hello I have a 53 foed julibile it has been converted over to 12 volt years ago before I bought it ,well it wont hold a charge anymore ,how can I check to see if the alternator is charging the battery ,or if the battery is bad ,thanks for your help
battery wont hold a charge
- Thread starter billb7984
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Ed of all trades
Elite Member
I bought a load tester years ago and it has saved me many times the price. That is what I would advise. Ed
k0ua
Epic Contributor
A simple voltmeter test will tell you if the alternator is charging the battery. Start the engine and run the rpm up to somewhere near 2000. Take a voltmeter reading on the battery posts. If this reading is 13.8 volts or above but no more than 14.3 volts, all is well. The normal resting voltage of a 12 volt battery is about 12.6 volts after the battery has set for a period. If the alternator is able to charge the battery as indicated by your voltage test, yet the battery does not retain this charge or has a high resistance to current flow and will not deliver enough current to spin the starter at sufficient rpm's to start the engine, either the battery's internal resistance is high or due to corroded battery connections, sufficient current cannot be delivered.
Billrog
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You could disconnect the battery and charge it up read the voltage leave it 12 to 24 hrs. and check it again the voltage should hold. This would eliminate the possibility of an external drain.
ultrarunner
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Try the simple things first which would be to charge the batter and leave it NOT connected until you are ready to start it.
Either the battery is bad or something is drawing power and it is not being charged
I too have a battery load tester that also checks charging output... very useful to have around.
Either the battery is bad or something is drawing power and it is not being charged
I too have a battery load tester that also checks charging output... very useful to have around.
jaydee325
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Electrical trouble shooting 101:
Start with a known good fully charged battery. That means pull it out of the tractor, charge it up and then take it to any of the major brand auto parts store for a free load test.
Start with a known good fully charged battery. That means pull it out of the tractor, charge it up and then take it to any of the major brand auto parts store for a free load test.
dickfoster
Elite Member
As mentioned elsewhere you should check that the alternator is indeed charging the battery but you should also be aware of the leading cause of battery failure which is sulfation. This is a process in lead acid batteries where crystals of sulphur forms on the cell plates insulating and rendering them useless. For equipment that is infrequently used, sulphation kills more batteries than anything else. To sometimes recover a sulfated battery you can use a special charger which applies pulses of AC current along with the DC charge current that breaks down the sulphur crystals which form in all lead acid batteries regardless of type. There are even tender chargers which can sometimes desulfate batteries if it isn't too bad saving them from the junk pile but it takes some time to pull it off.
For anything that is infrequently used or driven you should connect a tender charger to the battery to maintain charge or else remove and store the battery inside for longer periods of disuse. The sulphation problem is especially true for more modern cars etc. which use computer controlled engine management that more often than not impose a parasitic or trickle drain on the battery.
Better batteries like the more expensive AGM types (absorbed glass mat), all that I ever buy, while less prone to sulphation can still be ruined by sulphation from letting them sit unused with that small drain on them.
AGM types are also less prone to damage from shock, vibration and can even be mounted and on the side or even upside down. Just the thing for off road equipment. Before buying them however be aware that AGM batteries want a different charge profile than standard wet cell types so you may also want to buy a charger made for them too.
Of the AGMs out there, I prefer Odyssey over other brands like Optima. I think they build a better product and also pack more stored charge into less space.
If AC power isn't handly where you store your equipment, if it's outside, you can also get solar chargers which will help keep the battery up against small current drains.
For anything that is infrequently used or driven you should connect a tender charger to the battery to maintain charge or else remove and store the battery inside for longer periods of disuse. The sulphation problem is especially true for more modern cars etc. which use computer controlled engine management that more often than not impose a parasitic or trickle drain on the battery.
Better batteries like the more expensive AGM types (absorbed glass mat), all that I ever buy, while less prone to sulphation can still be ruined by sulphation from letting them sit unused with that small drain on them.
AGM types are also less prone to damage from shock, vibration and can even be mounted and on the side or even upside down. Just the thing for off road equipment. Before buying them however be aware that AGM batteries want a different charge profile than standard wet cell types so you may also want to buy a charger made for them too.
Of the AGMs out there, I prefer Odyssey over other brands like Optima. I think they build a better product and also pack more stored charge into less space.
If AC power isn't handly where you store your equipment, if it's outside, you can also get solar chargers which will help keep the battery up against small current drains.