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
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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.
oldpilgrim
Elite Member
How old is the battery?
PhysAssist
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dickfoster
Elite Member
Yes and no some chargers have desulphation built in but not all. Typically the high end stuff and some smaller chargers that you can use as a tender charger. A tender charger is intended to maintain battery charge not recharge a totally dead battery.
I have a power supply that I use to specifically tailor the charge current voltage to the type of battery, a standard 20A charger with deep cycle and standard wet cell settings that I use to recharge a dead battery and a small two amp desulphator to recover sulphated batteries. If the battery shows signs of sulphation, won't hold a charge, after an initial charge, I put the small 2A desulphator on it and forget about it for a few weeks.
For a couple of spare batteries I have some small float chargers, so they are ready to go with a full charge all the time. I use them for occasional, welding etc.
Here's an example of chargers used to charge AGM batteries that have desulphation pulsing circuits built in. http://www.odysseybattery.com/documents/ody_chargers_sheet.pdf
Note; you choose the charge amperage based on the capacity of the battery. AGMs like to see a pretty stiff initial charge current, hence the sizing. These chargers would likely damage a traditional wet cell by over charging or cooking it dry. While prolonged and repeated use of a charger made for wet cell types would likely lead to a sulphated AGM battery, although one with a deep cycle setting can be used for to recharge an AGM, it just won't be optimal.
Here's an example of a small 1.5 amp desulphator like the 2 amp unit I leave plugged into my truck when it's in the garage. Amazon.com: BatteryMINDer Model 1510: 12Volt 1.5 Amp Maintenance Charger/Desulfator: Automotive
If it's parked outside and idle for a long time, I have a built in solar panel built that holds the batteries up so I don't need to worry about it.
dickfoster
Elite Member
It doesn't really matter. The leading cause of battery failure is sulphation and batteries that seem beyond all hope can often be recovered with a desulfator. Not always but often. If you've got the time, a small one can often recover a seemly done battery and pay for itself the first time out. It does take time though.
msb1766
Platinum Member
I bought one of these battery/charging system tester, work great.
Amazon.com: SOLAR BA9 40-1200 CCA Digital Battery and System Tester: Automotive
Amazon.com: SOLAR BA9 40-1200 CCA Digital Battery and System Tester: Automotive
MT2501owner
New Member
You can also check to see if there is a load on the battery when the key is off by putting a small 12v light bulb type tester inline with the positive battery cable and seeing if you have current (light will glow). If you do, pull fuses or plugs until the light stops glowing. The circuit you disconnect that turns the light off is shorted.
buickanddeere
Super Member
With some tinkering a sulphated battery may have some capacity restored . However the battery will never have full rated CCA or AMP hour reserve . After being sulphated , multiple deep cycled or being run 100% dead flat even just once. The flooded lead acid battery just does not fully recover.
k0ua
Epic Contributor
Agreed. I have recovered dead batteries before, but the capacity of the battery is not as good.
aczlan
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Yep. But for a $400 set of forklift batteries that just get used around the shop, its well worth it for me.
Aaron Z
k0ua
Epic Contributor
No doubt.
