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Batteries going dead

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We have a cop truck here that the batteries keep dying and we cant seem to find any parasitic load. Usually happens overnight. It has these codes -

 

B1352 Ignition Key-In Circuit Failure

 

B1676 Battery Pack Voltage Out of Range

 

B2658 Wait to Start Indicator Circuit Open

 

P1139 Water in Fuel Indicator Circuit

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

If you can help us out my e-mail is

 

nathaniel.heise@wimilw.ang.af.mil

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Sorry, Nat... what happens on the forums stays on the forums.... This is how we share information....

 

Some salient points..... "cop truck" isn't much help - no they aren't all "the same"....

 

Year - model - factory options - aftermarket options - how and when the parasitic draw tests were administered....

 

I've had some stinkers, lately, that would blow you away for what I had to go through to find them. There is no detail too small.....

 

Here's where I turn into a dink.... there are no "magic bullets"... someone may make a remark that gets our juices flowing, but we will solve nothing without some basic information on what we are dealing with. I've spent many hours looking for concerns that are outside of any "experience" on record only to find out that the resolution was something too simple too imagine... be it from something like http://www.forddoctorsdts.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=4913&page=1#Post4913 to http://www.forddoctorsdts.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=4234&page=1#Post4234 to an Excursion with an improperly wired PATS bypass that would turn the alternator on "sometimes".

 

Sorry if the links don't work.... blame Kieth...

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Aside from checking the vehicle for parasitic loads with the vehicle shut down consider testing the battery. Will it hold a charge? Are the cells good? I have seen batteries test good after being charged that still just cant hold a charge. My weapon of choice is the good 'ol battery hydrometer. This will allow you to gage the overall health of the battery, identify weak or bad cells, observe the electrolyte color, level and presence of scale that contribute to the death of a battery. Just because they say "Maintenance Free" doesn't mean they cant be tested the old fashioned way.

 

 

 

Sorry if the links don't work.... blame Kieth...

/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/flamethrower.gif Is it getting warm in here, or is it just me? /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

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WE HAVE BEEN HAVING A HELL OF ALLOT OF FAILING BATTERIES LATELY.WHEN YOU SAY NO PARASITIC DRAW, USUALLY THESE HAS TO BE SOMETHING DRAWING EITHER A RECHARGABLE FLASHLAMP,ETC. AT LEAST ALL THE EMERGENCY VEHICLES WE HAVE SEEN.kEITH IS RIGHT CHECK THOSE MOTORCRAPS. SHINY AND CLEAN DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING TODAY.

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I have found that in most cases, police vehicles have a circuit breaker that will interrupt current flow to the police service items. I like to do my testing with it powered up, then disconnect it and test again to rule out the accessories... which it seems to be way more than half the time.

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Battery hydrometer???? You old coot...

 

My hydrometer rarely gets used for other than ambulance inspections and some other retail occasions....

 

One apprentice saw me checking our 8D booster cart for state of charge and mentioned that he hasn't used his coolant tester for that yet - "SAY WHAT???".

 

I still like the hand held tester (Micro 490???) for checking battery capacitance... many bad batteries can pass the high rate discharge test under the right conditions yet can't live through the "Ukranian" battery test..... leaving the key turned on for 15 minutes (there's a story there that might come to life later).

 

We are the unlucky recipients of a GR1-190... this machine refuses to fail a battery at all costs..... even after the 3 or 4 hour "recovery" charge. Explain that to your customer....

 

This old dinosaur still does a lot of things by "feel"... I only wish that ford offered a web based course on creative writing....

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