el_taco

truck: 2001 taco 4x4

just landed a brand new odyssey 34/78 1500 battery for a hundred bucks, local.

the guy said that the battery was sitting in his garage for a few months (maybe 2-3 months).

when i checked the battery with the multimeter, it reads 10.6 and later 10.3. seems like its dropping.

is this normal??? <<< because its been sitting around and "discharging"???

if so, how can i charge it???

thank you all.

94svt50

Sounds low on the voltage. Take it down to the local auto zone or advanced auto, if they have them in your area, they can test the battery to see if its even a good battery and they can also charge it for you over a several hour period. You could just stick it in the truck, jump it if needed, then drive around till charged.

Firefightertaco

yeah man its fine, its just became discharged from not being used, id just take it to like auto zone and they can put a heavy amp charge on it from there charger if you want it normally takes like an hour if there not charging any others first.

sovereign

I left a Diehard P-5 (Odyssey rebadge) for exactly 6 months off charge. It still read 12.3v when I hooked it back up. You should have that one tested.

laskt9

94svt50- driving around and letting your alt charge the battery is a horrible idea. Not only can it not charge the battery fully. it will also kill your alternator.

Also your battery should not discharge while sitting. Clean off the battery posts and put it on a trickle charger

94svt50

I disagree, It can and will take a battery from flat to charged through the course of several driving cycles. And how can the alternator doing its job destroy it? It doesnt know if the battery is completely dead or just run down from a bit of cranking.

laskt9

you would be pushing the alternator to work at full strength for an extended period of time, thats going to create alot of heat. heat will damage the solder joints inside the alternator along with the insulation and brushes. it might not kill it right away but its going to shorten the life of it significantly. do you have any experience rebuilding alternators?

el_taco

thanks.

no experience in rebuilding alternators.

i have the battery on trickle charge and its holding just about 12.60ish-12.65ish, but if i leave it overnight without the charger, it SLOWLY discharges to about 12.58ish range, VERY SLOWLY discharges and does not hold at 12.65-67.

i was thinking about charging it so i can start the truck and then drive so the alternator "charges" the battery. <<< some say yes and some no to this.

recommendations???

laskt9

have you cleaned off the battery top? it will discharge if there is dirt there.

if the batter is around 12.5 you can let the alt charge it but i wouldnt do much more than that as it will burn up stuff inside like i said before