3 minute battery life…?

[PrairieDrifter]

Bad cables/connections.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Marine battery is the wrong battery. May not be the problem, but usually marine batteries do not have a lot of cold cranking amps. Did you check the charge in the battery after sitting a year?

Next thing to check is the voltage drop in both battery cables, one at a time.

Especially when sitting around for a long time , or after years of use. I have a marine battery fully charged that ive used for 3 years for my weed sprayer, no idea if it could crank a truck but probably not if its cold especially.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Has been “off” since my father in law had the coolant changed in 2013. No heat, radiator popped an end tank seam, waterpump siezed. Got the radiator and waterpump swapped, I did the radiator, farm co-op the waterpump. And he then filled it, again, with Dexcool… Truck takes green coolant.
No mouse damaged wires, no possum nests under the hood, new fuel and air filters.
I’ll try it with the Group 78 out of my 99 K3500, but last time, that cost me a battery…

the dexcool is only an issue if your heater core and radiator are old brass/copper type

I assume the heater core is probably but a replacement radiator might not be

 

[SquareRoot]

Replace the battery cables. I have seen them corrode on the inside with no visible indication on the outside.

 

[Turbo4whl]

Replace the battery cables. I have seen them corrode on the inside with no visible indication on the outside.

You are righ about not seeing the cable corrosion. That is why I stated check the voltage drop on the cables. If the OP doesn't know how, they should ask. If the cables don't have a voltage drop then new cables are a waste of money.

 

[AuroraGirl]

You are righ about not seeing the cable corrosion. That is why I stated check the voltage drop on the cables. If the OP doesn't know how, they should ask. If the cables don't have a voltage drop then new cables are a waste of money.

even spreading the rubber on the sidepost lug is a good idea if the visible portion is clean, you can get a feet if the rest will look nasty, and sometimes that small amount visible is right next to pure corrosion that will just spread when its out of sight and mind.

 

[Turbo4whl]

even spreading the rubber on the sidepost lug is a good idea if the visible portion is clean, you can get a feet if the rest will look nasty, and sometimes that small amount visible is right next to pure corrosion that will just spread when its out of sight and mind.

That is why a cable voltage drop test is so important. The meter will show you what you can't see. Also checks the connections

 

[AuroraGirl]

That is why a cable voltage drop test is so important. The meter will show you what you can't see. Also checks the connections

i agree
But people seem to be allergic to voltage drop tests despite being some of the simplest and easiest things to do without having to touch things

 

[SquareRoot]

Starting to think an LS swap is the answer here

 

[Grit dog]

That is why a cable voltage drop test is so important. The meter will show you what you can't see. Also checks the connections

Voltage drop under load, specifically. Resting voltage drop is in my experience not affected by internally corroded cables. Only when drawing current.

 

[Grit dog]

Marine battery is the wrong battery. May not be the problem, but usually marine batteries do not have a lot of cold cranking amps. Did you check the charge in the battery after sitting a year?

Next thing to check is the voltage drop in both battery cables, one at a time.

FWIW, his battery is likely a combo marine/ deep cycle/starting battery. Very few traditional deep cycle only lead acid batteries out there.
But again, if this battery cranked it fine last time, it’s not the marine designation that is the issue.
if it is a true deep cycle it may be part of the issue but based on the other select bits of info, the battery designation is imo not high on the list of primary causes of the issue.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Voltage drop under load, specifically. Resting voltage drop is in my experience not affected by internally corroded cables. Only when drawing current.

you should get something, but youre right in that internally corroded ones will be hidden more so
Since the end connections are clean, presumably, minimal current from a key on test wouldnt push that cable to anywhere near its point where it would be operated (like crank)

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heres a short video explaining how to do one, it calls out ground but it works the same on power side circuit too

 

[Dejure]

Like Turbo pointed to, a bad connection acts like what we could call a dropping resistor. All the voltage and amperage would be seen across it, producing that effect.

If you put a volt meter on the battery post and at various positions as far back on the bare copper of the cable as you can, you shouldn't get any voltage. If you get battery voltage the cable needs cleaning.

An example of the same would be, a test light connected between the positive post and ground. If you put a meter across the bulb, you'd read battery voltage.

Yet another example was a house outlet in a place I was renting. There was nothing on the outlet, but it was so hot you could not put your hand on it. After scratching my head a bit, it dawned on me outlets were daisy-chained, so an outlet down the line and with something on it, in my situation, an alarm clock, drew a little current, so completed a circuit. That was enough to cause a bad connection (aluminum wiring) to get hot.

I cleaned the connection up (in the house situation, that meant copper pigtails with deox goop between outlet and aluminum wire, and the problem was gone.

IF the problem was the main cable to the starter, and if the connection was bad, it should get hot really quick.

If not starting [and pulling a lot of amps through it], the wire should not get hot, because there is no complete circuit between hot and ground.

All that aside, the first place I'd suspect being a bad connection would be the hottest part of the cable, which you indicated was at the battery. That seems reasonable, since that's the most common place for corrosion, just as with all the green crap most of us see on battery terminals.

Of course, it wouldn't be a bad idea to check the other end too, WHILE you have the connection at the battery open.

 

[justhorns]

If its not too late, add (don't disconnect anything) add Heavy duty jumper cables in parralel to positive and ground wire. Try to start it. This will tell you easily if your existing cables are bad. If it still doesn't crank properly, change out the battery with a known good one (or buy a battery load tester).

 

[Craig Nedrow]

To perform a voltage drop test on the battery cable, you should connect one of the voltmeter’s leads to the starter motor battery terminal, while the other end is connected to the positive battery terminal. The engine, battery, cables, and connections must be in good working order for an accurate test. You should also disable the ignition or fuel system to monitor the battery and starter voltage while cranking the engine.47

The voltage drop should be checked with the circuit loaded and a fully-charged battery. If the max voltage is greater than 0.5 volts, it indicates a problem with the cable or the connections at the battery or starter.6 According to some sources, a common voltage drop value for a wire or cable is 0.2 volts.1

It is recommended to perform a voltage drop test if the engine is cranking low or isn't cranking at all, as the issue can stem from a voltage drop.3 If you measure the voltage drop across the negative battery cable, it should be 0.2 volts or less. If it exceeds this value, the connections need cleaning or the negative cable needs to be replaced.7

For the most accurate results, it's best to measure the voltage drop while the engine is running at 1,800 to 2,000 rpm with all lights and accessories on (except the rear defogger)

The cable getting really hot is at tell that there is a lot of resistance...bad cable.