Battery???Batteries?? 12.3 volts?? Share your wisdom

[xzostd1]

My Volvo now has 4 Batteries in Parallel
They show 12.3 volts fully charged.
When I load test each (separately) they drop to 11V and hold at 11V for almost a minute then slowly drop .

Shouldn't I be seeing closer to 13V when charged?

What should I replace my batteries with?? Brand, Style, 3 or 4 or 2 ??

If I remember correctly you need to maintain above 9.6 Volts when cranking (Or Mr OHM takes over with increasing amps and decreasing volts until the magical smoke comes out of components)

Bill
Menominee, MI

[Rev.Vassago]

My Volvo now has 4 Batteries in Parallel
They show 12.3 volts fully charged.
When I load test each (separately) they drop to 11V and hold at 11V for almost a minute then slowly drop .

Shouldn't I be seeing closer to 13V when charged?

What should I replace my batteries with?? Brand, Style, 3 or 4 or 2 ??

If I remember correctly you need to maintain above 9.6 Volts when cranking (Or Mr OHM takes over with increasing amps and decreasing volts until the magical smoke comes out of components)

Bill
Menominee, MI

Get them load tested - a cheap and easy way to find out whether they are holding a proper charge.

If you want to do a complete swap of all your batteries, and you can afford it, I would suggest going with three yellow-top Optimas. They have a lot more cold cranking amps than a conventional battery, and they are not as likely to suffer from the rigors of being in a big truck (all the bumps and shaking, etc.)

One thing to note, however, is that one bad battery will shorten the life of the rest of the good batteries. The good ones will have to work extra hard to make up for the bad one.

[special k]

I would say 12.3 is okay some load testers arre different than other's on mine you only check it for 15 seconds 11 volts @ 15 seconds is fine . You could take it in and get it checked with a commercial tester but if the truck is starting fine I wouldn't worry about it.

[xzostd1]

My Volvo now has 4 Batteries in Parallel
They show 12.3 volts fully charged.
When I load test each (separately) they drop to 11V and hold at 11V for almost a minute then slowly drop .

Shouldn't I be seeing closer to 13V when charged?

What should I replace my batteries with?? Brand, Style, 3 or 4 or 2 ??

If I remember correctly you need to maintain above 9.6 Volts when cranking (Or Mr OHM takes over with increasing amps and decreasing volts until the magical smoke comes out of components)

Bill
Menominee, MI

Get them load tested - a cheap and easy way to find out whether they are holding a proper charge.

If you want to do a complete swap of all your batteries, and you can afford it, I would suggest going with three yellow-top Optimas. They have a lot more cold cranking amps than a conventional battery, and they are not as likely to suffer from the rigors of being in a big truck (all the bumps and shaking, etc.)

One thing to note, however, is that one bad battery will shorten the life of the rest of the good batteries. The good ones will have to work extra hard to make up for the bad one.

Batteries plus in Green Bay has two in stock @$231 each.
I'm thinking that it makes better sense to just go with a standard series 31 and just replace them every two years. The Optima warranty is only as good as my proximity to a dealer. Three Optimas would be a big investment, the money is not an issue, but is it cost effective??
Bill

[Rev.Vassago]

Batteries plus in Green Bay has two in stock @$231 each.

Overpriced. Look around, and I'm sure you can find them for under $200. Batteries Plus is probably the LAST place to go.

I'm thinking that it makes better sense to just go with a standard series 31 and just replace them every two years. The Optima warranty is only as good as my proximity to a dealer. Three Optimas would be a big investment, the money is not an issue, but is it cost effective??
Bill

It really depends upon the application. What type of operation are you running? What type of load are you putting on the batteries? Are you running an inverter? All these things will determine how long a battery lasts.

[Kranky]

Batteries plus in Green Bay has two in stock @$231 each.

231.00 each for group 31's?

Does the vaseline come with it or are they gonna charge extra for that too?

You can darn near buy 4 standard batteries for that amount at any truck parts store.

And if you replace 1, replace them all, because if one is tired, the others probably ain't far behind.

Also the 1 new battery will be drained by the other 3 if they get low.

[Rev.Vassago]

Batteries plus in Green Bay has two in stock @$231 each.

231.00 each for group 31's?

Does the vaseline come with it or are they gonna charge extra for that too?

You can darn near buy 4 standard batteries for that amount at any truck parts store.

The last Optimas I bought were about $180 each, out in CA. The difference between an Optima and a standard battery is night and day. I ran my truck for 3 weeks on a single Optima battery, before I took it in to get 2 replaced (which had prematurely died, solely from the fact that they were almost 4 years old, and had sat idle for a year and a half).

I'm not at home right now so not sure where I got them but I bought 4 Optima Yellow Tops for less than $200 a piece and shipping was included. I think I got them in 3 days after the order, it was quick.

I can't remember who recommended I buy them.

[solo379]

For $800, i could run about 10 years, w/o a problem, on a "regulars", could you do it on your "Optima"? I didn't think so!

IMO, at the current prices, 'REGULAR" batteries is a better value, over "OPTIMA".

[Rev.Vassago]

I'm not at home right now so not sure where I got them but I bought 4 Optima Yellow Tops for less than $200 a piece and shipping was included. I think I got them in 3 days after the order, it was quick.

I can't remember who recommended I buy them.

Ahem, Ahem. :wink:

For $800, i could run about 10 years, w/o a problem, on a "regulars", could you do it on your "Optima"? I didn't think so!

IMO, at the current prices, 'REGULAR" batteries is a better value, over "OPTIMA".

Hook a decent size inverter to those "regular" batteries, and in a short time you will have boat anchors.

Can you run a 2000 watt inverter for over 10 hours without starting your truck, and have plenty of charge left to crank it over in the morning?

Can you leave your truck sit for a month, and crank it over on the first try?

A regular battery will shorten its life dramatically when it is repeatedly drained, and then recharged. An Optima won't do this.

Anyone running any sort of inverter on a consistent basis can benefit from having Optimas. I wouldn't run anything else, even at the high price of them.

I had decent batteries in my truck when I bought it. I left my fridge on one night and the florescent lights and the next day the batteries were dead. After that they never held a charge so I bought the Optima batteries. Since then I've run them non stop charging a laptop, Dustbuster, fridge, DVD and TV all night in cold weather and the truck cranks like there's no tomorrow.

[solo379]

1)Can you run a 2000 watt inverter for over 10 hours without starting your truck, and have plenty of charge left to crank it over in the morning?

2)Can you leave your truck sit for a month, and crank it over on the first try?

1) I don't run inverter...

2) Yes i can, and i did, on a more than a few occasions, and not just one , but after 2-3 months

I'm just stating an opinion, strictly money wise, based on my experience

[bob h]

a fully charged battery has an open circuit voltage (ocv) of about 12.6 to 12.7 volts. if it is less than 12.5 volts, it must be re-charged to full before load testing

a load test applies 1/2 the cca for 15 secs, the battery should not drop below 9.6 volts

what voltage do you read at the alternator when the engine is running?

check for loose connections @ batteries, starter, alternator

[xzostd1]

a fully charged battery has an open circuit voltage (ocv) of about 12.6 to 12.7 volts. if it is less than 12.5 volts, it must be re-charged to full before load testing

a load test applies 1/2 the cca for 15 secs, the battery should not drop below 9.6 volts

what voltage do you read at the alternator when the engine is running?

check for loose connections @ batteries, starter, alternator

I'm reading 13.6 when idling. On further investigation (Called the former owner) 2 batteries were replaced after a inverter failure and two were reused ....so...I went to my local NAPA store and bought four 31-875 at $79 each.
I use a 12v cooler and minimal power usage . Two 100 watt inverters power my laptop, and LCD TV.
Since I only run 10 or 12 days a month I have very little if any down time,
so haven't really had the need for bigger power consumers...(Air compressor for inflatable friends...ETC!)

I am looking at a Blue Cool for this summer which will have its own battery pack of a Optima style battery so I could do some interconnections to supply lots of energy...( Maybe a tanning bed?)
Bill

[allan5oh]

Can you run a 2000 watt inverter for over 10 hours without starting your truck, and have plenty of charge left to crank it over in the morning?

My dad runs an air conditioner overnight during the summer. Works those batteries pretty hard!

[Blind Driver]

My Volvo now has 4 Batteries in Parallel
They show 12.3 volts fully charged.
When I load test each (separately) they drop to 11V and hold at 11V for almost a minute then slowly drop .

Shouldn't I be seeing closer to 13V when charged?

What should I replace my batteries with?? Brand, Style, 3 or 4 or 2 ??

If I remember correctly you need to maintain above 9.6 Volts when cranking (Or Mr OHM takes over with increasing amps and decreasing volts until the magical smoke comes out of components)

Bill
Menominee, MI

12.3 is normal for tose batteries. You should be getting between 13.5 - 14.2 volts when the alternator is charging.

11volts when load tested should be ok.

Are you having problems with the engine starting???

[roadranger]

I just put 4 interstate ECL batteries in my truck. They are only 650 CCA a piece but keep in mind that in general the higher the CCA the shorter the life in deep discharge service (optimas excluded). These batteries were less than $400 for the set and are optimized for engine off sleeper duty where you might be running a diesel fired heater or using the microwave for a few minutes and a fridge and TV and ? My truck only came with three batteries new but for the extra $100 and 60 pounds I'll get an extra 1200 watt hours of capacity and the set will last longer. Sure cranks great now!

[solo379]

1)Can you run a 2000 watt inverter for over 10 hours without starting your truck, and have plenty of charge left to crank it over in the morning?

2)Can you leave your truck sit for a month, and crank it over on the first try?

1) I don't run inverter...

2) Yes i can, and i did, on a more than a few occasions, and not just one , but after 2-3 months

Just did it once again! :P
Truck was sitting still since 12-21-06 8) Batteries is 3 years old.

[bob h]

My Volvo now has 4 Batteries in Parallel
They show 12.3 volts fully charged.
When I load test each (separately) they drop to 11V and hold at 11V for almost a minute then slowly drop .

Shouldn't I be seeing closer to 13V when charged?

What should I replace my batteries with?? Brand, Style, 3 or 4 or 2 ??

If I remember correctly you need to maintain above 9.6 Volts when cranking (Or Mr OHM takes over with increasing amps and decreasing volts until the magical smoke comes out of components)

Bill
Menominee, MI

12.3 is normal for tose batteries. You should be getting between 13.5 - 14.2 volts when the alternator is charging.

11volts when load tested should be ok.

Are you having problems with the engine starting???

what type of battery is this?...... fully charged at 12.3 volts????

a proper load test would destroy a lead acid battery if it were sustained for a full minute.... the longest capacity test i know of lasts 20 secs

again, the battery should show more than 9.6 volts after 1/2 of its CCA is applied for 15 secs (crank it for 15 secs on the starter with engine ecm fuse pulled). if the batteries fall below 9.6, load test them individually after they have been fully charged to about 12.65 volts (not 12.3 OCV)

[BanditsCousin]

I prefer Optima red tops. In my sports car, the difference is night and day. To each is own, but thats about the only thing I can name that I'd spend 200% the normal cost of a regular part for! 8)