1 bad battery - can this cause wierd stuff with the cluster?

[Heartbeat Hauler]

I just had my truck detailed and the detail shop "detailed" the underhood area. The following day I began having hard starts (slow engine turn-over). When it it did finally start the red battery light stayed on and the guages did not register, then after a few seconds the battery light goes out and all guages start working. I charged the driver's side battery with my Sears micro-prossessor hemi-powered charger checker. :skep: Anyways, the driver's side charged to 15.6 volts and the green light indicated "charged". Connected to the passenger side battery and the charger flashed "Check"...did not charge. So, Now I have one good battery and one suspect but it is most likely dead. Do these symptoms sound like the result of a suspect battery?

I forgot to say that the other night when the truck would not start the passenger side battery was really hot, like burn your hand hot, the driver's side was nowhere near that hot. Now I know the turbo is on the passenger side, but that battery was really hot!!

 

[3500GMC]

The batteries are wired in parallel as all other 12v two battery systems, right? So if you are charging 'one' you're charging 'both' unless there is an isolator wired in. If one battery is shot/shorted, it'll kill the other one so maybe the voltage spiked low and caused your gauge deal.

I'm thinking a battery has taken a leave. Like maybe shorted out.

Disconnect them from each other and check volts both standing and with a decent load.

Ideally, one battery should fire off a warm diesel engine no problem... Try each battery separately. Or go to the *parts store* and get them load checked.

 

[WarWagon]

One battery alone can't recover from spinning a diesel engine very well so the alternator can't come up to full voltage as fast. This brownout explains the weird lights.

Something burned open for the batteries to have different abilities to charge. You need new battries and then check for the burned connection.
One battery shorted out and nearly melted down. The other battery burned up a connection between them and almost took the truck with it. Possible the battery cables have fusible links in them.
The positive cables connect at the starter for 2008, your year may vary.

The passenger side battery goes out first due to the high heat vs. the driver's side battery that gets cooler air. GM's stupid design...

In any case replace both batteries as the other one is not far behind the first and will drag down your new battery.

 

[3500GMC]

One battery bieing sucked dry by the other, no doubt, will be a problem.

Quote myself:

Ideally, one battery should fire off a warm diesel engine no problem... Try each battery seperately. Or go to the *parts store* and get them load checked.

One good battery alone not being hampered by the junk one....that is...

 

[Heartbeat Hauler]

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I dsconnected both batteries when I charged them. I have charging lugs, they screw into the battery screw-holes and have a top-post-type terminal, this made it easy to attach the charger clamps.

Anyways, I am also thinking that one battery took a dump and I know you are suppose to replace both at the same time, but I hate to give up the good one. I was wondering what the core charge was because I might be inclined to buy two new batteries, and only turn in the bad one, and pay the core charge on the good one.

 

[Heartbeat Hauler]

The batteries are wired in parallel as all other 12v two battery systems, right? So if you are charging 'one' you're charging 'both' unless there is an isolator wired in. If one battery is shot/shorted, it'll kill the other one so maybe the voltage spiked low and caused your gauge deal.

I'm thinking a battery has taken a leave. Like maybe shorted out.

Disconnect them from each other and check volts both standing and with a decent load.

Ideally, one battery should fire off a warm diesel engine no problem... Try each battery separately. Or go to the *parts store* and get them load checked.

This is what I am thinking. I am 99.5% sure that the pass side battery is shot, but I'm not sure about the driver's side. The load test would verify if it's bad or not.

 

[Heartbeat Hauler]

One battery alone can't recover from spinning a diesel engine very well so the alternator can't come up to full voltage as fast. This brownout explains the weird lights.

Something burned open for the batteries to have different abilities to charge. You need new battries and then check for the burned connection.
One battery shorted out and nearly melted down. The other battery burned up a connection between them and almost took the truck with it. Possible the battery cables have fusible links in them.
The positive cables connect at the starter for 2008, your year may vary.

The passenger side battery goes out first due to the high heat vs. the driver's side battery that gets cooler air. GM's stupid design...

In any case replace both batteries as the other one is not far behind the first and will drag down your new battery.

Getting the new batteries was practically a given, but I wanted to run it by you guys to see if there were other issues...posiibly. This fusible link thing is a little troublesome. I hope this is not an issue but I will check the cables. Thanks.

One battery bieing sucked dry by the other, no doubt, will be a problem.

Quote myself:


One good battery alone not being hampered by the junk one....that is...

Yeah, I understood you to mean try the batteries individually. Thanks. :thumbsup: