Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 06-04-2009, 06:10 PM   #21
Site Team
 
daveb's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Turlock Ca
Posts: 10,407
Garage
Re: 6.0 PSD Starting Batteries - Size?

Have fun changing them

__________________
2006 Ford 6.0PSD EB-50/E-PH SMB 4X4 Rock Crawler Trailer

Sportsmobile 4X4 Adventures..........On and off road adventures
daveb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-04-2009, 10:42 PM   #22
Senior Member
 
pjpvi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Posts: 1,289
Re: 6.0 PSD Starting Batteries - Size?

I would like to smack the guy or gal that designed the mounting and placement of the batteries on these vans! What a pain in the A%$$ to replace them.

Neither of mine had any corrosion. Just really dirty. I ended up just grabbing a couple of the Costco Kirkland 65-850's and got them installed this evening. When I went to attach the ground to the frame, I'm getting a bit more spark than the normal little sizzle you would expect when attaching the ground. I left it disconnected for the night. I'm guessing I have a short somewhere which is perhaps why my batteries have been draining over night. When I got home later today after the solar had been charging all day, the van fired right up of course.

Checking my old batteries showed around 12.7 and 12.4 volts after they were disconnected for about an hour or two, so not sure they were really bad.

So ..... how to find the short? I have no idea where to start.

For those that have swapped your batteries, do you recall a bit more spark than expected when re-attaching the ground wire?
__________________
Phil

- 2005 EB50 6.0PSD - SMB 4x4
pjpvi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-04-2009, 11:00 PM   #23
Senior Member
 
Railvan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 261
Re: 6.0 PSD Starting Batteries - Size?

Well, after slightly more then 3 years of perfect starts, the van acted up tonight after work. The gauges barely flickered and the gauge pointers bounced up and down a little, and I got nothing but a "click' when I tried to start it. I left the key on for a minute and heard a relay under the dash clicking several times. I recalled posts here about starting troubles and the van battery kicking in the help start the diesel when the starting batteries had died, so I let it sit for a minute or two more and then the engine cranked and started. The gauges didn't work for a minute or two after it started. I am guessing the voltage was too low to get them to work? They did start to work after a couple of minutes and I made it home OK. I turned the van off at home and it restarted without any trouble. I'll try it again tomorrow. Guess three years is typical life for the factory Ford batteries? Seems odd to me that I have not noticed any slower cranking or other issue prior to today, and then this trouble tonight.

Question: I had SMB install solar panels last year. Do they charge the the van battery, AND the starting batteries, or just the van battery?

Thanks for all the posts related to batteries over the years. having read them made me less alarmed today when it didn't start.

Brian
__________________
https://www.pbase.com/railvan
2006 Ford RB, 6.0 diesel, SMB 4x4, RB50
Railvan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-05-2009, 07:36 AM   #24
Senior Member
 
pjpvi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Posts: 1,289
Re: 6.0 PSD Starting Batteries - Size?

Brian -

Seems like the week for failing batteries. As far as I can tell, the solar does charge the van starting batteries. Yesterday morning, I did not have enough "juice" to turn the engine over and got the jumping needle syndrome like you, but after sitting in the sun all day with solar charging the van started with vigor in the evening.

Phil
__________________
Phil

- 2005 EB50 6.0PSD - SMB 4x4
pjpvi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-05-2009, 08:25 AM   #25
Senior Member
 
Railvan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 261
Re: 6.0 PSD Starting Batteries - Size?

Interesting that your van started after sitting in the sun all day. Mine started fine in the morning, and it was hot and sunny all day, and failed to start in the late afternoon.

Guess I'll email SMB and ask a few questions for details about how the solar panels are wired.

Brian
__________________
https://www.pbase.com/railvan
2006 Ford RB, 6.0 diesel, SMB 4x4, RB50
Railvan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-05-2009, 08:34 AM   #26
Senior Member
 
pjpvi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Posts: 1,289
Re: 6.0 PSD Starting Batteries - Size?

Quote:
Interesting that your van started after sitting in the sun all day. Mine started fine in the morning, and it was hot and sunny all day, and failed to start in the late afternoon.
That doesn't seem right.

I'm putting a call into SMB today as well to see if they have any suggestions on where to start looking for my problem. I quickly threw a volt meter across the negative cable from the starting batteries and the frame of the van before leaving home this morning and got 12.3 volts. I obviously have a short somewhere and am really not looking forward to searching it out.

Good luck.

Phil
__________________
Phil

- 2005 EB50 6.0PSD - SMB 4x4
pjpvi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-05-2009, 10:45 PM   #27
Senior Member
 
Greg In Austin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 1,543
Send a message via AIM to Greg In Austin Send a message via Yahoo to Greg In Austin
Re: 6.0 PSD Starting Batteries - Size?

gotta love potential electrical problems

__________________
Greg in Austin
2008 Ford 6.0PSD EB/E-PH SMB 4X4 Aluminess f/r bumpers (13.5mpg avg, 15mpg hwy) 52k miles [Texas McBeast]
2006 Toyota Prius (48 to 68 mpg) 120k miles [Penelope]
2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (15 to 18 mpg) [Johnnie]
2012 Mitsubishi MiEV (no gas required) ($.50/day in electricity) [Evie]
https://badge.facebook.com/badge/1232...3.32047100.png
Greg In Austin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2009, 04:05 PM   #28
Senior Member
 
SMBDAD's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: ncounty San Diego
Posts: 239
Re: 6.0 PSD Starting Batteries - Size?

I changed out my two starting batteries today. PO had two different batteries, and who knows when the underside battery had been changed last. Corrosion was running rampant! I downsized to size 34 from the 65. Why? The good agm batteries in the smaller size are better than normal maintenance 65's with less weight. 10lbs less per battery for maintance 65, and 20lbs less for agm 65's. The Deka 34 agm's I put in have 785 cca (ford recommends 650) with better cycling than the bigger 65 maintenace batteries. Also no more corrosion with the agm's!



I had to modify stock battery trays with universal top brackets and J hooks. SMB started with no effort at all. Sure is nice to have fresh agm's throughout (changed the house too).
__________________
2001 7.3 4x4 "Land Orca"
SMBDAD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2009, 04:30 PM   #29
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Pasadena, CA
Posts: 123
Re: 6.0 PSD Starting Batteries - Size?

Wow, Mercury must be in retrograde or somthing...cause our starting batteries crapped out Saturday. Ford OEM units, less than 2 years old. Same clicking, and gauge flutter as others reported here. Thankful it was in our lot parked, vs in the backcountry.

Ordered two Odyssey Grp 65 batteries. Not particularly looking forward to installing them, but I also feel I need to get a better idea of how stuff is wired down there. Any additional tips or tricks on this, beyond what ahs been posted is appreciated.

Is the floor jack method recommended, or can you drop the box onto the tethers and remove each batt from underneath without much drama?

Cheers,
Jeff
canyonclan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2009, 04:43 PM   #30
Senior Member
 
pjpvi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Posts: 1,289
Re: 6.0 PSD Starting Batteries - Size?

I didn't use a floor jack. Just the tethers and a step stool with a couple 2x4 spacers for the transition. The biggest part of the PITA factor was all the SMB added wiring and air hoses that draped over the hot cable that goes from the forward most battery towards the front of the van. I hadn't taken a look at that prior to dropping the front battery and found myself struggling to hold the battery while I figured things out, then get it back on the bolts while shorting out on the little breaker that I think is for the ExtremeAir. There was a little cussing going on at that exact moment.

Make sure you have enough slack in the "+" and "-" cables prior to dropping the batteries. That was the biggest problem for me.

BTW - Turns out one of my two batteries was shot and I would assume was pulling the other one down. The new Costco batteries spin the engine nice and fast now. I feel fortunate that I had no corrosion at all.

Good luck.
__________________
Phil

- 2005 EB50 6.0PSD - SMB 4x4
pjpvi is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sportsmobile SIP or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:04 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.