I have to agree with Rifleman about trying a long charge. It is possible they will come back. About half of mine did (in my m925) but now two are at 7 volts again. Good luck. I'll go for the same as above and use the good ones I salvage for other uses. Having an issue out on the road can be a problem and one tow bill could be as much as a new set. There is a big difference in your PA weather and Arizona, unless you keep it inside.
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New M923, battery issues. . .
- Thread starter Entropy455
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I also use 2 batteries when I have bad batteries, the problem is you can't tell when one is going bad unless you disconnect the leads and check them one by one. I had a problem last month with a 923A2, I removed the leads and tried to slow charge the batteries (after filling with distilled water to the correct level) I was able to save 2 of the 4 and she starts fine now. I put them in the space closest to the passenger door and installed a 24 to 12 volt inverter next to the batteries.
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I put two group 31s in my M818. Plenty of starting power.
emr
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the large batts need a charge rate of 13.6 at least to bring them up. especially true on hawkers. A maintainer desulphater after bringing them up for a few days will do the most repair you can get. Smart chargers are important becuae they have different levels of charge for the batts needs, check out batterystuff.com
KickerM
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I just priced new Batteries at NAPA, and I can get 6TMF for $195 each that includes a $30 ea core charge, if you wanna keep your truck "stock"! Hope this Helps!
airborneinfantrygrunt75
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I just bought that same battery and just to let everyone know the stats on that Napa 7271 battery is 1400cca and the 1720@ above 32 degrees, but all that matters is that he made it work and that is what I am doing tonight towards my own M923 I have one battery with a bad cell and two that were bad one had 0 cca and the other had 83cca that is horrible so I traded all four in got a core of 144.00 credit towards the 2 new 7271 commercial truck batteries for a grand total of about $370 dollars for the two batteries. Man that is the most I have ever paid for batteries and they had better last!!!
74M35A2
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I don't know why you guys chase the big batteries. Group 31 commercial semi truck batteries are $100 each new, compact, free up storage space, and work fabulous. The military over-battery'd these trucks and added solar to be able to sit in the arctic for long periods unused, and still be able to start. For something that is a hobby truck and gets started every so often, even 2 group 31's are plenty of power.
More importantly, make sure your engine and fuel delivery system is in a good state of tune and starts quickly. Tank dip tube, suction hoses, lift pump, etc..., all that stuff should be refreshed. Then make sure your charging system works well. Keep your batteries at 5 years old or less, and you are done. No chargers, no jumping, no problem. At the 5 year mark, I will replace my still working group 31's for another $200 total, and I'm good for another 5 years. I currently have a fuel dip tube problem, so run out frequently until I fix it, and I still have tons of cranking power to re-fire it.
Unless you are going for the original look, then I totally get it. But, big $ to keep that look working properly by refreshing it every 5 years.
A vehicle itself is the best load tester there is, because, it is the load anyway. Once the batteries are recharged best they can be (12.8v on a digital meter is 100% charge level roughly), use a digital meter on the battery terminals while somebody cranks the truck. If voltage drop below 10.0V, they are shot and need to be replaced.
But honestly, I just use the 5 year replace rule, and don't test anything. It just works. If I am helping somebody on their stuff, and their batteries are more than 5 years old, then we start there.
More importantly, make sure your engine and fuel delivery system is in a good state of tune and starts quickly. Tank dip tube, suction hoses, lift pump, etc..., all that stuff should be refreshed. Then make sure your charging system works well. Keep your batteries at 5 years old or less, and you are done. No chargers, no jumping, no problem. At the 5 year mark, I will replace my still working group 31's for another $200 total, and I'm good for another 5 years. I currently have a fuel dip tube problem, so run out frequently until I fix it, and I still have tons of cranking power to re-fire it.
Unless you are going for the original look, then I totally get it. But, big $ to keep that look working properly by refreshing it every 5 years.
A vehicle itself is the best load tester there is, because, it is the load anyway. Once the batteries are recharged best they can be (12.8v on a digital meter is 100% charge level roughly), use a digital meter on the battery terminals while somebody cranks the truck. If voltage drop below 10.0V, they are shot and need to be replaced.
But honestly, I just use the 5 year replace rule, and don't test anything. It just works. If I am helping somebody on their stuff, and their batteries are more than 5 years old, then we start there.
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