Propickup Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/150744
BATTERIES: HEAVY DUTY AMP POWER B atteries. We can't live without them in our pickups. When are working fine, we never give them a second thought. When the batteries go bad, it's panic time. But those dreaded dead battery situations can be avoided if you pay attention to hints things are going awry in your pickup's electrical department. Hint number one of a battery's impending demise is an engine that turns over more slowly than usual during cold starts. Hint number two is a noticeable dimming of the headlights moments after you turn the engine off. The average heavy-duty OEM battery A buyer's guide to heavy-duty pickup batteries; upgrade options for OEM replacements By Allan Tarvid lasts four to five years with proper maintenance. That life span can be shortened, of course, with repeated use beyond which it is designed. For instance, maybe you roll down the windows after the engine is turned off and listen to an amped-up stereo while you work, or leave the headlights on to light up a job when you run out of daylight. Or maybe you run HID or high-power driving and headlights, or use the winch a lot. Those are the types of power drains the standard battery doesn't handle well. REPLACEMENT FACTORS Unfortunately, some sneaky batteries keep LIFEcharger offers new life to dead batteries SAVERS Digital Dead batteries are a common occurrence around most shops that deal with pickups and equipment used in the construction, aggregates and landscaping trades. Let's face it – sooner or later every 12-volt battery fails to function as it should. When that happens, we typically pull it out and hook it up to a battery charger to try to bring it back to life. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. But when charging doesn't revive the battery it may not be really dead; when a battery's internal voltage drops into high single- digits, most chargers can't see it to start the charging process. A new digital battery charger from Optima can read battery voltage down to 1.5 volts, which means dead batteries still have a chance to be brought back to life. According to Optima, the 12amp Digital 1200 12V Performance Battery Charger ($200) enhances the performance of the company's own batteries as well as charge and maintain other flooded/AGM batteries used in automotive, motorcycle, marine, tractor, power sports, RVs and equipment. Other innovative features include an integrated LED work light in the charging clamps; quick selection of charge profiles by battery; instant recognition of battery type by connection; and USB charging for tablets, smartphones and other devices. – Bruce W. Smith their failing health a secret right up until you turn the ignition key and nothing happens. Then it's time to get them replaced. If you need only a little more electrical power, the first and easiest solution is to see if a cranking battery with more capacity is available to fit your truck. The main capacity rating for OEM batteries is cold cranking amps (CCA). The CCA number indicates how many amps a new, fullycharged battery at zero degrees Fahrenheit (F) can deliver for 30 seconds without falling below 7.2 volts. The bigger the CCA number, the longer the battery will crank your engine and the longer you can run a few accessories with the engine off before you risk starting problems. Battery size and location are also important factors to consider; installing anything beyond a standard replacement battery can be tricky. Some pickup's battery cables are only be long enough to reach positive and negative posts located where they are on the OEM battery and installing a non-OEM model may call for modifying the cable connections. If your pickup is still under warranty it's also a good idea to talk to your dealer's service manager to make sure nothing you plan to do impacts your warranty coverage. You may also be able to find a deep-cycle or dual-purpose (cranking and deep-cycle) battery from our battery chart that fits in your truck — but first you need to know a few things about batteries. 6 PROPICKUP Big Book 2013 ProPickup_2013BB_Batteries.indd 6 8/6/13 9:30 AM