Battery Tray

[sigridmaren]

Just finished going thru hundreds of threads and have a question of my own. C'mon fellas, help the lady out!

I read somewhere about the battery tray and making sure the battery has a good connection with it. Please explain this to me...my battery sits on a plastic tray on top of the metal battery tray. O'Reilly's put it in that way and now I'm having issues with the battery dying.

Thanks so much!

[Dober89]

Ive never heard of the battery having a good connection with the tray. At the posts sure, but the tray doesnt do anything besides helping to keep it in place. Id be surprised if it did anything else?

[anthonyn]

Originally Posted by sigridmaren

Just finished going thru hundreds of threads and have a question of my own. C'mon fellas, help the lady out!

I read somewhere about the battery tray and making sure the battery has a good connection with it. Please explain this to me...my battery sits on a plastic tray on top of the metal battery tray. O'Reilly's put it in that way and now I'm having issues with the battery dying.

Thanks so much!

That makes no sense. The battery is encased in plastic, so there really can be no 'connection' in an electrical sense. Plastic battery trays are used because they tend to resist corrosion better than metal trays. If your battery is having trouble holding a charge, then you should look at the alternator as a possible culprit. Check your in-dash voltmeter. It should read higher than 12v (~13.8v) with the engine running.

[sigridmaren]

I know everyone probably thinks i'm crazy, but i read that in this forum..someone said to sand down the battery tray...i was actually looking for alternator issues because i am replacing it for the 2nd time.

i was curious because i had never heard of such a thing before either.

thanks guys!

[amigo-2k]

Isuzu commonly have problems with aftermarket alts.

[Ramblin Fever]

I'm wondering if your aftermarket alternator is eating the juice from the battery.

Isuzu's do not like weak voltage systems, if they sense a weakness anywhere they'll finish it off quick.

Best advise I can give is to make sure you either have an OEM alternator or a BOSCH alternator, do not run just any after market one, or you'll be replacing them every 3-4 months or so.

Also, make sure the battery they installed is of good quality and the right amps. Ran into that problem myself just a few months back - Walmart was the only place open for miles when my battery died. They installed a battery for the 4-cylinder Rodeo, rather then one for a V6 - it finally took a toll after a good few weeks.

[sigridmaren]

Thank you for the heads up. This aftermarket has actually lasted me 2 years!! It all started a few weeks back with the battery cables needing to be replaced and the post connetions not being able to tighten well enough. I think it destroyed the battery, so I replaced it w/the same one cuz it was under warranty. Now it just isn't holding charges, maybe it wore out the alternator?

[Ramblin Fever]

Your best bet is to take the battery and have it tested under load. If battery passes, test the alternator under load.

[Ramblin Fever]

Forgot to add, those 97 Rodeo's are the pickiest bunch for voltage current.

I've had two Rodeo's, six years apart in age. The 97 is the pickier of the two in regards to alternators/batteries.

Something's flawed in your charging system, couldn't tell you for sure if it's just a bad battery, weak connections, or your alternator, but keep us posted.

[Daddycat]

Originally Posted by Ramblin Fever

Your best bet is to take the battery and have it tested under load. If battery passes, test the alternator under load.

Auto Zone will test your battery for free. It could be the replacement battery you got was a clean but used (and faulty) or new and faulty.