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Been There Doc!

Well here my less than 2 cents worth Doc...yes there can be some one else cheap as you...HI!
Some years ago went through similar problem.The Mfg's(GM/Ford...etc.) on some whim to reduce cost in manufacturing(smaller batteries/alternators...etc.)added this little item that is called a "Charging Relay"...Theses little marvels are to "cut-off" the charging system under heavy load conditions...starting/AC/Heaters running at max etc...if these little devils have an open or weak coil or bad voltage sensor, guess what...no charging! They can show just fine setting in the shop or parking lot but under typical operation they don't friggin work! Thus the battery never gets the charge it should. You can no longer believe the gages on any GM(last 10 yrs or so) Guess what the gage panel comes from a totally different fuse bus panel than the charging system comes from.
My GM truck has 2 bus panels...1 under the hood/1 under the dash...totally different feed systems from the battery. You can guess if yours is similar if your battery cable has more than 1 lead...ex. 1 big cable/1 or more smaller cables at the battery terminal. I am just guessing but bet yours has more than 1.

I am going to start something here but going directly to the battery for radio power or "add-on" devices can screw up the whole sensor system!
Hence my rigs are tapped off the bus panel under the hood with #8 super-flex cable and not the battery or bus panel under the dash.

Not for sure this little "charging relay" is your answer but something maybe to think about...Ford does things slightly different I believe their's is attached to the starter solenoid(or built in)...GM mounts some of their's on the fire-wall. Not sure what other maker's have done, but did go through a couple different batteries (H/D NAPA batteries) on my better half's Saturn in just like 3 years....changed this little "black box" sensor near the alternator....guess what?...same battery now going on 5 years!
She's getting worried and wants me to change it again...OH technology what have we done!
Good Luck
All the Best
BJ

<blockquote data-quote="BJ radionut" data-source="post: 163807" data-attributes="member: 7026">Been There Doc!Well here my less than 2 cents worth Doc...yes there can be some one else cheap as you...HI!Some years ago went through similar problem.The Mfg&#039;s(GM/Ford...etc.) on some whim to reduce cost in manufacturing(smaller batteries/alternators...etc.)added this little item that is called a &quot;Charging Relay&quot;...Theses little marvels are to &quot;cut-off&quot; the charging system under heavy load conditions...starting/AC/Heaters running at max etc...if these little devils have an open or weak coil or bad voltage sensor, guess what...no charging! They can show just fine setting in the shop or parking lot but under typical operation they don&#039;t friggin work! Thus the battery never gets the charge it should. You can no longer believe the gages on any GM(last 10 yrs or so) Guess what the gage panel comes from a totally different fuse bus panel than the charging system comes from.My GM truck has 2 bus panels...1 under the hood/1 under the dash...totally different feed systems from the battery. You can guess if yours is similar if your battery cable has more than 1 lead...ex. 1 big cable/1 or more smaller cables at the battery terminal. I am just guessing but bet yours has more than 1.&nbsp;I am going to start something here but going directly to the battery for radio power or &quot;add-on&quot; devices can screw up the whole sensor system!Hence my rigs are tapped off the bus panel under the hood with #8 super-flex cable and not the battery or bus panel under the dash.&nbsp;Not for sure this little &quot;charging relay&quot; is your answer but something maybe to think about...Ford does things slightly different I believe their&#039;s is attached to the starter solenoid(or built in)...GM mounts some of their&#039;s on the fire-wall. Not sure what other maker&#039;s have done, but did go through a couple different batteries (H/D NAPA batteries) on my better half&#039;s Saturn in just like 3 years....changed this little &quot;black box&quot; sensor near the alternator....guess what?...same battery now going on 5 years!She&#039;s getting worried and wants me to change it again...OH technology what have we done!Good LuckAll the BestBJ</blockquote>

[QUOTE="BJ radionut, post: 163807, member: 7026"] [b]Been There Doc![/b] Well here my less than 2 cents worth Doc...yes there can be some one else cheap as you...HI! Some years ago went through similar problem.The Mfg's(GM/Ford...etc.) on some whim to reduce cost in manufacturing(smaller batteries/alternators...etc.)added this little item that is called a "Charging Relay"...Theses little marvels are to "cut-off" the charging system under heavy load conditions...starting/AC/Heaters running at max etc...if these little devils have an open or weak coil or bad voltage sensor, guess what...no charging! They can show just fine setting in the shop or parking lot but under typical operation they don't friggin work! Thus the battery never gets the charge it should. You can no longer believe the gages on any GM(last 10 yrs or so) Guess what the gage panel comes from a totally different fuse bus panel than the charging system comes from. My GM truck has 2 bus panels...1 under the hood/1 under the dash...totally different feed systems from the battery. You can guess if yours is similar if your battery cable has more than 1 lead...ex. 1 big cable/1 or more smaller cables at the battery terminal. I am just guessing but bet yours has more than 1. I am going to start something here but going directly to the battery for radio power or "add-on" devices can screw up the whole sensor system! Hence my rigs are tapped off the bus panel under the hood with #8 super-flex cable and not the battery or bus panel under the dash. Not for sure this little "charging relay" is your answer but something maybe to think about...Ford does things slightly different I believe their's is attached to the starter solenoid(or built in)...GM mounts some of their's on the fire-wall. Not sure what other maker's have done, but did go through a couple different batteries (H/D NAPA batteries) on my better half's Saturn in just like 3 years....changed this little "black box" sensor near the alternator....guess what?...same battery now going on 5 years! She's getting worried and wants me to change it again...OH technology what have we done! Good Luck All the Best BJ [/QUOTE]

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