LBZ: hard/start oil life reads 0

[dezl]

So about 6 months ago my truck started acting a bit odd, doesn't do it all the time. When I go to start the truck it sounds as though the battery(s) are dying and struggling to turn the engine. It does it for a split second then fires up however every time it happens the oil life meter goes to 0.

Alternator is charging like normal and it has 2 two year old odyssey batteries that are holding charge. Length of time the truck sits doesn't make a difference, meaning it does it sometime when it sits over night and other times when its parked for 5 min.

 

[DAVe3283]

It sounds like the batteries are weak, and the voltage drops really low when cranking. On these trucks, when the voltage gets really low, they do odd things. I would get the batteries load tested (one at a time, you can't test them properly in the truck) and replace them both if one is bad.

 

[dezl]

It sounds like the batteries are weak, and the voltage drops really low when cranking. On these trucks, when the voltage gets really low, they do odd things. I would get the batteries load tested (one at a time, you can't test them properly in the truck) and replace them both if one is bad.

Ill give it a shot. I thought maybe it was the starter but that doesn't really make sense. When I first go to start the truck the battery gauge reads well within normal.

I guess the good news is, that if it is the batteries odyssey has a lifetime warranty and their stuff

 

[Bdsankey]

Ill give it a shot. I thought maybe it was the starter but that doesn't really make sense. When I first go to start the truck the battery gauge reads well within normal.

I guess the good news is, that if it is the batteries odyssey has a lifetime warranty and their stuff

Pretty sure Odyssey is only a 2-4yr warranty. Just because the gauge reads good on voltage does not mean that the batteries have enough power for a good start.

https://www.odysseybattery.com/documents/US-ODY-WS-AA.pdf

 

[JoshH]

I would take a good look at the battery cables and connections. Sounds like it may be a bad ground or corroded cables causing a high amp load.

 

[dezl]

Pretty sure Odyssey is only a 2-4yr warranty. Just because the gauge reads good on voltage does not mean that the batteries have enough power for a good start.

https://www.odysseybattery.com/documents/US-ODY-WS-AA.pdf

Thought they had a lifetime but either way they are only two years old so there should still be a warranty.

Gauge reads good.

I did notice this morning, when I first click the key to the “on” position the batter meter jumps up, then sinks down the 9 or red, the pops back up. I assume that’s the glow plugs draw

I would take a good look at the battery cables and connections. Sounds like it may be a bad ground or corroded cables causing a high amp load.

I did check but I will inspect a bit further. I plan to yank the batteries and have them tested this weekend.

 

[2004LB7]

Gauge "reading good" doesn't really mean much for the health of the battery. Normally when batteries age or have issues the internal resistance goes up. This reduces the peak current they can deliver without excessive voltage drop. And the gauges are pretty useless during cranking.

A battery with high internal resistance will show high voltage while charging making the alternator/battery gauge look fine

Having the batteries load tested will tell you wether you need new ones or not. The gauge on your dash is more of "do I have power or not" but rarely good for diagnosis

You can also put a meter on your batteries and measure the voltage while cranking and see if it drops below 10 volts. You will need a good meter for this and it help to have a min/max feature too. You will also want to crank for more then a second or two that is normally takes to start the engine so you will have to disable the injectors.

Its more accurate to get them load tested and costs nothing. You will likely need it anyways to get warranty so might as well

If all checks out then as Josh mentioned, check your cables and grounds. Bad connections, corroded cables or connectors will cause high resistance which mimics the same issues as bad batteries

 

[dezl]

Gauge "reading good" doesn't really mean much for the health of the battery. Normally when batteries age or have issues the internal resistance goes up. This reduces the peak current they can deliver without excessive voltage drop. And the gauges are pretty useless during cranking.

A battery with high internal resistance will show high voltage while charging making the alternator/battery gauge look fine

Having the batteries load tested will tell you wether you need new ones or not. The gauge on your dash is more of "do I have power or not" but rarely good for diagnosis

You can also put a meter on your batteries and measure the voltage while cranking and see if it drops below 10 volts. You will need a good meter for this and it help to have a min/max feature too. You will also want to crank for more then a second or two that is normally takes to start the engine so you will have to disable the injectors.

Its more accurate to get them load tested and costs nothing. You will likely need it anyways to get warranty so might as well

If all checks out then as Josh mentioned, check your cables and grounds. Bad connections, corroded cables or connectors will cause high resistance which mimics the same issues as bad batteries

The other interesting thing I noticed today is when I unlocked my truck using the fob, my edge cts2 fired up as if I had started the truck