according to the voltage meter and I had no check engine lights or codes showing. I disconnected the ps battery and started the truck and the alternator showed to be charging again.

What is causing my problems? Are my batteries bad?

 

A good battery should test at 12.6 volts or better. If the battery is 12 volts or less it's bad. If I remember right 12 volts the battery is 40%. You will have to take off one of the battery leads to check voltage. You should change both batteries too, batteries act different as they age.

A better test is a load test but you would have to go to a Auto Zone and have that done.

 

Sounds like the PS battery has a bad cell.
As said, best to replace both batteries at the same time but since the weather is warming up you can probably get by with just one battery for the next several months.

 

I removed the ps battery and cleaned the tray up and reinstalled the battery. I put a digital voltage meter on both batteries and each one registered over 12 volts. Started truck up and alternator was charging both batteries at 14.4 to 14.6 volts. Cleaned up battery post and made sure the connections was tight and everything appears normal for now. I also checked the battery temp sensors and the wiring was in place.

 

You got over 12v from each one before you hooked them up?

It sounds to me like you've got (or had) a dead short in one cell. This will overcharge and boil the remaining cells on that battery, and put a big draw on the other battery and the alternator.

Sometimes jossling a battery around will, very temporarily, cure it.

IMHO, if it were mine I'd be planning on replacing both batteries.

 

Yes I got 12 volts from both before I hooked them back up. I'll keep a eye on them and will replace them soon.

 

mine did this and i replaced the battery. it did it again about a month later so i knew the battery was good. cleaned the cables and it hasnt done it sense. make sure your terminals are good and clean

 

EVERY one I've seen was due to lack o maintenance.

 

same issue here, pass side battery was boiling over. i replaced only that one thinking it was a bad cell. truck boiled new battery even quicker. bought a second battery and replaced drivers side too, fixed the problem. turns out it was drivers side battery that was bad, and battery temp guage was telling truck to keep charging, therefore boiling the other side. no probs since, knock on wood. also, volt gauge only read just over 12 volts until i changed both batteries, then it went back up to 14.5 or so.

 

A friend of mine who owns a diesel repair shop had a client that had the same problem. PS battery was boiling out changed battery and same problem. What they found out was the computer reads the voltage from the drivers side battery but the first battery in line from the alternator is the Passenger side one. When the terminals would corrode the computer is seeing less voltage and tells the alt to charge but the voltage doesn't make it to the drivers battery, and the comp tells the alt to keep it coming it's not working, but over charges the passenger side battery. They cleaned all the terminals and no problem since.