Another dead battery

I don't know if I buy into this theory as that was not even close to my real world experience. I dropped the Odyssey into my car and drove it for about 8 years before it ever went on a charger which was due to me running it down. I never put it on any monthly chargers or any trickle chargers while the car was stored away for the winters. I got about 11 years out of it so the higher up front price was offset by long life and being totally maintenance free.

 

Thanks. What should the value be?

 

That's correct, it'll work perfectly fine charging via the alternator. However, from what researching I've done, the battery will only charge to around 80% of it's capacity via the alternator and eventually the memory of the battery will get stuck at that 80% charge level.

If you don't run any accessories, and it's nothing more than a cranking battery, then it'll work fine and last for years. If you are running a fridge or other accessories off of it and constantly cycling it, then you'd want to get a smart charger hooked up to it after a deep discharge.

This is why I'm debating on getting an AGM or not when mine finally shits the bed. The only accessory I run constantly is a dash cam w/parking mode, however I can set the voltage cut as to not discharge the battery to a low voltage.

 

I just use the default settings. It will show you the voltage output.

It says "ratio" and has a percentage symbol, but it will read 13.xx while the truck is running.

This is how I found out the alternator was bad on our GX 460, and kept killing batteries.

 

Or a better alternator?

 

The problem is that you aren't going to find an alternator that outputs such high voltage, and if you did it would likely over charge the battery because during the float stage the battery needs a lower voltage to maintain the charge @ ~13.6v, IIRC.

You can always hook up solar with an MPPT charger. They work beautifully with AGM batteries, since they charge at ~14.9v and will float at a proper level once it is completely charged.

 

Ok. I’ll need to switch the PID for that display. I’m currently using the +B voltage (which is reading ~14.2v) PID as the other one I thought was for the alternator wasn’t working.

 

In Fusion you'll need to buy the $10 Toyota PIDs.

The stock alternator is a "smart" alternator, so it doesn't put out a constant voltage. It'll output voltage based on what it thinks is best for the current situation, so it's changing all the time.

 

I bought them...

What is the max output of the stock alternator?

 

Almost sounds like you might be needing a deep cycle battery if you are constantly draining it down, i think they do make deep cycle AGM's, maybe that would be something to look into also.

 

I have a renogy 100w with the wanderer controller. Does that suffice?

 

My battery died on my new Tacoma when the truck was 5 months old.

 

I've never seen higher than 13.9v, but then again I don't monitor it all the time.

It doesn't discharge the battery too much. I have the voltage cut set at 12.5v now, but my stock battery is crapping out, so it doesn't record after the truck is shut off.

MPPT controllers are better IMO, but that should work too.

 

What’s the difference in this context?

 

If this vehicle were mission critical, say you lived in a cold climate and needed the vehicle to get to medical help etc....upgrading to a better quality battery would be a big consideration.

The way the lead plates are manufactured can mean a big difference in the ability to hold a charge, especially in freezing conditions.

 

Anyone use a battery tester instead of a multi meter? I've been using a multi meter for years but wonder if a tester would be better. Seems like it would be easier to diagnose battery issues with a tester opposed to a multi meter. Thoughts?

https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-...-6-and-12-volt-battery-load-tester/567123_0_0

 

The benefit of the better testers (commercial) is that they can check a range of parameters.

1. CC Amps
2. Peak Voltage and variance
3. Charging system health (alternator).

Etc

 

This is all I need to test my charging system and all are very accurate !!!

 

Hmm....sounds like one would have to do this every so ofter which means battery maintenance all over again.....so is it worth it.....more expensive battery and not get a full charge off the alternator unless you put a trickle

 

I’ll bet you have a draw. Grab a multimeter and do a draw test. Make sure everything is turned off in the truck. Disconnect the positive terminal. Clamp one end on the + terminal of the battery and the other battery terminal. Put the meter in VDC with the red lead in A. Let the truck sit for a while and check the reading. It may take 20 min for the BcM to fully go to sleep. If the reading is higher than ~.50-.60 than you have a draw.

It’s either that or you’re not getting enough of a charge. How many miles to do drive on a daily basis?