It has about 225,000 miles on it and still runs great.
i bought 2 new batteries about three years ago. And now i’m having problems starting it.
the batteries are not holding the charge. When the truck is running, everything is normal - it just purrs along.
But even after a long trip, once I shut it off, it won’t start the next day. I either have to “jump” it, or charge the battery with my battery charger.
i’m wondering if it’s the batteries that need to be replaced again (they are still under warranty) - OR - is it the alternator?
Is there a way to distinguish - batteries or alternator?
Check the charging system. However, test as installed. Meaning test the complete system. Don’t bring the alternator to the store to be tested. If you do that, you aren’t taking the batteries, belt, tensioner and wiring into account.
You can do all these tests without removing any parts from the truck
I suspect that the trouble is with the charging system and the batteries are okay. Proper testing of the charging system and the batteries will show where the problem is at. The alternator output might have a problem and can’t produce the full rated output it should be capable of or, there may be a problem with the wiring between the alternator output and the batteries. Checking the voltage drop between the alternator output lead and the batteries with a good load on the electrical system will answer that question. This is a simple problem to solve and any good shop should have the answer to it without much trouble shooting time involved.