battery acts dead, but its not

[Guinness]

The last few days my trucks starter was turning slower and slower but always started. Yesterday morning it wouldnt even try and I got a ride to work.

I thought the problem was that since I only drive 5 miles a day it wasnt getting a charge. So I came home and put the battery charger on it, it said the batteries were already 70% and quickly got to 100% within half hour.

Now it still wont start, both the batteries and the starter are less than a year old. It seems pretty textbook like a dead battery but when I go to start or even just turn the key on the dash goes ape**** and wipers come on.

 

[bbressler]

I'd have your batteries load tested...they could have enough voltage, but could not work under load.

Usually though, when my truck acts like that, it's the starter...

 

[jbuller]

i would guess most likely is the cables either loose or just old, mabey coroded round the starter bolts or the battery posts. if not and all is fine next would be the starter.

 

[Zookie400]

load test the batteries. often when batteries go bad, they still are capable of charging up to 13volts, but they dont have the amperage left in them to get any real work done.

corroded connections create resistance and no matter how strong the batteries are, they can only push so much through the crap.

the starter could be shorted, or failed in some other fashion causing it to suck amps out of the batteries like crazy but not turn the engine fast enough to start it. i have gone through 3 "lifetime warranty"" starters from napa at a rate of 1 per year.....now i cut my losses on the lifetime warranty and bought a nice new bosch, and its been in there for 2 years so far no issues.

 

[Diezel Dawg]

batteries or even a starter drawing too much amperage. being that your truck is 9 years old, it very well could be the starter. How old are the batteries?