Battery charger issues

[98SF19]

Picking up from end of this thread:
https://shoforum.com/index.php?thre...ll-joints-sb-links.135602/page-2#post-1482010

Re: repeated battery deaths . . . part store tested battery after I'd driven it to and from work last week and it passed with flying colors - CCAs were right up where they should be. I suspect the ride-along battery charger I'd been using (which was also connected during the whole time I was doing front end) is the culprit. Not sure how it was happening, but it seems that once battery got to a charged state with charger (Schumacher 1.5 amp max 6/12 volt charger), the charger was doing something wacky that not only drained battery deeply, but if left on for along enough, would **** one or more cells, as happened during front end work (3+ months). Got charger *tested* at Bulbs & Battery, and all they could do was connect it to a charged battery (low amp-hour Duracell) and measure voltage, which they said was a bit over 13 v. He wouldn't give it enough time to go to stand-by, which is where I suspect the damage was being done.

What I can't understand is how the heck the battery could be putting out under 3v one night, then after being jump started and driven around the next day, it's putting out 12.8 v and CCA are normal.

 

[SHOdded]

Smart chargers like the CTek are highly recommended to get the most out of todays batteries.
https://www.amazon.com/CTEK-56-864-Automatic-Battery-Charger/dp/B006G14FK8/

 

[98SF19]

Thanks! I thought what I was using WAS a smart charger.
A bit pricey for that little thing, especially on Amazon. But the reviews give it some justification I guess.

 

[98SF19]

The CTek is the real deal . . .
I went with your suggestion above. Had the charger on for about 3 days. Unhooked it tonight and after about an hour, battery was at 13.10 v (disconnected/no load for the past week or two). I almost think that is TOO high for a SLA car battery.

 

[SHOdded]

What type of battery, not an AGM or gel cell is it? Those normally get up to 13V when fully charged. Did you check V after a few minutes of letting the surface charge dissipate?

 

[98SF19]

No, nothing fancy, just a battery from Advance Auto, Autocraft I believe. I waited about an hour after disconnecting charger before checking voltage. FYI - the 7 or so charger stages shown with LEDs appeared to move through the first 2 or 3 pretty quickly, which I believe are "checks" of battery condition. I guess this would indicate that battery is electrically in good shape? This would alleviate concerns about the 13.1 v indicating something bad.

 

[SHOdded]

Yes, the first few lights are more battery condition checks to see if desulfation is needed, for example.

 

[gamefanatic]

I recently ran into issues with one of my SHO's killing the battery. It didn't happen every night and occured three times over two months. Of course I got initially side tracked as this was an orginal Ford Battery, or at least the warranty sticker seemed to lead me to believe that it was. After having to part with that battery, I just swapped one from my Mercury in for the time being. That one ended up dying too. Once I got it replaced I ran through the parasidic testing procedures and found the Cassette deck was the culprit.

The head unit was reporting T3 errors, which is a problem related to it not detecting the tape in the unit. It wouldn't eject the tape in most cases. This is a common problem with the head units, and only occurs with a tape inserted. With the tape inserted I detected between 1.5-2.4A power draw. After ejecting I found my resting amps at 0.32A.

Just an FYI, I don't actually play tapes, I just have an old Cassette to Bluetooth adapter that I use. It has to be charged every so often, which was the only time I would eject it.

 

[98SF19]

My football killed a battery a while back as well. The heat sink on back was crazy hot when I took it out.