I just bought a '96 1500 4x4 5.9L fitted with a plow. I am not running the truck daily b/c I am going to use it as primarily as a plow truck for my driveway. However I have started it up every couple of days since I've bought it. I went out yesterday and it seems that the battery has died. It started to crank but wasn't producing enough power to get it going. I jumped it and it started fine. Today same thing. Does anyone know if I put a meter on it what type of reading I should get with a good battery?
Thanks

 

You can do an ignition off-draw (IOD) test to see if anything if using too much juice with the truck off.

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Thanks dodgerules I will follow the sheet you sent. BTW I metered the battery and is showed 9.6

 

9.6 volts is a bad battery. 12 volts minimum. You have a bad battery or the charging system needs attention.


Good luck.

 

Ten years may be a good run for a battery, others here would know better. My battery died after 3 years. The dealership figured out that the the light harness in the glovebox was broken. It NEVER turned off, even when it was closed. It took 3 years to do it, but that's what killed mine.