What did you do to your NBS GMT800 Tahoe/Yukon Today?

[ATIII]

Well mine are in contact now! Just got done putting the Z71 Jounce stops in.

Sent from the *******, mid-push.

 

[TheAutumnWind]

Now granted, I might be a bit confused, but I was under the assumption that while a motor was running, the power for the car was provided by the alternator , and the battery acted like a capacitor to "smooth" out the electricity and make it safe for delicate components.

Agreed that batteries are fickle, but one would stand to reason that lessening the resistance from the alternator, to the battery, to the car would mean better power transfer, and less loss. Also SHOULD cause the battery to discharge less, since more of the alternator power would be getting through.

That being said, when I replace my battery (which happens about every 5 years) I buy the BIGGEST battery I can get, and get at least a 5 to 7 year warranty. Its worth it to spend 50-80 more dollars to save myself 200 later.

I've got the parts for the "big 3" on order, and plan to do it soon, if nothing else than to just make sure all my connections are good, and eliminate any power sapping corrosion.

I don't, however, know what the "big 5" is..

I've heard of people doing the typical big 3 and then also the starter wire (big 4?) and an additional ground wire. Maybe this is what they are referring to?

 

[TheAutumnWind]

Bigger gauge wiring helps with large current draw, if you run high power devices. But it won't fix the problem with your increased discharge warning. The issue isn't a wiring one, its limitation of the type of battery we use... You'd be better off using a battery charger to desulfate the battery and charge it properly. You can't increase the battery charging rate by increasing the battery cable size, the maximum charge rate is a limitation of battery chemistry, type and temperature in exchange for life.

automotive batteries that were designed for high current quick discharge to start a car. We really need a deep discharge battery or marine battery to better handle the constant load. Using a car batttery in a deep discharge role is a recipe for short battery life and a quick reduction in capacity and hence warnings for increased discharge aka low battery.

There is a limit on how fast you can charge a battery as well. The faster the charging the hotter they get, which increases degradation of the battery and evaporation of the electrolytes which also reduces capacity. Basically you can't charge it faster than about 10ahr without degrading capacity and life span. So putting a bigger cable in won't help with charging the battery more quickly as the real charging limit is the battery itself and it's internal,design. The car automatically limits charging voltage and current to optimize battery life. A 3 gauge cable just isn't necessary for optimal battery life.

Car batteries are very poor at handling a deep discharge and are easily damaged (reduced capacity) when discharged below 50% of their capacity which probably happens frequently with the older v8s. They can only handle this kind of discharge a few hundred times (200ish) before they fail.

Batteries are complicated and fickel beasts, and it's no surprise such small batteries are struggling with big power draws and deep discharges and have a short life

while I think you are right about most of that (not an electrical engineer here or anything) I think that you are missing the question.

 

[ATIII]

I've heard of people doing the typical big 3 and then also the starter wire (big 4?) and an additional ground wire. Maybe this is what they are referring to?

I think I may have set this 5 shit in motion with a mis type. I meant 4 on the post I commented on.

NERD ALERT:

Sent from the *******, mid-push.

 

[Rocket Man]

Well mine are in contact now! Just got done putting the Z71 Jounce stops in.

Sent from the *******, mid-push.

You're raised correct? I see you have added a pad on the LCA itself to make up for that? I also see stainless brake hoses and Billstein shock upgrades. Nice.

 

[TheAutumnWind]

Well mine are in contact now! Just got done putting the Z71 Jounce stops in.

Sent from the *******, mid-push.

Hows the ride now?

 

[ATIII]

You're raised correct? I see you have added a pad on the LCA itself to make up for that? I also see stainless brake hoses and Billstein shock upgrades. Nice.

its lifted 3" in the front, keys cranked to about an 1/8" droop left. Also, I just did the 900 brakes the other day.

Sent from the *******, mid-push.

 

[TheAutumnWind]

I think I may have set this 5 shit in motion with a mis type. I meant 4 on the post I commented on.

NERD ALERT:

Sent from the *******, mid-push.

Ah yeah I figured.

Yeah Big 3 mod is beneficial on these trucks even in stock form. The wiring is pretty undersized IMHO, and its an inexpensive modification. For me the big three is nice simply because I am now confident that I will not have any issues with poor grounds for the life of the truck. They usually need to be cleaned up or replaced at this point in their lives anyways, and why would I buy stock replacements when I can make upgraded grounds for less money.

I did a big 4 on my nali I guess. alt -> batt + alt case-> batt - batt - -> frame engine block -> frame

Never got around to the starter but I intended to do so. Plan to on this truck.

 

[Rocket Man]

I think I may have set this 5 shit in motion with a mis type. I meant 4 on the post I commented on.

NERD ALERT:

Sent from the *******, mid-push.

For my big 3 I ran a positive from battery to alt, ground from alt to frame and ground from frame to battery. Which one am I missing?

 

[Rocket Man]

its lifted 3" in the front, keys cranked to about an 1/8" droop left. Also, I just did the 900 brakes the other day.

Sent from the *******, mid-push.

I love the extra braking the 900 upgrade gave me. Nice work!