Help: Passenger side battery leaking acid

[jneal]

My 04 LB7 has a problem that is really angering me and the wife. The passenger side battery is slowly leaking acid out the vent. The AC delco factory batteries done this last year, I replaced them both with new exide batteries. The new passenger side exide done the same, I replaced it and now the new new one is done is the same thing again. This is wrecking havoc on the paint around the battery and leaving a huge orage rust stain on my nice new asphalt driveway. the alternator checks fine, all connections have been cleaned and sprayed with protectant. Voltmeter never reads anything out of the ordinary, the truck always starts fine. I'm not the only one having this problem, I've read were several people have had the same issue. Please help.

And now for my rant: I posted this on this site for a technical solution not a way around the root problem, which is all I could come up with over the the DP. So need not post if your solution is to replace the batteries with Optimas, (which I know can be mounted upside down), I DO NOT CARE. And no, the acid is not coming from the damn postive terminal, the stud is NOT to long, it's coming from the vent. Thank you, sorry for the rant.

 

[RKTMech]

Well if you want any kind of help from even the lowly diesel forum rejects here, you should use a more docile tone next time sir.

Try cleaning all your ground connections and tighten properly, inspect your cables closely for corrosion and high resistance, and have your starter draw checked. Other than that you may just be a bad luck kinda guy when it comes to batteries. Happy Holidays.

 

[jneal]

Well if you want any kind of help from even the lowly diesel forum rejects here, you should use a more docile tone next time sir.

Try cleaning all your ground connections and tighten properly, inspect your cables closely for corrosion and high resistance, and have your starter draw checked. Other than that you may just be a bad luck kinda guy when it comes to batteries. Happy Holidays.

I don't think you really got the point to my rant. My point was you actually can get some real technical info on this site. It just gets old when you ask a question and get 100 replies of ways around your problem and no actual answers pertaining to repairing the root cause. Kinda like fixing a low oil pressure problem by using thicker oil. I wasn't directing it toward anyone just venting my frustration to the fact that used to you could ask a question over there and get it answered intelligently very quickly. Those days seem to have passed, which is the reason I am asking here. Sorry if I came off to you wrong. :hug:

 

[McRat]

I doubt you could actually offend Robert. Lord knows I've tried.

 

[SmokeShow]

I've not heard of this before, not that it really matters, but something surely has to be taxing that battery (or the other one and then this one gets the majority of the load placed on it and thereby taxes it) at some point making it hot??? and therefore spew.


Sorry I'm not much help. At least I'm not telling you to replace the battery.

 

[jneal]

I've not heard of this before, not that it really matters, but something surely has to be taxing that battery (or the other one and then this one gets the majority of the load placed on it and thereby taxes it) at some point making it hot??? and therefore spew.


Sorry I'm not much help. At least I'm not telling you to replace the battery.

There's several threads on DP about this exact same problem but no one over there has yet to find a fix. Tomorrow I will run it for awhile and check the temperature of the passenger battery compared to the drivers side battery. If it is hoter then figure out if it is getting hot due to a charging problem or actual under hood temperatures.

 

[minisub]

Try swapping the batteries. If for no other reason than to confirm that it is the location not the battery.

Assuming it is the location, it has to be something in the wiring...Since the other one doesn't boil over, it's probably not the charging circuit; must be the lead/ground somewhere...

 

[JOHNBOY]

Try swapping the batteries. If for no other reason than to confirm that it is the location not the battery.

Assuming it is the location, it has to be something in the wiring...Since the other one doesn't boil over, it's probably not the charging circuit; must be the lead/ground somewhere...

Damn that is a good idea!

My passenger side ground wire went bad on my puller. I think it was from cranking the starter so much when I had a hung injector. I cut the wire open it was black the whole way thru! I upgrade to 00 gage welder cable and had my starter rebuilt. I never had leakage as I run yellow top Optimas.

 

[mytmousemalibu]

I had a Delco do this to me too! And my passenger battery is nasty and wet too and i have that crappy rusty stain The delco that went bad was in the drivers location though and the current leaky one is on the pass. side. I didnt even know this was an issue, thought i just had crappy batterys? I like minisub's suggustion and as an auto tech sounds plausable. Dunno why i never gave it much thought and a bad ground is a good culprit. If there not completelly equal or close in the same resistance (which should be 0 ohm's on wire this gauge) the current is going to go to the path of least resistance,
ie: overcharge one and undercharge the other. Need to break out and ohmmeter and check the ground cables and connections for rsistance/voltage drop. The positive side could be bad aswell but more likly the ground

 

[minisub]

Those of us that have messed with keeping 6.5s running are really attuned to grounding issues.

This thread really makes me feel like I am in a 6.5 forum - symptoms all point to a bad ground(s). Could be contact points, or as in Johnboy's case, a bad cable. mytmouse has a good suggestion to help trouble shoot.

On the 6.5s besides all of the grounds being suspect, the + cable between the batteries is an issue. I can't say I've ever heard of it being an issue with the 6.6, and frankly, I can't even remember where that run is.

Since it is 20* out and the middle of the night, forgive me if I don't go out and look...

 

[LBZ]

Try swapping the batteries. If for no other reason than to confirm that it is the location not the battery.

Assuming it is the location, it has to be something in the wiring...Since the other one doesn't boil over, it's probably not the charging circuit; must be the lead/ground somewhere...

This is your best place to start.
If the location is the issue, it has to be wiring. Likely the ground wire is the culprit either being corroded/loose on the starter/frame/block etc. or the wire itself is no good.

A good way to check the condition on any wire in any circuit is to measure the voltage drop across it when putting a load on it, which in this case is cranking the starter. Pull the fuse for the FICM power so you can crank it without having it start and put one lead of the multimeter on the ground wire at the battery, and the other lead at the other end of the wire. You want to see less than a .2volt drop across the wire when cranking (your multimeter should read .2volts or less). Any more than that and the wire should be replaced.
IMPORTANT: put your test leads from the multimeter on the cable ends, not the terminals. This is so you get an accurate check on the wire only. If you want to check the connections as well, then put the leads onto the terminals.

This should be a start to troubleshooting your issue I hope and can also be done on the positive side as well.

Good Luck.

 

[TNRGreene]

I had a "leak" in 2 of them there. I had a Napa battery that leaked & the warrantied it out & the next leaked. What I found out with mine was depending of where/how the truck was parked. The rain water ran down & dripped on the top over filling it & leaving the rust spot underneath it. Sealed battery has stopped it & removing it completely. I now only have 1.

 

[clayt171]

This is your best place to start.
If the location is the issue, it has to be wiring. Likely the ground wire is the culprit either being corroded/loose on the starter/frame/block etc. or the wire itself is no good.

A good way to check the condition on any wire in any circuit is to measure the voltage drop across it when putting a load on it, which in this case is cranking the starter. Pull the fuse for the FICM power so you can crank it without having it start and put one lead of the multimeter on the ground wire at the battery, and the other lead at the other end of the wire. You want to see less than a .2volt drop across the wire when cranking (your multimeter should read .2volts or less). Any more than that and the wire should be replaced.
IMPORTANT: put your test leads from the multimeter on the cable ends, not the terminals. This is so you get an accurate check on the wire only. If you want to check the connections as well, then put the leads onto the terminals.

This should be a start to troubleshooting your issue I hope and can also be done on the positive side as well.

Good Luck.

Best suggestion yet. You can Ohm out your connections all day and more than likely end up with readings that look perfect. But the cables may not be able to carry the load. Would be like running a really light guage wire to your starter. It would Ohm out fine but not be able to carry the load.

 

[jneal]

I have checked voltage drop on all the cables, they were all fine. What I did end up finding is that the alternator intermitently (sp?) is charging at 15.7 voltage for some reason. Both batteries are recieving the same amount of voltage charge just not sure why the passenger side battery has the problem. might be like was mentioned before it gets more heat. I'll change the Alt and see how things go.

 

[ripmf666]

the driver side battery is used more the passanger side is along for the ride as a helper like back there is less draw on it and could be over charging driver side is getting a break from being used more just a guess.

 

[MaxFarmer]

I dont know if these alt's are internally regulated or not? If it isnt, I'd check the regulator before just changing the alternator. Might be best just to swap batteries to start and then start figuring back from there. Todd's suggestion sounds pretty good also!

 

[jneal]

These alt are internally regulated.

 

[clayt171]

Can anyone post a schematic of the power system? Would help to see how the batteries/alternator and the "load" is wired. I will try to get one from another source also. If I get one I will try to post it up.

 

[RKTMech]

My 04 LB7 has a problem that is really angering me and the wife. The passenger side battery is slowly leaking acid out the vent. The AC delco factory batteries done this last year, I replaced them both with new exide batteries. The new passenger side exide done the same, I replaced it and now the new new one is done is the same thing again. This is wrecking havoc on the paint around the battery and leaving a huge orage rust stain on my nice new asphalt driveway. the alternator checks fine, all connections have been cleaned and sprayed with protectant. Voltmeter never reads anything out of the ordinary, the truck always starts fine. I'm not the only one having this problem, I've read were several people have had the same issue. Please help.

And now for my rant: I posted this on this site for a technical solution not a way around the root problem, which is all I could come up with over the the DP. So need not post if your solution is to replace the batteries with Optimas, (which I know can be mounted upside down), I DO NOT CARE. And no, the acid is not coming from the damn postive terminal, the stud is NOT to long, it's coming from the vent. Thank you, sorry for the rant.

:thumb: My caps key comes out every now and again too. :hug: Also check your connections at the 175amp fuse under the fuse box main body for corrosion and tightness.

 

[jneal]

That must be the fuse that I have heard about. I'll also check it.