Don't use your 4 ways all day

[gbpackman29]

Broke down at about 1800, with 28 stops left. Called it in, got lock box combo no spare keys in box. Battery dead. Mechanic asks if I have been using my flashers all day. I told him of course I have, I'm blocking almost every street I'm delivering on because of the 3 foot snow piles on each side of the road. Tells me that I can't use the flashers all day in the newer Workhorse trucks because it kills the battery. Screw that. If my truck got hit while parked, first thing they would ask was "why didn't you have your 4 way hazards on?"

 

[realbrown1]

Broke down at about 1800, with 28 stops left. Called it in, got lock box combo no spare keys in box. Battery dead. Mechanic asks if I have been using my flashers all day. I told him of course I have, I'm blocking almost every street I'm delivering on because of the 3 foot snow piles on each side of the road. Tells me that I can't use the flashers all day in the newer Workhorse trucks because it kills the battery. Screw that. If my truck got hit while parked, first thing they would ask was "why didn't you have your 4 way hazards on?"

Better just to deal with the dead battery and be safe on the roads. The rest is UPS's problem.

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

Sounds like a design flaw that needs to be corrected. Seems like your alternator would keep your battery (batteries) charged up between stops while you're running? Mechanics? For sure they would try to blame you if someone ran into the back of you while you blocked the road. I was sitting at a red light one day and a drunk ran into the back of my package car. Supervisor tried to blame me for it. Said I should have seen him coming and honked my horn to warn him I was there. Nothing suprises me when they play the blame game.

 

[TooTechie]

Automotive director for New England tried telling a bunch of guys to turn off their headlights at each stop at night. We laughed.

 

[sailfish]

Broke down at about 1800, with 28 stops left. Called it in, got lock box combo no spare keys in box. Battery dead. Mechanic asks if I have been using my flashers all day. I told him of course I have, I'm blocking almost every street I'm delivering on because of the 3 foot snow piles on each side of the road. Tells me that I can't use the flashers all day in the newer Workhorse trucks because it kills the battery. Screw that. If my truck got hit while parked, first thing they would ask was "why didn't you have your 4 way hazards on?"

Were you driving with them on too? Maybe that's what he meant about all day.

 

[BrownTexas]

I don't ever listen to mechanics. Had a belt break one time. Was told to keep driving but don't let it get hot. Also, I'm on reserve braking so don't expect to stop quickly.

 

[soberups]

The keyless ignition requires a large reserve of battery power to work, so if your battery gets even a little low it will fail. It has happened to me several times in the winter when my lights are on all day. That is why I keep the original ignition key on the ring with the fob, if there are any problems I just revert back to keyed ignition without wasting time calling in.

 

[Wally]

We had 2 batteries in the truck for some time, now I notice were back to one.

 

[gbpackman29]

It gets better. Ask my center manager jokingly this am "can't use your flashers all day huh?"
Her response;
"You need to use them in designated areas"...and walks away.

 

[soberups]

We had 2 batteries in the truck for some time, now I notice were back to one.

Dual batteries are necessary for heavy duty diesel engines, due to the increased load on the starter motor. The newer trucks are all gasoline engined and only need one battery.

 

[gbpackman29]

A route with 90% house stops, barely a single path plowed on most streets, are any of those designated areas?

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

I don't ever listen to mechanics. Had a belt break one time. Was told to keep driving but don't let it get hot. Also, I'm on reserve braking so don't expect to stop quickly.

I would never ask a driver to carry on like that.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

Automotive director for New England tried telling a bunch of guys to turn off their headlights at each stop at night. We laughed.

Old GMCs will die slowly on route if you don't turn off accessories with the engine being off. The alternator can't restore the lost power with closely spaced stops. As the day goes on the battery gets progressively weaker until it's game over. It is in your best interest to conserve power by turning off UN NECESSARY accessories when the engine is off.
I had one in particular that kept breaking down though there was nothing wrong with the charging system and starting system (Pre-keyless). The driver refused to change his ways and the breakdowns kept coming. Finally, I rigged the headlights to a relay so they only worked with the ignition on. No more problems.

 

[rod]

It gets better. Ask my center manager jokingly this am "can't use your flashers all day huh?"
Her response;
"You need to use them in designated areas"...and walks away.

WTF? I bet she thinks a flasher is someone showing her a quick peak at their privates.

 

[dragracer66]

The keyless ignition requires a large reserve of battery power to work, so if your battery gets even a little low it will fail. It has happened to me several times in the winter when my lights are on all day. That is why I keep the original ignition key on the ring with the fob, if there are any problems I just revert back to keyed ignition without wasting time calling in.

no it doesnt

 

[MyTripisCut]

Um, yes it does. Had it happen as well.

 

[OptimusPrime]

no it doesnt

It can happen. Thought I was broke down. Was told to pull the keys out of the box and it fired right up. That being said, knowing how an ignition system works I don't get why it would need more power for keyless than keys. You click your fob, it sends a signal to the truck that it is safe to arm the switch, and in theory, the switch works the same as turning the key. It completes the circuit for the starter and current is sent to it. And the weird thing is the receiver that gets its signal from the fob still functions with a low battery. It will arm the switch. Green light flashing and all. It just wont crank. Only thing I can think of is some odd failsafe built into the system so it doesn't function with a low voltage battery. Something along the lines that it would be better for the truck not to start with a gimped battery to only have it fail later on down the road? I really can't figure why they behave this way.

 

[Bottom rung]

I was told nine volts. When the battery voltage drops below nine the fob won't work. By the way....who's idea was it to put the lock box with the keys on the floor next to the brake pedal on some pc's?

 

[TooTechie]

Nah, he's right. In some trucks I had to use the keys because the fob wouldn't work intermittently. At the beginning of the day it worked, then as time went on it would stop working. Mechanic said it was the battery.

 

[johnny_hotdog]

The relays the fob uses need at least 9 volts to work. If the battery has dropped below that the relays can't turn on and that is why the fob won't work. But, if you use the key to start the truck the realys aren't used so the truck will start unless the voltage has dropped significantly lower. That is why the key will work but the fob will not.