Sudden Battery Death

[Darthomas]

Got some necessary shopping done and had oil changed. Bought lunch and parked by the river to eat. Took a one minute video of the snow falling into the river.
Stopped maybe 7 minutes.
Push the button and R-r- r.
?
r-r-.....
?
r.....
?
That's all, bye bye....
No warning at ALL this time.
Buddy came and loaned me electrons, straight to Batteries Plus...
In stock $220.
Ow.
Really annoying end hold down clip if you're doing this without your full tool set and lack socket extensions.
2013 @ 114k miles...factory battery
8000 operating hours on it.

 

[Darthomas]

As my battery is dying by the peaceful river..

 

[RJRENTON]

DT,
Was the failed battery a maintenance free type? Did you check the electrolyte level or specific gravity? Most "sudden" failures can be attributed to lack of water or a sulfated cell. This csn be found by checking the specific gravity with a hydrometer ...the best reading is 1.260 +/- 0.01 with the sulfated cell bring significantly lower. The fix..replace the battery. It is my philosophy that a battery has one chance to not start my car...then its gone....i cannot abide by fiddling around jumping it more than once....but this is just me. Buy the best and biggest battery, in terms of CCA AND CA , that will physically fit in the tray.
Bob Renton

 

[PRND21]

Wow, $220 for one battery? I've bought a lot of large diesel batteries, never paid that much, even through Deere.

 

[RJRENTON]

Wow, $220 for one battery? I've bought a lot of large diesel batteries, never paid that much, even through Deere.

You said you bought a lot of "large diesel batteries ".....what size in terms of voltage, CCA, dimensions, weight, or what was the determining factor??? Batteries sre priced on capacity unlike lunch meat which is based on $ / pound. Most batteries with built-in long term warranties (pro rated replacement costs) have the consumer pay for the replacement cost up front in the initial price. Is $200 a lot to pay for a battery....maybe/maybe not....but what are you getting? With out saying anything specific its almost like saying how high is up or why is there air?
Bob Renton

 

[Superb Bee]

Sorry to hear about your battery, I would do an alt check just to make sure she didn't cook it, I had a high amp alt (90) start pumping out enough volts to melt the battery out of the car, I smelt plastic looked down at the gauges and seen the voltage pinned (13 was in center and it was all the way right no other numbers on it). I pulled over, and popped the hood, she was, I disconnected battery unplugged alt and duct taped my jump pack in there to get home... Weird not sure why that happened, I swapped the alt, and its still in my shop somewhere with "NG" written on it, someone said it could have been the battery but I doubt it, not gonna use either every again, the battery was literally melted..

 

[khryslerkid]

I had a 1990 ford. Was out for a drive, came back, went to restart it five minutes later and nothing. Dead as a door nail. Went to jump it and the sparks flew!
That battery had a dead short in it, blew the alternator in the process.

These newer batteries are pro rated for ever how many years are on the guarantee. They're just like a light bulb. They work one minute and are dead the next. Unlike the older batteries that gave you some kind of warning that they were going to need replacing soon.

 

[Darthomas]

As an electronics engineer, I am already imagining where to put a remote shunt resistor to give me a real ammeter somehow. The other spot I have in mind for a gauge, I don't know if I would put in a vacuum gauge or voltmeter... Voltmeters are silly because they are not very damned dynamic.
When the cell in my battery internally shorted and the battery became 10.4 instead of 12.6, that was IT.
Hard to see that little change anyway unless you have a pretty damned expanded scale on your analog voltmeter.

 

[GetX'd]

I've had that problem since my restore - it was a mystery to me as well. I went out and bought a 1000 cca Interstate - but only paid $85 on sale. The original cost was a bit over $100. I think it was a 20% off deal. I also have a high amp alternator in the car. Hope I don't see what was stated above. This electrical stuff spooks me ....

 

[Darthomas]

Search that Mopar number to see a whole buncha obsoletes...out of stock....
Maybe it's the Police application...are regular 2013 Charger batts up front?
Anyway don't know if the factory battery was wet or AGM.
New one is AGM, and I know I don't like the concept.
Raggin fraggin munctha blessit spectin' selefressip magnor anyhow.

 

[Darthomas]

Both batts available at Batts + were Deja from East Penn, PA....
Bought the more expensive one.

 

[Darthomas]

Both batts available at Batts + were Deja from East Penn, PA....
Bought the more expensive one.

Damn spell-screw!
Deka!
D! E! K!, effing A!
DEKA!
From East effing PENN,
effing v PENNSYL effing VANIA.
Sheesh!

 

[Superb Bee]

careful what battery you put in your car if you have an air grabber, lol.. I have seen plenty of broken wings, lmao, you always know what happened when you see 2 pieces of one at a swap meet, you put a battery too tall and shut the hood to hear that dreaded POP..

I may have done this to the GTX (twice), (well the second time I shut the hood a bit with the jump pack in there so I could drive it to a different spot and when I got in the car and shut the door the hood fell onto the jump pack and it was cold out so that thing cracked to pieces, the first time was a big ole battery I stuffed in there to take it for its maiden voyage after the 3 year resto, and pop when I shut the hood she broke, I opened the hood, seen what happened, slapped my forehead and threw a rag over it and went for the ride.. I actually fixed it 4 months later, couldn't bare to look at it lol..

 

[MOPOWER871]

 

[oldbee]

Don't know what the big difference in batteries these days but they just give out with no warning. Had the same happen in a Hyuandai I owned. The "old" ones at least started cranking slower to give you a clue.

 

[PRND21]

You said you bought a lot of "large diesel batteries ".....what size in terms of voltage, CCA, dimensions, weight, or what was the determining factor??? Batteries sre priced on capacity unlike lunch meat which is based on $ / pound. Most batteries with built-in long term warranties (pro rated replacement costs) have the consumer pay for the replacement cost up front in the initial price. Is $200 a lot to pay for a battery....maybe/maybe not....but what are you getting? With out saying anything specific its almost like saying how high is up or why is there air?
Bob Renton

The last ones I replaced said Group 4, CCA 975, 320 min. reserve. Weighs about 50 lbs or so. Labeled John Deere, made by Exide I believe.

 

[Ranger16]

I agree with oldbee. I've noticed that as well. Seems like in the last 20 years or so batteries just seem to die in their sleep with no warning. I've had it happen more than once. Just went through this last Nov. with the Road Runner. Started and drove just fine, a week later I went to start it and nothing. Had a fatal stroke in it's sleep. I should be so lucky.

 

[Dennis H]

2006 Charger. 47,000 miles. 3rd battery. 6 months old. Car sets for 8 days, dead as a doornail. Not the first time. Trickle charge. With regular use and not extended dormant storage car starts fine, fast, and without hesitation. Don't know how to find a parasitic drain if there is one. How about those newer power-grid batteries? That battery holdown is a pia. And heavy. Between the strap, the cables, and the subfloor is sets below in the trunk - it is not going back in. If the accident is that bad, we won't survive anyway.

 

[Ranger16]

Don't know how to find a parasitic drain if there is one.

Put a 12v test lamp inline between the negative cable and the battery terminal. A draw should illuminate the bulb. Start pulling fuses til the bulb extinguishes. Now you'll know what component or circuit has the draw.

 

[RJRENTON]

An additional consideration could be a shorted alternator diode, which would do two things: slowly drain the battery when the engine is off (thru the stator resistance) and low alternator output due the faulty diode. Because the alternator is a three phase full wave bridge rectifier dedign, loosing one phase (due to the non working diode) this results in loss of half of the alternator 's capacity.....many think the loss will be one third but it is one half of the capacity. If the alternator is a square back design, the failed diode will likely be one of the positive diodes due to poor cooling....the negative diodes have better cooling.
Food for thought.....
Bob Renton