Need advice for battery/starter/alternator

Two years after buying my truck I was having bad startups that led to not being able to crank at all. They decided it was a bad battery and i bought a $500 northstar to replace it. It has more CCAs than stock and has been working flawlessly up until this weekend. I did a little off-roading and had a relatively jerky recovery situation over the weekend while towing another truck out of sand.
Now after owning the new battery for less than a year I’m having slow startups. Not dead all the way, but randomly the start up will be labored. The other thing I’ve noticed is that my dash will be reset back to factory. I usually don’t have the mileage showing when I turn on the truck nor do I have the digital speedometer reading but those come on when I have a slow start up.
Any thoughts?

 

Bump

 

Test the battery and check the connections

 

Autoparts store will test the battery & charging system.

I'd check all connections, battery terminals, belts in good working order? Then on to test the alternator.
Don't throw money into parts until you understand the issue.

Since you posted in the third-generation forum, I suspect 2016 or newer Tacoma. Battery to go out after four years is common in Texas (heat kills batteries), but alternator shouldn't be an issue on a five-year-old Toyota. What model & year vehicle?

I have this in my toolbox:

$59 TOPDON BT100 Car Battery Tester 12V Load Tester, 100-2000 CCA Automotive Alternator Tester Digital Auto Battery Analyzer Charging Cranking System Tester for Car Truck Motorcycle ATV SUV Boat Yacht

https://www.amazon.com/TOPDON-BT100-Automotive-Alternator-Motorcycle/dp/B07Z67MMGC

 

2017 Tacoma and the stock battery went out in 3 years. The new battery I have is less than a year old and has a 10 year warranty. I think I need someone to test the system.
Another question, when I meter from positive main cable (not positive battery terminal) to negative main cable with the truck running I get 13.65 volts, but when I use the positive main cable and the negative terminal that connects directly to the metal body I get between 3-8 volts. Is that normal? Also, do electronics go back to the chassis/metal on the truck or directly back to the battery negative terminal?

 

Started after bouncing the battery around? Have it load tested. Avoid auto parts places. They’ll use any excuse to sell a new battery. If you can’t do it yourself find an auto electric shop.

If it’s not the battery they are the ones you want investigating it anyway.

 

Something isn't right. Can you post a photo with the points you are measuring? Engine off and Engine running, any change in voltage measured?

Are you in Texas or another high hot area? Unfortunately, I find our heat kills batteries.

If you get 13.65 Volts between terminals, you should still see 13.65V with probes at the body with no current draw. What's your outside temp?

Often measuring at the body, you have an oxide layer on the top of a bolt or body, so I "scratch" with the probe to get a good reading. It's easy to get confused wondering what the heck is going on, but the probe is not making good contact. It helps to have a good meter (I use a Fluke). I had a cheap meter I tossed into the tool bag, but it gave me different readings. It turned out I needed a new 9V battery, so two meters to double-check when I am in the shop.

Do you have a stereo amp, lots of lights, other add-on things? Or just an absolutely stock setup that looks like the day you rolled off the showroom floor?

"EB" is the chassis ground point near the battery. "EA" is the point near the airbox. Engine Off, All loads off, you should be able to measure the same "ground" potential at all four ground locations when going from the positive terminal of the battery. On 15+ year-old vehicles, I've seen enough corrosion to cause problems, but more commonly a five-year-old Toyota is just a layer of oxide, hence needing to scratch a little to get a good reading.

 

AGM's also require higher charging voltage then then oem lead acid. Our alternators won't keep one sufficiently charged. You'll need to manually charge ever so often or get a tune that ups the alternator voltage.

 

I was just thinking about this. What voltage is a sufficient charge for AGM batteries?

 

What battery is in it currently and what are the cranking amps? Mine was dying and barely starting because the battery wouldn't fully charge back up after killing it once. Switched to an AGM, cranks a little faster than the previous which was the first thing I noticed.

 

Make sure terminals are tightened. Also, Northstar has good warranty if I remember correctly. They'll replace if it is bad.
I haven't messed with charging on my Northstar and never had an issue from it so far at 4.5 years.

 

I have upgraded to the Odyssey Group 31 AGM battery, not having any issues with it holding a charge or charging... The OEM crappy battery didn't even last 2 years, absolute garbage battery.