charging a depleted non-deep cycle battery

New Wal-Mart battery. Dome light left on in Hyundai for a couple of days. A block of wood would have provided more voltage. I even tried zapping it with 18.0 volts initial charge - poor Wal-Mart

Trojan white battery (highest grade) key left on to play radio for 2 days. At least this one tossed the acid a foot into the air when I tried charging it. But it was about as dead as month old roadkill.

Both batteries were claimed to be less than 5 days old.

You didn't ruin an otherwise good battery from leavin a dome lite on for a day or 2. Dead, yes, ruined, no ! The battery was toast 4 you ever did that.

And in 50 yrs I have never seen an alternator overdo its rated duty cycle buy charging 1 battery. If the battery was toast, possibly.

Remember the MAC's ? (manual alternator control) They gave a list of nators that were somewhat fragile as far as the amperage you should squeeze out of them...long term, but we'd push them to the limits, w/o even 1 failure. But when we got over 16-17 volts, it could be a bit tough on 12v light bulbs,....and other electronics too :)

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
harmonic

resonance

Hope This Helps

Mex, you're my favorite poster for those two words alone.

Thanks for all the advice, guys, but it was to no avail.

After taking a jump, driving to the grocery store, and starting up just fine, I put the battery on a charger; 10 amps for a half hour, then 2 amps all night.

It gave up the ghost.

The next morning, it not only wouldn't start, it wouldn't even take a jump! Nada, zip, clickity-click only.

I had AAA bring me out a new battery and instal it for me. Cheap as Walmart.

Here's the thing; Back in the dark ages, (less than a year and a half ago) before I bought my Mini, I did use the 12v jacks in my XTerra to run stuff. We had a 'base camp' which is a large dome type tent that went over the back of our SUV. It was a nice upgrade from tent camping. The only down side was the gnarly 2 hour or more pack-up.

Anyway, I would run stuff off of my non-deep cycle battery through the 12v receptacles. A fan for when we slept, a CD player at night, mostly. Cell phone and other devices recharging, probably a lesser load.

I suspect that this contributed to this battery's short 3 year life span.

I debated getting a deep cycle replacement, but with my TT and my 'Power Dome' I don't foresee a use for it.

Yep small pulleys do increase rotor RPM. Absorbed glass may batteries do have a higher charge acceptance, (and Bill Gates donates to charity annually more than I have ever made in my entire life...)

But the issue is the OP's battery and no way in hell is your CS144, or a 50DN 385 amp Delco going to stuff more than perhaps 45 amperes into a REGULAR flooded battery. Recharging the battery with the engine is loafing for the alternator.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Yep, that's what I'm telling you. Your 99 Tahoe has a CS-130-D Delco alternator with a maximum of 105 amperes charge rate. I doubt if it has the CS 144 alternator. The 1116437 voltage regulator has a 20C set point of 14.3 volts. You may have a 34/78 dual terminal battery and there ain't no way in hell a 34/78 is going to take 50 amperes at a voltage less than 15.5.

Every 8-pole Delco alternator since the 10DN had a harmonic stator lamination resonance when charging above 20 amperes.

And finally, even the large frame 144 millimeter CS-144 at 2,500 ROTOR RPM is not going to produce 100 amperes. Try 87, the CS-130-D made 67 amps at that ROTOR RPM.

Hope This Helps

Well now,
I do have a CS 144 alt, with a smaller pulley and double 2 ga wiring from alt to batt. It also has an optima yellow top.
Btw it maxes out at about 110 amps at idle with a battery load tester that draws 100 amps. I can google stuff too but I know from a 1/4 century of experience as an ASE master tech about batteries and alternators.
This isn't a pissing match, just trying to save an alternator from overheating.

Yep, that's what I'm telling you. Your 99 Tahoe has a CS-130-D Delco alternator with a maximum of 105 amperes charge rate. I doubt if it has the CS 144 alternator. The 1116437 voltage regulator has a 20C set point of 14.3 volts. You may have a 34/78 dual terminal battery and there ain't no way in hell a 34/78 is going to take 50 amperes at a voltage less than 15.5.

Every 8-pole Delco alternator since the 10DN had a harmonic stator lamination resonance when charging above 20 amperes.

And finally, even the large frame 144 millimeter CS-144 at 2,500 ROTOR RPM is not going to produce 100 amperes. Try 87, the CS-130-D made 67 amps at that ROTOR RPM.

Hope This Helps

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
An alternator won't breathe more than "through its nostrils" recharging 40 amperes which is all a car battery will accept. Even counting the electric fuel pump and Cray computer's worth of electronics as well.

Many motorhome alternators make their living whacking out 100+ amps hour after day every time the engine starts.

Are you trying to tell me a really low SOC battery will only take 40 amps? LOLOLOL
My old 99 tahoe puts out 100 amps at idle, you can hear it sing if the truck has sat for a week and the battery is low.

An alternator won't breathe more than "through its nostrils" recharging 40 amperes which is all a car battery will accept. Even counting the electric fuel pump and Cray computer's worth of electronics as well.

Many motorhome alternators make their living whacking out 100+ amps hour after day every time the engine starts.

Over the years I have never had much luck with re-couping the truck start batteries after they have been run down.

I would think the slow long term charge would be the best bet.

Thinking back 30-40 years the garages would hit them with as much volatge as they could come up with and do a quick one to two hours of charge. Those batteries would be almost be glowing RED HOT...

I saw one blow up once at a garage. The top of the battery went up on the roof of the garage...

I seem to always have to replace my truck start battery if it ever goes dead over the winter months...

Roy Ken