Hi, just bought a new battery for my pickup two weeks ago to put the old one in the tractor. It was dead this morning at 8 below. When I put the charger on it, I found a layer of ice between the two posts from snow that probably blew in from the blizzard. Been driving it every day. I'm just wondering if the ice between the posts would run it down or not? If not, I'll look for something else. It started after it charged for a while. I had 15" of snow on my tractor battery yesterday and it started ok. Thanks.
- Thread starter bc
- Start date
old
Well-known Member
- Location
- Camdenton Missouri
Well that is a yes no or maybe. Pure water will not conduct voltage but is it is not 100% pure it will so yes snow being what it is could conduct voltage. But snow would not be likely to have enough menrails to conduct much if any volts so good chance you have a new bad battery. Water is 100% pure will not conduct voltage but if you add things like salts or other things water will conduct voltage
Gary from Muleshoe
Well-known Member
Now I am just thinking here, but as a battery discharges from a direct short, it would cause heat and heat causes water evaporate. So wouldn't the water evaporate away from the post thus no long be a conductor?
Just my thoughts.
Just my thoughts.
MarkB_MI
Well-known Member
- Location
- Motown USA
Snow is almost pure water and, as others said, pretty much non-conductive.
Gene Dotson
Well-known Member
Turn off the dome light?
Nebraska Cowman
Well-known Member
water, and especially ice is an insulator. My guess would be ice crystals at one of the posts keeping it from making a connection. Clean and dry is good.
There is an easy quick you can do for an electrical drain. First charge your battery AFTER it has thawed. Frozen batteries can explode if you try to charge them. After it's charged, disconnect the negative battery cable and, using a test light, put one end on the negative cable end and one end on the negative terminal. If it's an older truck and it's not lighted, then you don't have much of a drain if you use your truck regularly. If it is bright, you do have a drain. Then just remove fuses one at a time until the light goes out. You can do the same thing with a volt meter. Test lights are easier to check on and can give you an indication of amperage draw because drains are mainly about amperage. Hope this helps. Gerard
May Dad showed me a thing about batteries in the 50's. He always wiped clean the tops of all batteries stating discharge would drain one. He built tube type radios as a Ham operator-so figured he may have been on to something. Even today I wipe the tops of the batteries. Don't know if it does any good other than they look good. Also keep the post clean and oiled when needed.
Had a battery freeze and broke out the side on a work car once.
Had a battery freeze and broke out the side on a work car once.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
You bought a new battery for the truck, and somehow you expect the old worn out battery to somehow resurrect itself when placed in a different exposed to the elements application.
if so....
Keep pounding it with the biggest meanest battery charger till it comes apart violently.
if so....
Keep pounding it with the biggest meanest battery charger till it comes apart violently.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Your battery didn't need replacing, you have a draw, draining the battery. Could be anything from a bad diode in the alternator, to one of the myriad of circuits, that are in today's vehicles. My suggestion would be to check everything, to make sure that nothing is on, and failing to find the problem, install a battery shutoff switch, just google that term. It is cheap, and easy to install. If you have the $, go to a local auto electric shop, and tell them the story. If they work with a lot of today's cars, they should have the knowledge, of what goes wrong, with each particular brand/model.
I'll do some testing on it later this morning.
My battery in the tractor was bad and needed replaced. The old battery in my 2000 F150 pickup was only 3 years old and good. Since I was buying a new battery, I just thought I'd rather have it in the pickup since I use it all the time and sooner or later batteries do go bad and sometimss out on the road somewhere.
Prior to buying the battery, I was having to jump start the tractor a few times. I may have knocked out a diode or something in the alternator. I'll check it. Yesterday I figured it had to be the solenoid cause I didn't think the battery would be down. The solenoid probably clunked a time or two as I tried it before the interior and dash lights came on. Some switch may have froze up.
Thanks. I'll check it later.
My battery in the tractor was bad and needed replaced. The old battery in my 2000 F150 pickup was only 3 years old and good. Since I was buying a new battery, I just thought I'd rather have it in the pickup since I use it all the time and sooner or later batteries do go bad and sometimss out on the road somewhere.
Prior to buying the battery, I was having to jump start the tractor a few times. I may have knocked out a diode or something in the alternator. I'll check it. Yesterday I figured it had to be the solenoid cause I didn't think the battery would be down. The solenoid probably clunked a time or two as I tried it before the interior and dash lights came on. Some switch may have froze up.
Thanks. I'll check it later.
Bryan inIowa
Member
Will it start with the ground cable off ?? lol,,Might be one of them old batteries out of an ETD ,,they had no cables at all ! lol
Have a good one .
Have a good one .
gene bender
Well-known Member
Of course that would run it down water does conduct.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
It's true pure water will not conduct electricity, but with a bit of road salt it sure will.
rustyfarmall
Well-known Member
bc, take that new battery back to where you bought it and have them test it. It sure wouldn't be the first time a brand new battery died within a few days. I had one several years ago that started my car just fine 2 times and then went completely dead.
When you get home turn off everything electrical. Then turn engine off. Then disconnect the ground cable at the battery post. Waait until it is very dark. Go out and touch the ground cable to the battery post. If you get see any spark that means there is a current draw going on there while the vehicle is static. Pull fuses til it doesn't spark.
Gordo
Gordo
It seams some people cannot understand the consept of taking out a bad tractor battery and replacing it with a known good used one and that the known good one is working in the tractor and understanding that when taking out the known good but older battery and replacing it with a brand new battery of questionable quality but should be good and hoping for bore trouble free time with the new one in the truck and the new one in the truck whent dead. The only thing that could cause that battery to go that fast is either a bad battery or in chainging you created a dead short. If there was a charging problem then the old battery would not be working.
If it is a newer vehcile the "spark test" won't work.
With a newer vehicle you will ALWAYS see a little spark when reconnecting the battery cable 'cause all the 'puters and electronics in the vehicle will power back up. There's some pretty good sized 'lytic caps in the power supply of each unit and they will all grab power for a split second to charge back up when powered back up..
With a newer vehicle you will ALWAYS see a little spark when reconnecting the battery cable 'cause all the 'puters and electronics in the vehicle will power back up. There's some pretty good sized 'lytic caps in the power supply of each unit and they will all grab power for a split second to charge back up when powered back up..
I would second this as a possibility.
My "93 Buick had a similar situation years ago. I took off one of the battery cables and put a DVM between the terminal and the cable. It read .3 amps. Normal is about .03 amps. I could never say for sure, but I think it was a sticky relay for the delayed shutoff interior/door lights. The problem stopped after the weather warmed up and hasn"t happened since.
My "93 Buick had a similar situation years ago. I took off one of the battery cables and put a DVM between the terminal and the cable. It read .3 amps. Normal is about .03 amps. I could never say for sure, but I think it was a sticky relay for the delayed shutoff interior/door lights. The problem stopped after the weather warmed up and hasn"t happened since.
Allen Goodman
Member
Bought a new battery from NAPA on the 28th of Jan. Put it in my plow truck (Bronco). This past Monday I called my driver (3 AM) for that truck and told him to start plowing. -17 that morning. He called me and said the truck won't even turn over, tried jumping it and nothing. Later that morning, I stopped at his place and took the battery out and went to NAPA. Opened the caps and it was totally froze. Couldn't test it until it thawed. Put close to a heater and returned it that afternoon. Totally dead, NAPA gave me another one. Never seen a battery freeze before.
Well it is up in the teens and my 2000 f150 started right up. While running it was reading 14.70 volts and when shut off it had 12.81 volts. That meter didn't test dc amps.
Thanks.
Maybe it was froze up a little. Not very comforting when you depend on it to start. Guess I'll take back to wally world and have it checked in the next couple days. Probably get it load tested at Oreilly's just for comparison.
I was just wondering if anyone (in the collective thousands of years of experience) had any experience with ice on the battery making it discharge. Particularly since my tractor battery sits out in the open all the time in the rain, sleet, snow, and ice. Apparently not. But I never knew a battery would freeze. Maybe something with the acid to water ratio?
Thanks.
Maybe it was froze up a little. Not very comforting when you depend on it to start. Guess I'll take back to wally world and have it checked in the next couple days. Probably get it load tested at Oreilly's just for comparison.
I was just wondering if anyone (in the collective thousands of years of experience) had any experience with ice on the battery making it discharge. Particularly since my tractor battery sits out in the open all the time in the rain, sleet, snow, and ice. Apparently not. But I never knew a battery would freeze. Maybe something with the acid to water ratio?
NW MO Poppers
Member
I have had a battery do just that: get ice petween the two posts and be dead. clean it off, charge it, and you'll be good to go If it didn't ruin the battery in the process. And, i've also had a battery freeze, which is a completely different deal.
Nebraska Cowman
Well-known Member
acid in a discharged state turns to water. Don't ask me to explain it. i am not a chemist.
Nebraska Cowman
Well-known Member
and at zero a fully charged battery will be partially discharged just because of the temp.
guido
Well-known Member
Hello bc,
Surface discharge is sometimes a problem with an open top battery.
Take you voltmeter and go from the positive post, to the surface of the battery.
If you read more then millivolts, the battery will self discharge. The more volts you read, the faster the discharge. I know it is a new battery, but while running the engine some we
of the electrolyte may be on top of the battery
Clean it up with a bit of water and baking soda.
Don't let any baking soda get in the cells.
Guido.
Surface discharge is sometimes a problem with an open top battery.
Take you voltmeter and go from the positive post, to the surface of the battery.
If you read more then millivolts, the battery will self discharge. The more volts you read, the faster the discharge. I know it is a new battery, but while running the engine some we
of the electrolyte may be on top of the battery
Clean it up with a bit of water and baking soda.
Don't let any baking soda get in the cells.
Guido.
Well my dad spent his whole life working as a certified Ford tech mechanic which i wish he would've taught me something as a kid . But as an elderly man , I've experienced personally some shocks with 12 v & water . One day last summer ,I was working with my electrolisys system 12 v , agitating the parts that were soaking . I had my hands in the solution holding onto the salvage parts , not thinking much about it , I felt a tingling . So if current travels in water why not thru an ice cycle ? I still think it's a possibilty . Open to more wisdom . God bless
Even without the computers and always on radios that use power to run the clock and memory for station presets, most all alternators have a built in noise cap that will pull a little blue spark from the cable as they charge.
This gives a false power drain indication.
This gives a false power drain indication.
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