Sulfer smell in my Duramax Diesel Truck

Jeff From WI. · Feb 26, 2014

Hi guys would anyone know why my 2005 Duramax Diesel Truck started smelling like sulfur in the cab while running.
It's not as bad if I don't run the heater, but it's to cold here in WI to go no heater.

Thanks Jeff

bill mart · Feb 26, 2014

check to see if its overcharging , may be drawing the hydrogen gas through the heater intake. Bill

Jeff From WI. · Feb 26, 2014

No, it hasn"t been over charging.
But if it is cold like it is here in WI again I have to jump start the truck in the morning and it"s then fine all day.

It"s like something is drawing it down as it sits overnight, but I can"t figure out that God awful smell.
I hate to buy new batteries if I don"t have to can"t afford them with LP bills as high as they have been.

Thanks Jeff

Jeff From WI. · Feb 26, 2014

What hydrogen gas?
Jeff

DVF · Feb 26, 2014

I have a Dodge 2500, the only time I have that smellin the cab is when the battries are going bad.

farmall100 · Feb 26, 2014

The voltage regulator in the alternator is bad and overcharging the battery. The rotten egg smell is ths acid boiling out of the battery.

Jon Hagen · Feb 26, 2014

Having to jump start the pickup sure sounds like a worn out battery. One cell is shorted and the rest are overcharging, making that smell. That bad battery is also hard on your alternator and may cause corrosion problems under the hood.

Steve@Advance · Feb 26, 2014

Sounds like a bad cell in one of the batteries. If they have caps, you can test the gravity of the electrolyte. Most likely you'll find one low and the liquid will be nasty.

Be careful, if it's gassing bad enough to smell, the potential for a explosion is very real!

Jon Hagen · Feb 26, 2014

A normal "good" battery when doing a hard discharge or charge will split the battery water into pure hydrogen and oxygen gas, which vents from the battery. Thats why they say you should keep sparks or open flames away from a lead acid battery. The mix of oxygen and hydrogen makes an explosive mixture that will explode the battery.

A worn out battery with one or more shorted cells will in effect be an 8 or 10 volt battery.

The alternator will try it's best to charge that defective 8 or 10 volt battery to 12V.
This will cause the bad battery to produce a lot of odorless but explosive hydrogen gas, but if it is cooking bad enough, it will also produce hydrogen sulfide gas which is the rotten egg smell.

bill mart · Feb 27, 2014

thanks jon,I almost got it right, Bill

Jeff From WI. · Feb 27, 2014

Thanks Guys, Looks like I am going to have to replace both of them.

Jeff

Jon Hagen · Feb 27, 2014

Good plan to replace both. Good chance only one has totally failed, but mixing one old and one new battery in a parallel hook is never a good idea.
Best to salvage the one useable battery for another single battery application and put a new matched pair in the pickup.

Sulfer smell in my Duramax Diesel Truck

Jeff From WI.

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bill mart

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Jeff From WI.

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Jeff From WI.

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DVF

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farmall100

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Jon Hagen

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Steve@Advance

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Jon Hagen

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bill mart

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Jeff From WI.

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Jon Hagen

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