hi the battery has enough power to crank the engine over but the needle on the volt meter is pointing to the high side of the arc. past it's normal spot. ive check the voltage in the battery and seems alright. what do i do now?

thanks mike

 

I would double check that voltage reading. Anything over 14.4 volts is not good. You may have a bad voltage regulator.

You said it cranks fine, but check the voltage on the battery with the truck not running. The battery may have a bad cell.

If your headlights seem brighter than normal, I would say there is an alt problem or the start of a battery going downhill.



Good luck.

 

Agreed with the above. If your battery isn't a Maintenance Free model, pop open the caps and see if any of the cells are low on water. I just went through this with my sister's 1976 Lincoln. The voltage regulator was overcharging the battery, thus boiling the water out of it. I connected my voltmeter while the engine was running, and it showed almost 22Volts in the system. $35 later, everything is good.

 

thanks for the tips i'll try thoughs and hopefuly it works.









1997 ram
5.9L v8
flowmaster 40 dual outlet

 

in reply to DieselDemon and VWanDodge, my vlot/ohm meter reding was 14.33 (with the engine running) i agree wtih the idea that the battery is starting to go down hill. thanks man.

 

Like VW said, check the battery water. I do check my batteries year round, and am on my second set in 12 years.

BUT...here are MY suggestions for doing it. I'm not some professional, but I did see an incident related to battery acid at the fire station once. I can only tell you what I do.

WEAR A SET OF SFAETY GOGGLES THE ENTIRE TIME YOU CHECK THE BATTERY!!!!!!...........please. Not glasses, but full goggles.

Disconnect both cables, obviously....lol.

Remove the battery from the truck, set it down, and if you have a brush that you can toss out or keep just for the battery, use it to wash the battery down. I use everyday dish soap. Wash the caps and all. Rinse the battery very well, dry it with air, or let it air dry if you have the time. Just spray water downward on the battery. Don't spray upward or anything. Keep your hands out of your nose during this evolution.

Now gently pry the caps off, and top the battery off with DISTILLED water only. If you have an extemely low cell, the battery plates are probably corroded beyond a point where adding water will have a positive effect.


If the cells are just low, fill them to the top. Now, MAKING SURE YOUR GALSSES ARE STILL ON.....lol, set the caps on top and lightly fit them into the holes. Just enough to keep them in place. Cover the battery with a towel, and tap the caps into place with a rubber mallet. Easy taps, nothing severe, you're not breaking concrete....LOL. Use the towel to catch any water that jets back out. It works well.

Now I would charge the battery on 10 amps (no more) for about 30 minutes. You'll hear bubbling, it's normal. 30 mins tops. Then drop down to a 2 -3 amp charge for 2 hours.

Throw the battery back in and see what she does. You can even have it load tested at this point.


I have a Schumakker battery conditioner under the hood and I plug my Ram in year round. My batteries are in top shape and have great connections and I also use plenty of protectant. I'm semi ****, but I enjoy being under the hood is all....lol.



Anyway, good luck.