KR
Kevin Radford
Mar 1, 2026
If you ever need help with your vehicle, make the drive to the Advance Auto Parts in Selma. Do not stop at the one in Smithfield.
I got home one day, turned my truck off, and instantly lost all power. I jumped it off and drove straight to the store. They tested the battery and alternator, and both “passed,” but they couldn’t tell me what was actually wrong. When I got home, I grabbed my multimeter—2.7 volts on the battery.
I pulled the battery out and put it on a slow charge overnight. The next morning it showed it had “sulfated” and charged up to 12 volts. But as soon as I put it back in the truck, it dropped to 2.5 volts. I jumped the truck again, and with it running, the system was at 13.5 volts. I revved it to 2,000 RPM for a minute, let off, and the truck died. Battery voltage fell to 1.5 volts.
I removed the battery again and hooked jumper cables from the terminal clamps to a friend’s vehicle (his engine off). The truck started and ran perfectly. That confirmed the issue: a sulfated battery with internal failure. When a battery is sulfated, it can still show surface voltage around 12V, so the handheld testers don’t catch it because they don’t apply a real load.
The battery was only a year old—a DieHard Platinum AGM. I took it to the Smithfield Advance Auto, explained everything, and they tested it with the handheld. It passed again. They told me nothing was wrong and I could either buy a new battery or take mine and leave. No help at all.
I then took the same battery to the Selma store. Told them the exact same story. They put it on the charger/tester in the back—the proper machine—and it failed immediately. They replaced it on the spot.
Installed the new battery in my truck, and everything works perfectly.