21 Ram 3500 parking lights won't stay on with truck turned off.

[2021Ram3500]

Where I live it rains a lot so at night it can get very dark. I stopped at a friends house to go inside to pick some things up. Because he lives on a curve with no street lights I left my parking lights on so folks wouldn't (hopefully) hit me. I came out about 30 minutes later to find that the parking lights had turned off. I don't know how long they were even on. This has never been a problem in any of my previous trucks so I was a bit surprised. I'm guessing it's some kind of battery protection? But I really need those lights to be on for safety. Any idea what it is and how to bypass it? Sure don't want to leave the truck running! Thanks for your help!

 

[nlambert182]

Yes, it's designed to turn off everything after a certain period of time to avoid battery drain. Settings > Engine Off Options > Engine Off Power Delay. I think ~10 minutes is the maximum that you can choose. After the time expires everything shuts off.

I don't think you can turn that off without something like AlfaOBD, and not even sure if it's possible then.

 

[OC455]

There's also the option of using the Hazard lights.....

 

[Dean2]

You can set the power off option for a lot longer than 10 minutes. I know the 2020 Cherokee has at least 45 minutes as an option, too ******* (no idea why Ti4ed up gets *** out) to go check what the options are on my Ram 2500.

 

[Jimmy07]

Where I live it rains a lot so at night it can get very dark. I stopped at a friends house to go inside to pick some things up. Because he lives on a curve with no street lights I left my parking lights on so folks wouldn't (hopefully) hit me. I came out about 30 minutes later to find that the parking lights had turned off. I don't know how long they were even on. This has never been a problem in any of my previous trucks so I was a bit surprised. I'm guessing it's some kind of battery protection? But I really need those lights to be on for safety. Any idea what it is and how to bypass it? Sure don't want to leave the truck running! Thanks for your help!

They will automatically turn off after about 8 minutes, and there’s no way to change that. The situation you described is exactly what the hazards would be for.

Yes, it's designed to turn off everything after a certain period of time to avoid battery drain. Settings > Engine Off Options > Engine Off Power Delay. I think ~10 minutes is the maximum that you can choose. After the time expires everything shuts off.

I don't think you can turn that off without something like AlfaOBD, and not even sure if it's possible then.

What he’s trying to do wouldn’t have anything to do with those settings. He’s actually turning the headlight switch on to parking lights (instead of off or auto) to leave them on, but they automatically time out eventually. The setting you describe is just the engine off power delay, and everything powers down as soon as a door is opened.

 

[2021Ram3500]

"What he’s trying to do wouldn’t have anything to do with those settings. He’s actually turning the headlight switch on to parking lights (instead of off or auto) to leave them on, but they automatically time out eventually. The setting you describe is just the engine off power delay, and everything powers down as soon as a door is opened."

This is correct, I should have explained it better. I have read about ALFAOBD but hesitate to start messing with the computers since I'm still under warranty and you know dealers are always trying to find ways to avoid having to live up to their side of things. Plus the thought of me poking around inside my trucks brains gives me creepy feelings that I'll brick the entire truck!