I am new to the world of diesel and have learned a bunch on this site.

I have a really short commute(1mi). After a few days of only short trips my batteries are dead. I put 2 new Interstate batteries in and the same thing is happening.

I know this is hard on vehicles but have never had this issue. Would you suspect the alternator or is this a charisteristic of the Duramax and a remote start with a longer idle time might do the trick?

Thanks!

06 LBZ, CCSB, D/A, Stock LT3

What does your voltage gauge say when it's running? Start it up, wait about a minute for the glow plugs to turn off and post the reading. If it's around 14, it's charging, if it's closer or under 12, it's not. If you are around 12, i assume you're still under waranty - take it to the dealer, If you are around 14, read on... Keep in mind that with these trucks, the glow plugs and intake heaters take a toll on batteries if you don't drive much. They stay hot for 15-45 seconds after the truck is started and continue to draw power for that time. If you only drive a mile, it's possible that the glow cycle isn't over - or the alternator didn't get time to pump up the batteries. I'd start it 5 minutes, or more, before you leave. That should give it enough time to charge. Hope this helps. tom.

alternator

Odd as it may seem I recently started having a similar problem...Had my truck for about 2 years no problems...Replaced the batteries about 9 months ago because they were bad. Its not a daily driver mainly used on the weekends... noticed that it starts fine after sitting for long periods of time however after being driven and cut off it then will not start...Volts while running is right at 14...I was thinking alternator....does that sound about right? thanks guys...

If the volts are sitting around 14, I would say the alternator is charging. Do they drop at all when you're driving? Remember, it takes a while longer to charge our two batteries vs. the gasser's one, if you only run for 5 minutes at a time...it may be possible to drain them quickly. Just my .02

The voltage starts at 12 and after a minute or so it goes up to 14.

Looks like I NEED a remote starter/shut off timer!:D

Let the upgrades begin!

Thanks tomrex

Remember that cranking amps in a battery is only acheved while under load. A remote start would be where I would start if it were mine. However batteries have been bad out of the box before. I would put the truck on a charger for the night, crank the key and see what voltage you are getting while cranking before spending money on anything else. And if you bought the batteries together odds are they are from the same batch

Just a question, what is with the one mile commuting? Is it because there is something in the way, cause that is not exactly great for your truck, prolly not horribly bad either.

Btw, get some pics up of your ride. Always nice to see, especially if a member does something really cool or neat on their ride.

Short trips like that could pull the batteries down over time....

when I had a job it was 1.4 miles from home and I never had any problems with mine.

An idea from an old mechanic, serp belt is origional at 42k. If it is slightly slick it will slip a bit until warm.

It charges at 14v after the customary minute or so at 12.

I think I will try it, if nothing else a new belt is a good thing. Will have to wait a bit as knee surgery tomorow.

Thanks for the advice!

Get an Inductive amp gauge from E-bay, they sell for pennies on the dollar.Amp gauges used to be popular and people over the years got away from them but they tell you the direction of current. The amount of current. I equate amps going into a battery as a savings account. what you take out and what you put back in. The battery is the savings account. Amp gauges tell you that. Get one for alternator and starters. They will tell you quick if your alternator is putting out the amps it is supposed to. Check for voltage drop going to the batteries. Start at the alternator first and take a reading with a multimeter set on volts DC. If it is 14.5 you should be reading 14.5 or 14.4 or so at the batteries. If you are dropping voltage at the batteries down to 12.5 then what you have is voltage drop and that means either corroded connections or corroded wire from the B+ side of the Alternator. However getting back to the firld wire. The field wire tells the voltage regulator to send either more electricity or less so check that voltage also. It should match the battery voltage. If it is less then find the fault and repair. Make sure that your Engine Block is grounding Perfectly. Make sure that your battery is not corroded on the -side. Make sure that your battery to body is grounding perfectly. If you do those steps then you will keep alot of mechanics and parts people out of business.:D

took my truck to Carquest....they stated that my glowplug isnt charging properly after start?????? Does that sound right?....For their credit they didnt try to fix it....they stated to take it to a dealer for possible warranty work....

:think: glowplug isn't charging eh?

not sure on the glowplug thing, but it sounds to me like you may have a amp draw problem. a glowplug controller (or whatever our truck use for that) "could" cause something like that

when you get to the location, can you shut the truck off then restart it right then, or is it just after it sits for a while?

if it has an amp draw after the truck is shut down it will dissipate the battery charge over a very short time with only a few amps. this can be cause by something not turning off (deliberately - inverters, amplifiers, etc or not deliberately - alternator diodes, shorts, etc)

a 9 amp draw on a class 8 truck with 3-4 batteries will often drain the whole system down overnight