Battery wears down

[Mr.Orange]

hello, I have an 82 gmc c1500, 350 chevy, 4 speed auto. I am having a starting problem. When I try to start it, the starter engages and then the battery wears down in less than 10 secs or so, then the battery only has enough juice to make the solenoid click repeatedly and the battery has to be recharged..

Battery has voltage before cranking, then wears down during cranking. Battery terminals are clean. The headlights dim when cranking.

Can y'all give some direction on areas to check as to why this is happening?

[franken]

Start w/ battery voltage.

[mongocanfly]

yep^^^ sounds like the battery

[Bandit130]

You did not mention battery age. That may be the problem.

[Mr.Orange]

Just went out and checked out the battery. Was at 12.33v. Popped off the cell tops and each of the cells were a little bit low, so I refilled them to where they should be. Sticker on the battery says 12/16. It's a Duralast Gold (24S-DLG), 575CCA, 715CA@32*, 130RC.

[andyh1956]

Do you have a load tester? Measuring battery voltage is not gonna help you find your problem.

[Dead Parrot]

Check voltage with the engine running on fast idle. Should be around 14v. Then turn on some lights and see if voltage stays steady. Could be the alternator has partially failed.

Is the alternator OEM or an aftermarket "one wire" version? One wire versions get their voltage sense at the alternator instead of the junction block. Can make a difference if there is a voltage drop in the red charge wire from the main alt terminal to the junction block.

Could also be a warranty event on the battery.

[cadillac_al]

If it's that new take it back to the seller and let them test it. When they are out of warranty and weak we call them summer time batteries around here. 575 cca is one step above a lawn mower battery. They don't work so well in stubborn non efi v8's.

[rainamy]

Originally Posted by cadillac_al

If it's that new take it back to the seller and let them test it. When they are out of warranty and weak we call them summer time batteries around here. 575 cca is one step above a lawn mower battery. They don't work so well in stubborn non efi v8's.

X2 on the 575cca..... I run 850 myself.

[truckin 79]

I would check out the starter solenoid could be drawing a lot of amps. I have always used the cheapest battery on the 79 Trans Am and Truck with no problems in cranking, CCA is a selling ploy unless you live in Alaska or have a high compression engine. Is there a Autozone or Advance Auto near you? They can check the entire charging system while on the car. Be careful if the starter solenoid is bad you can burn up a good battery quickly, volts and amps are 2 different animals.

[bilfman]

It’s the battery, 100%