[mtyler11]

I'm in the process of searching, but if someone can point me to a solution...

It's single digits & windy. Truck won't start, just clicks (as if the battery were dead) Measure the batt volts and its 12.3 and even threw the charger on for S&G and it was flowing .3A (indicating good charge)
Scan tool reads 12V so ECM also sees a full charge. batt cables are tight, starter cable is tight,

I've tossed a heater in the engine bay along with a blanket to help keep the heat in thinking/hoping its something in the ECM or a block sensor that isn't liking the cold.

It ran fine 2 days ago.

thanks in advance.

(and no, I can't just push it into the garage to warm it up sadly)

 

[RobFrisco415]

that's whack af! when I was in Detroit it was negatives a lot in the winter..... it might be that the battery just can't handle the cold.... maybe upgrade to a yellow top / deep cycle

 

[mtyler11]

that's whack af! when I was in Detroit it was negatives a lot in the winter..... it might be that the battery just can't handle the cold.... maybe upgrade to a yellow top / deep cycle

I have an Odyssey AGM batt, its reading good. and if it were a batt issue the jump/charger would be able to start the truck on its own (did that as a test one day when I was replacing the crappy OEM acid one)

I'm not saying you can't have a bad new battery, but if it were that, the charger would have got it started.

 

[Contra]

The connection to the starter may be bad just because it is a good connection to the battery doesn’t mean that it is a full circuit not to mention that your starter itself might be bad
Then again you always have the problem of your intern seizing up did it overheat recently and if it did did you just allow it to sit there and go to rust in the engine
There is typically more to the problem than just a quirk of fate


Sent from my iPhone X using Tapatalk Pro

 

[GotToGo]

Try jump starting it.

 

[The other Sean]

Did you try jumping or did you just put the charger on it? Did you leave the charger on it? If so, how long?

Showing 12.3 volts at rest is a little low if you ask me. I'd prefer to see 12.4 or 12.5 at least. Also, simply checking resting voltage doesn't show the actual health of the battery. How old is said battery?

If it were me, I would bring the battery in where it is warm, toss it on the charger and leave it for a while then go from there.

 

[westracing01]

I find it hard to believe an Odyssey AGM is toast just from the cold. I've got one in my truck and she usually sets for a few weeks at a time in the winter and fires right up on demand.

AGM's need a LONG time on the trickle charge to get anything going. I think there's a different setting on the chargers for AGM's. Regardless, either try to jump it or put it on the charger for a complete charge cycle.

 

[invasion08]

Just because the voltage is good, does not mean the battery is good. The cold cranking amps could be down, meaning you have a bad cell or cells. Bring it to your local auto parts store and have them test it.

 

[mtyler11]

-update

Found out 2 things: My charger's jump-start function is dead, and the battery has a problem. I had noone to jumpstart me, but I eventually remembered I kept the old battery. Managed to jumpstart myself with the old batt. Drove around for a good 1/2 hr, shut it off and tried to restart, click-click-click.

So now I need to swap back in the old batt temporarily and contact BatteryMart or Odyssey. Batt is less than a yr old.

When I put the charger on it, first time was about 30 min, 2nd time (after warming everything) almost an hour.

 

[RobFrisco415]

Sounds like a classic case of Statistics! There will always be at least ONE bad one in a few thousands....

 

[mtyler11]

Crappy CS department!

So I swapped in the OEM batt and got the Odyssey battery tested @ Autozone. Confirmed what I knew, its bad.

Spoke with BatteryMart CS folk and they'd be happy to either replace the battery or refund me my initial purchase. YOU JUST HAVE TO SHIP IT BACK ON YOUR OWN DIME SO WE CAN CONFIRM ITS BAD IN OUR LAB. Shipping will cost $60 or so and no idea how much to package it up so they will ship it, but everyone I spoke with on the phone said to expect $40... So I have to pay $100 to get a refund or replacement on a 10 month old battery....

BULL$H!T

and nearest Odyssey dealer is an hour away from me. And they're a boat dealer. So they may not have a Group35, but I'll give them a cal in the morning for S&G.

This is a perfect example of why I don't like to buy things on the internet...

I bought an Odyssey because everyone says Optima are not the dependable batts they used to be and it had great CCA & impulse CA. After this, I would not recommend Odyssey either... We'll see if I can get Odyssey directly to take care of this, but if not, I'll only buy what is locally available.

 

[Zedbra]

I bought a NAPA battery from a local dealer (and my neighbour) - 3 years over the shelf replacement, an additional 3 years on top of that pro-rated. These Frontiers kill batteries, already had one swapped out for free under their warranty - he brought it home for me and dropped it off on my front step.

 

[invasion08]

I would call odyssey and see if you can just send them the print out that States your battery is dead. I bought optima online from my local advance auto parts store, using a coupon code. So if I ever have a problem I can bring it there. Good luck

 

[whistler]

I had the same problem with Optimas. They wanted for me to ship them back and it was not worth the hassle or the cost.
One thing I did learn, buy a charger that will handle AGM batteries.
I could never get a full charge with a normal battery charger.
I have an Odyssey charger now and works great.
Probably threw out good batteries before I bought this charger.

 

[teecro]

... Truck won't start, just clicks (as if the battery were dead) Measure the batt volts and its 12.3 and even threw the charger on for S&G and it was flowing .3A (indicating good charge)
Scan tool reads 12V so ECM also sees a full charge. batt cables are tight, starter cable is tight,

As you have learned you have battery issues... Keep this in mind that a FULLY charged 12 volt battery can/will show 12.7 to 12.8 volts and for all intents and purposes 12.0 volts is considered dead... Your 12.3 volts standing voltage is just not going to cut it. When troubleshooting at battery keep your voltmeter hooked up across the terminals and try starting the engine and watch the voltage drop to which the battery should hold at LEAST 10 volts while cranking...

 

[Skibane]

Shipping will cost $60 or so and no idea how much to package it up so they will ship it, but everyone I spoke with on the phone said to expect $40... So I have to pay $100 to get a refund or replacement on a 10 month old battery....

Packing a box isn't rocket science. There's NO WAY I'd pay someone else 40 bucks to do it!

In a just world, BatteryMart would send you a shipping box with a pre-paid shipping label on it. They could take your credit card number over the phone, and only charge you for shipping if they determined that the battery was OK after all.

Otherwise, it's not your fault that they sold you a defective product - so you shouldn't have to pay the cost of shipping it back to them.

 

[mtyler11]

Packing a box isn't rocket science. There's NO WAY I'd pay someone else 40 bucks to do it!

In a just world, BatteryMart would send you a shipping box with a pre-paid shipping label on it. They could take your credit card number over the phone, and only charge you for shipping if they determined that the battery was OK after all.

Otherwise, it's not your fault that they sold you a defective product - so you shouldn't have to pay the cost of shipping it back to them.

My feelings precisely. We'll see if I get anywhere with the BatteryMart mgr tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath. As for the packing, they're telling me its because its a battery AND because of the weight. The box the batt was originally shipped in was thick and much heavier cardboard than you usually find. That's their explanation. I could stomach $20 but not $40 especially since its a 3 or 4 yr warranty and they won't be out any money. I'm hoping that when I get an Odyssey guy on the phone they might be more open to keeping me a happy customer since their product failed in 10 months (or less... no knowing how long its been weak)

As you have learned you have battery issues... Keep this in mind that a FULLY charged 12 volt battery can/will show 12.7 to 12.8 volts and for all intents and purposes 12.0 volts is considered dead... Your 12.3 volts standing voltage is just not going to cut it. When troubleshooting at battery keep your voltmeter hooked up across the terminals and try starting the engine and watch the voltage drop to which the battery should hold at LEAST 10 volts while cranking...

Initially I was basing my belief that the batt was good on the charging amperage input being so low... This is my first AGM plus I now suspect my charger has opted for forced retirement.

Time to get a Battery Tender. If Odyssey does right by me I'll consider getting one of their chargers but damn they're pricey.

 

[LittleBull]

When I asked my high output alternator supplier why it was running at a higher voltage (14.1v at idle) than
the stock did, he said that AGM batteries require higher charging voltage. Which was new information to me,
especially since I didn't have an AGM battery and it didn't say that in any of the information I found before
I bought it.

So I'm waiting to see how the stock holds up to the higher charge rate before I decide on an AGM. I've asked
here a couple times about why members decided the AGM was worth the extra cost, but they're pretty defensive...
"I don't have to explain myself to you"... etc... So I'm going go with They don't really know why, must be
good because it costs more.

I do have a second battery in the truck, so hopefully I won't get stuck when this one fails.

 

[mtyler11]

I had the same problem with Optimas. They wanted for me to ship them back and it was not worth the hassle or the cost.
One thing I did learn, buy a charger that will handle AGM batteries.
I could never get a full charge with a normal battery charger.
I have an Odyssey charger now and works great.
Probably threw out good batteries before I bought this charger.

In theory my charger does AGM (has a specific setting for it) but I suspect she's just too long in the tooth. Stuff just doesn't last like it used to.

 

[mtyler11]

When I asked my high output alternator supplier why it was running at a higher voltage (14.1v at idle) than
the stock did, he said that AGM batteries require higher charging voltage. Which was new information to me,
especially since I didn't have an AGM battery and it didn't say that in any of the information I found before
I bought it.

So I'm waiting to see how the stock holds up to the higher charge rate before I decide on an AGM. I've asked
here a couple times about why members decided the AGM was worth the extra cost, but they're pretty defensive...
"I don't have to explain myself to you"... etc... So I'm going go with They don't really know why, must be
good because it costs more.

I do have a second battery in the truck, so hopefully I won't get stuck when this one fails.

My reason for the AGM was no venting (OEM batt had already began eating at the batt hold-down bracket and positive batt terminal combi fuse (replaced it already, keep a trail spare in teh truck), higher CCA, and no liquid (I've had the truck at some fair angles and don't want spilled acid)
Add to that the winch draw and I thought it was a good idea.
I might go with Skibane's plan and get a larger Group maintenance free batt. As long as its sealed that takes care of #1 & 3