# Battery Replacement



## 1stTimeAround (Sep 22, 2004)

Good morning all!

The refrigerator problem that I posted recently seems to only occur when the fridge is requiring the battery to power it. As long as I am hooked up to shore power, the fridge works fine.

I am just wondering what could be happening to the battery that even hooked up to the truck, with the truck running, would not provide enough power to keep it going.

I need to check my fuses and all, but I'm pretty sure the battery has to be part of the issue.

Could this be the cause of my fridge problem? I'm not an electrical kind of guy, so I'm pretty lost with this stuff.

Thanks

Jason


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Yes the battery could be the issue.

Have you done any battery maintenance?? Try the following.

1 - Make sure the electrolyte levels are correct.
2 - Plug into shore power and check the battery voltage. If the battery is really low it should go right to 14.2 vdc, if some what charged it will go to 13.6. Let charge over night. Charge voltage should drop to 13.2 vdc.
3 - Disconnect battery and check voltage.
4 - Let sit for 24 hours and recheck voltage.

If you have a bad cell then the voltage will have dropped 1.5 to 2 vdc, Anything less then 12.2 after sitting 24 hours disconnected and the battery is more or less dead.


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## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

Yeah, but we'd have to be talking about something entirely different than it just won't hold a charge. The fridge runs off the battery, regardless of what is hooked up to charge it. It's very bizarre that it will run off the battery when the convertor is charging it but not when the truck is. Have you checked the charge pin of your wiring harness to make sure the truck is putting voltage to it? (I think it's the middle pin - somebody confirm)


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

It can still be the battery. The converter can make up for a really dead battery but the long run on the truck wiring can really knock down the voltage with a big current draw. Below is the pin out for the pig tail.


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## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

I don't think there's much question the battery is wacked. It just seems there's got to be a little more to the story given the symptoms.

So it's the #4 that charges the battery? I thought I remember reading somewhere that some manufacturers don't make the middle pin hot from the factory and that's why some vehicles don't charge the tt batteries. My memory could be wrong, since, like the title of the Buddy Guy song I heard this morning... "I done got old."


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The center pin if used is normally wired to the back up lights.


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

Per the battery shop I got mine at a battery Hydormeter is the best way. It told us right away what cell was bad.

http://www.batterystuff.com/battery-products/EZBK101.html


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

I knew it was time when I found them cooked down to having NO water in them at all









But to answer your question, you can pick up a cheap battery electrolyte tester for about $5 at your local auto parts store. Between that, and your voltage after a finished charge you should be able to see what kind of shape they're in.


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## 1stTimeAround (Sep 22, 2004)

Thanks for all the help guys!

I hope that it is as simple as replacing the battery!

Have a great day!

Jason


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

1stTimeAround said:


> Thanks for all the help guys!
> 
> I hope that it is as simple as replacing the battery!
> 
> ...


Keep us posted...


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## gregjoyal (Jan 25, 2005)

BoaterDan said:


> I don't think there's much question the battery is wacked. It just seems there's got to be a little more to the story given the symptoms.
> 
> So it's the #4 that charges the battery? I thought I remember reading somewhere that some manufacturers don't make the middle pin hot from the factory and that's why some vehicles don't charge the tt batteries. My memory could be wrong, since, like the title of the Buddy Guy song I heard this morning... "I done got old."


Can't speak for Dodge, but in my Avalanche, the fuse for sending power to the 12v in the trailer connector had a 'blank' in it. Who knows what they are doing with the new models, but this was standard for non-3/4 ton trucks from Chevy for the year I bought mine (and for all Avs years 02-06. so I assume for other trucks as well).


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