[skoot3r]

Mine runs at 15.1-15.3 all the time since I deleted it

 

[1adm12]

Mine is basicly the same (without the leakey pulley problem.) Sure hope I didn't just jinx it..?

Update: 18K miles, pulley is leaking, trip to the service bay is scheduled. Wish GM would spend the extra time and effort to use good parts in the first place.

 

[ssgjurista]

Mine runs at various voltage because of the Battery Management System.

 

[1adm12]

Update: 18K miles, pulley is leaking, trip to the service bay is scheduled. Wish GM would spend the extra time and effort to use good parts in the first place.

Back from the dealer with new alternator, it took a bit of doing as they tried to deliver it to me with the CEL lit. But they were kind enough to throw in a free snap on pry bar[emoji58]

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[Thunderbear]

Pry bar almost makes up for it, almost like they paid you to fix the alternator.

 

[Esoxchaser]

The pry bar belongs to a technician, who paid for it with his own money. Keeping something that you know how to get back to the rightful owner is nothing but theft.

 

[lqdchkn]

Back from the dealer with new alternator, it took a bit of doing as they tried to deliver it to me with the CEL lit. But they were kind enough to throw in a free snap on pry bar[emoji58]

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:surprise:

Damn that's scary. That would make me really concerned about their work.

You check that the bolts were tight?

 

[1adm12]

The pry bar belongs to a technician, who paid for it with his own money. Keeping something that you know how to get back to the rightful owner is nothing but theft.

Preaching moral behaviour to others can make you seem pompus. Letting others see you practice moral behavior will encourage them to do the same. Nowhere did I state I was keeping It. You can keep your assumptions to yourself. My family drove around in that vehicle for the day, that technician put my family and vehicle I bought with my own money at risk by being careless with his $40.00 tool.

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[Esoxchaser]

Better pompous than stealing the kids food off the technicians table.
I guess you didn't mean it when you said " they were kind enough to throw in a free Snap on pry bar". Yea that must be it.

 

[verdeva]

Reviving an old thread, I'm concerned that my parked battery voltage is too low, sometimes 12.0. This is measured with a volt meter, truck is off after a recent 90 mile trip. What I've read about AGM batteries, discharge below 12.4 should be avoided. Duramax engine so it has the big battery. Is this parked voltage typical?

 

[Chuck_B]

Mine measures 12.25 right now after sitting all night - and it's perfectly healthy.
-----------------------------
Open circuit voltage vs. charge tables can be found all over the web. The last AGM table I looked at specified:
12.8V - 100%
12.3V - 50%
11.8V - 0%
The chart had more points than that but you get the idea.

*One very important consideration is that the whole curve moves up in voltage as temperature drops. At high ambient or under hood temperatures the whole curve moves down. A little parasitic load will pull measured voltage down a little as well. My dome light among other small electronic loads were on during my above measurement. Point is - the in vehicle measurement can be expected to vary.

*A second consideration is that charge algorithms have recently changed to squeeze out a bit more fuel economy. Remember that the alternator is a (small) additional load on the engine. Alternator drive torque increases almost linearly with current. During steady cruise or acceleration the battery is purposely kept at less than 100% charge. Alternator output ramps up during decel/braking to recover a little of the energy that would otherwise dissipate off the rotors as heat. The general trend can be seen on the DIC voltage display. The Wife's TDI is more aggressive with this and you can hear the alternator moan on decel. Anyway the steady state charge is held a little lower than in the past to allow headroom for energy capture during decel. I'll let you all know how it affects battery life in about 5 years.

 

[lqdchkn]

Mine measures 12.25 right now after sitting all night - and it's perfectly healthy.

I know Ive checked mine too when off at the terminals and thought was somewhere near there 12.2 - 12.5 maybe, cant remember 100% but yeah mines been fine too.

 

[verdeva]

I know Ive checked mine too when off at the terminals and thought was somewhere near there 12.2 - 12.5 maybe, cant remember 100% but yeah mines been fine too.

Batteries are fine till they aren't, and what I know of typical AGMs, low charging will drastically shorten the lifespan. 12.7 (or higher) is the normal full charge for AGMs. Has anyone read that our battery is a different design?
I'm toying with the idea of using a maintainer when parked to hedge my bets. Any downside this?

 

[White016]

Batteries are fine till they aren't, and what I know of typical AGMs, low charging will drastically shorten the lifespan. 12.7 (or higher) is the normal full charge for AGMs. Has anyone read that our battery is a different design?
I'm toying with the idea of using a maintainer when parked to hedge my bets. Any downside this?

Lead acid batteries are best if kept fully charged, so yes, a maintainer is good as long as it is automatic and not a cheap always on type.

 

[MOUNTAIN MICKEY]

Chevy products have been like this for a number of years now. Charge voltage drops to battery voltage so there is no parasitic drain to improve fuel mileage. as has been said previously this is normal. My 2011 Silverado was my first experience with this "feature".

 

[lqdchkn]

Batteries are fine till they aren't, and what I know of typical AGMs, low charging will drastically shorten the lifespan. 12.7 (or higher) is the normal full charge for AGMs. Has anyone read that our battery is a different design?
I'm toying with the idea of using a maintainer when parked to hedge my bets. Any downside this?

Let’s clarify real quick, in case people aren’t paying attention to the sub forum, as diesel and gas have different OEM batteries.

I have diesel so yes i know mine are AGM

OEM diesel battery is AGM
OEM gas battery is ???

So here’s the thing with that, in the OEM charge cycle. It will only go as high as GM will allow it.

Take for instance I have 2 OEM batteries in my truck. The under hood one and a “house” one in the bed.

The under hood is 100% the way GM wants it. My alt. output is 100% inline with spec. When running if I test the terminals with a voltmeter I believe (going off memory) it tests at 13.2V which would be full but a bit later testing with the engine off it reads 12.5V.

Since my battery doesn’t drain and operates/charges normally, to me that means the OEM setup is designed not to charge beyond 12.5V and is just floating at a higher voltage while running.

I’ve come to that conclusion because my house battery is connected to a solar charge controller that is tapped into the OEM 7 way trailer harness for + and - charging. With the charge controller deciding how to charge the same battery it will charge to 13.2V and float at about 14V. Off charge it has maintained about 12.7V for weeks now disconnected.

I don’t think adding the maintainer is going to do much for you because the truck will just not top it off for a while once you start the truck and then the maintainer will have to catch it back up to what it thinks it should be when you plug it in. Essentially costing you money to charge your truck off your house every time you connect it and then the truck will just think it ok to drain a bit before it cares to do anything.

Can the battery hold a bit more than where GM is allowing it maintain? Apparently.
Is it worth the expense to pay to charge it up a bit more at home simply because you can? IMO no, there’s nothing showing that the OEM charge level is hurting anything.

 

[Storx]

I was curious if anyone knew what the output of the factory alternator on the diesel engine is rated for? i tried googling it but none of the sites list the actual output on the unit.
This is the part number i found... Alternator - GM (84169187)

I went by an RV dealership Friday to look at a few RVs that fit the towable range on the Diesel Colorado and while looking at a Jayco, i noticed it had a roof a/c unit, but no generator onboard to power it. So i asked him how much a generator would cost to install in the trailer and he recommended against it since the weight of the towing truck is limited, instead recommended I use the truck as a generator or portable generator to keep trailer weight down. I asked him further about using the truck and he said people do it all the time with the newer trucks, since many come with remote start, you just park next to your RV and connect the truck to the RV, then when you need to make like a cup of coffee, you start the truck up, run the coffee maker, then turn it off. he said typically they have like 200+ amp alternators otherwise there are plenty of upgraded alternators available aftermarket to install that have much higher outputs. He stated he has a 3500 watt inverter installed under his trucks backseat that he used last summer to power his RV when he took his wife and kid camping for a week. He said he ran the truck overnight to run the A/C and the truck had no issues barely using any gas for the entire week he used it. His truck is a 2017 Ford F150 ecoboost.

I was thinking that since the diesel motor is so efficient, I bet it would barely use any fuel performing the same job and the load would probably keep the dpf clean. Just unsure what the output of the alternator is

 

[DieselDrax]

There seems to be a misunderstanding. The truck cannot power the trailer, it can trickle charge the trailer battery while driving but that’s about it. The trailer A/C is 120v and requires a 120v power source (shore power/generator).

If you’re going to dry camp (no hookups) then you’ll need a generator to power the A/C and that and/or solar will help recharge the trailer batteries during the day. The lights and water pump are 12v, the fridge is likely propane and 120v at least if not also 12v. Depends on the model.

If you camp at a site with power then the shore power will power everything in the trailer. If you camp at a site with water then you don’t have to fill the fresh water holding tank which adds weight.




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[DFlorida]

Yes you will need a power inverter there expensive A quality 3500watt one about $450 You be better off buy a 3500 watt generator unless you want a Honda 3500 which are Real expensive
That Alternator is 150amp

 

[Goodspike]

There seems to be a misunderstanding. The truck cannot power the trailer, it can trickle charge the trailer battery while driving but that’s about it. The trailer A/C is 120v and requires a 120v power source (shore power/generator).

He's talking about an inverter, but I think you'd need a much larger battery to get sufficient wattage at 120v. Some trucks come with 300-400 watt inverters. Not sure what you'd need to draw at 12 volt to get 1500 watts at 120 volts. It might work to run a microwave to heat your coffee, but I don't see it for running an AC long term.

You would have to have a Power Inverter the problem is you need a pretty massive one & there expensive A quality 3500watt one about $450 You be better off buy a 3500 watt generator

I think you could probably get by with a 2000 watt generator. It would be a lot lighter and use less fuel. But to get one that is quiet you'd be spending a lot more than $450. I have a 3000 watt generator and I wouldn't dream of dragging it with me. Way too heavy.