Some questions

[alborz]

Hi everyone
My truck has three batteries in place.Can I add one battery to the set?
a refrigerator is running plus I think on battery has a bad cell and I can't find it. so my batteries drain very quick.
I"m concerning about too much amps and possible damages?

Is that possible to change an air trac suspension with a low airless suspension?
thanks in advance

[Chamberpains]

1st question is yes, add another battery if you have to space. No problem. Your just adding more capacity not amps.

I have no idea on the 2nd question.

[JimT]

How big is your alternator? that is, how many amps can it output? Everything running one the truck draws electricity from the alternator. if it's too small it can't provide enough amps to properly charge the batteries. each battery adds to the overall load. in general 3-4 batteries should be ok with a 170 amp alternator, however once you start adding things like refrigerators and microwaves, lots of extra lights and other electronics hooked up to an inverter, you may find that the alternator needs to be upgraded to safely handle the higher loads. Also, the more the batteries become discharged the higher the demand from the alternator. if the alternator is running at or near it's max for long periods of time it will wear out faster.

One other thing to consider is space. Batteries heat up when in use. Make sure you have enough space to safely and securely install another battery. Don't try to squeeze an extra battery into a box that was only built to hold 3. Upgrade the box or add another secure location if needed.

Try some google searches for things like '12 volt battery bank' and 'balanced battery charging' for more info. Lots of RV and marine battery related info out there that would also apply to trucking.

[alborz]

(01-09-2020 )JimT Wrote:  How big is your alternator? that is, how many amps can it output? Everything running one the truck draws electricity from the alternator. if it's too small it can't provide enough amps to properly charge the batteries. each battery adds to the overall load. in general 3-4 batteries should be ok with a 170 amp alternator, however once you start adding things like refrigerators and microwaves, lots of extra lights and other electronics hooked up to an inverter, you may find that the alternator needs to be upgraded to safely handle the higher loads. Also, the more the batteries become discharged the higher the demand from the alternator. if the alternator is running at or near it's max for long periods of time it will wear out faster.

One other thing to consider is space. Batteries heat up when in use. Make sure you have enough space to safely and securely install another battery. Don't try to squeeze an extra battery into a box that was only built to hold 3. Upgrade the box or add another secure location if needed.

Try some google searches for things like '12 volt battery bank' and 'balanced battery charging' for more info. Lots of RV and marine battery related info out there that would also apply to trucking.

thanks for your help.
there is enough space for an extra battery
I assume one battery has a bad cell . but I don't know which one or how too find it.
alt is 160 amps

[tree98]

Take them out and have them tested at a truck parts store. They can find which one is bad. If they are all the same age and are old, just replace them all.

[JimT]

(01-09-2020 )tree98 Wrote:  Take them out and have them tested at a truck parts store. They can find which one is bad. If they are all the same age and are old, just replace them all.

I just finished replacing mine. They were about 17 months old and all of a sudden the charge was dropping overnight. If i used the battery disconnect to cut off power that would help, but after a couple weeks even disconnected they would drop too low. luckily I had used the time to find a good deal on amazon and the new ones arrived just as the old ones got bad. replaced all four and haven't bothered to test the old ones yet. i'm pretty sure, like the OP, that one or more have a bad cell. I don't have an APU so these batteries have been cycled a bit (they are combo deep cycle/starting AGM), so with over a year of abuse I figured it would be wiser to replace all four.

OP, at 160amps you need to be careful with how much load you put on the system. If your electronics are drawing a lot of power (fridge, speaker amp, lots of lights, tv, etc...) and you run the batteries down when the truck is off, then 160 amps may not be enough to power everything AND properly recharge them while driving around. This will shorten the useful life of the batteries and put a lot of stress on the alternator. Adding another battery will give you longer reserve capacity, but it will also increase the load on the alternator.

A good shop should be able to test the batteries and load test the system to see if the alternator is both functioning properly and able to supply the demand for the entire system.

Be careful about using a parts store to test the batteries. The correct way involves charging them fully then testing, which could take a full day. Many parts stores will test batteries for free... and what a shock, they tell you it needs to be replaced!

[Mattman]

Two things I don't want to deal with is a bad battery or a leaking tire.

Fix or replace and be done with that headache. We don't have time for either.

[Rawze]

(01-09-2020 )alborz Wrote:  ...
alt is 160 amps

You going to want to replace that with a 225 leese-neville or better if you plan on fridge, and other tings. the truck itself will pull about roughly ~83 amps or so off that alternator alone when all the lights and everything are on. - That does not give enough wiggle room for that alternator to handle power-hungry appliances. Even a smaller 500watt inverter will start pushing that 160-amp alternator it to its limits, when considering the rest of the truck, and its batteries needs juice too.

[Zondo956]

My truck has 3 batteries like the OP mentioned and I’d like to add a forth. If I add the forth battery how should I wire it in? I’ve seen different ways batteries are wired on same model trucks.
Seems like AGM is the way to go. Any specific battery that’s recommended around here?