Just had a similar problem with my aux battery. Luckily I got a warning from the battery monitor which indicated that there was very low voltage after a short period of use without engine running or solar charging. My LED panel under the stove also showed a low state of charge. I put the smart charger on it and it came back up, so I thought maybe the battery was not getting enough juice from the alternator. With the engine running, the voltage was a bit low, so I cranked up the adjustable regulator to 14.2 at the battery. That helped, but the problem persisted. I yanked the battery out, took off the caps (level OK), hooked up the charger again and it went to de-sulfation mode. All cells began to boil except one, so I tested all with hydrometer. That's when I found the dead cell. It was only 2.5 years old and never run down, but my battery guru says it happens once in a while. Lucky me:-( Moral of the story: take good care of your batteries and if there's a problem, don't wait to find out what it is. Could cost you a new alternator AND battery if you put it off. My 2 cents...
Keith O |
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