Charging issue

I got my truck back from a fresh frame swap, the battery and alternator were also both replaced. After having the truck back for a few days, I went to start it and nothing, starter would not even turn over. I charged the battery up for about 20 minutes, and left for work, assuming the 20 minute drive would finish charging the battery. When I left work, the battery was pretty low, but I was able to get it started.

No issues for a couple more days, and now the battery will not hold a charge. I put my charger on it (a newer Craftsman digital read) and I charge it to 100%, disconnect and reconnect charger, and it reads around 68%. I repeated this over the course of a few hours today.

What's going on? Bad battery? Bad alternator?

 

the battery most likely has a bad cell, take it back and get it replaced for free. should have a warranty on it

 

Thank you. I wish the Toyota battery for sale at the dealership was the same battery that you could purchase from the parts department. My first battery lasted 6 years, this is my third battery since 2012.

 

should all be the same.

 

Could be a bad ground too.

 

When I charged it up the first time, it started right up. I turned it off and tried to start it again immediately, and click...

 

Right, they should be, but unfortunately they are not. OE is Panasonic, Truestart is junk.

 

truestart is made by interstate.

 

Are you sure about that? Where are you getting that information? As far as I know, from reading this forum, Truestart batteries were once made by Interstate and are now made by Johnson Controls.

 

Interstate drops them off at my dealer and that what the parts manager told me.

 

I wonder if that's the case with all Toyota dealerships, or if different areas have different suppliers. I am ready to just buy another diehard platinum. I had one in my FJ40 that lasted 12 years. I abused that battery too, my FJ40 sits in the winter, I sometimes forget to turn on my trickle charger, that battery has been completely flat at least 10 times. I also use a winch, it never flinched.

 

Because it happened after frame swap my guess is bad ground.

 

This. Maybe just a loose ground.

 

I'm taking the truck in tonight, I'll update on the issue. If it was a bad ground, it doesn't make sense to me that my battery charger would reach 100% and then upon disconnecting, and reconnecting, it would always read about 68%. That's what makes me believe that the battery is to blame.

 

If the ground is loose and you jostle it just right, the truck will run (or charge) fine until the ground moves enough to not do its job. I have experienced this with my Tacoma. I had disconnected the battery and not retightened the ground. it coud be at the battery, or at the main ground(s).

 

sounds like a bad cell to me as well...a load test at Autozone or other parts store can check your battery out. Sometimes its the alternator not charging which takes out the battery.

 

I have a load tester, the battery tested good, can a battery pass a load test with a bad cell? Truck is at the dealership now...

 

I still say there is a bad ground, its too much of a coincidence that this happened after a frame swap.

 

Keep us updated on what they find.

 

I'm in a rental, they are also fixing a bad door scratch that I received as a result of the frame swap. I will update as soon as I find out!