Battery Gauge drops while idleing

[flyers21fan]

Here is my problem i had been noticing some battery issues with my battery gauge dropping while having a lot of electronics on so i took it to have the battery and alternator tested and they said the alternator was putting out higher volts which is a sign of it going bad and was killing the battery so i went out and bought a replacement bosch alternator AL6426N and a optima yellow top D34 battery. It was working great for a few days but now i'm starting to see some of the same issues as before. I went back to have the alternator and battery tested after I replaced them and everything is working fine even the starter. I dont know if this helps but its been raining heavily today and alot of flouding so I had to drive through some pretty big puddles and I noticed the liner under the hood was wet above the alternator. Plus about 6 months ago I had to have the TIPM module replaced. I could use any help trouble shooting this because I am at a loss.

 

[flyers21fan]

I have read a lot of the other posts with battery and alternator issues however when my battery gauge drops it doesnt drop to zero it usually stays above half then when I come to a redlight or a stop for more then a few seconds it drops to between a quarter and a half then after a few seconds rises back to above half and fluctuates between the two until I hit the gas again. This does not happen everytime only when there is a heavy load like say the gps, radio, sirius xm, lights, wipers and amp are all on at the same time. But its fine if there is a light load.

 

[flyers21fan]

I have noticed lately that when raining or after a rainy day start up the belt squeals a bit until I get going. I had the belt replaced a few years ago when I had the power steering pump replaced and I did the 90 degree test and its fine, all the grooves line up with all the pulleys and the tension pulley is holding it tight.

 

[flyers21fan]

Doing some reading and noticed that stock alternator comes in two different amps is it possible that I had the 160 amp alternator not the 136 amp, how can I tell how many amps my old alternator was and if it is this could this be causing the issues

 

[codered]

it may be a voltage regulator. Have you noticed anything like the lights go dim, or anything not working properly? I would also go and get a build sheet from a dealer or go online and contact dodge or ram. To see what amp alternator the truck came with.

 

[Redtruck-VA]

I would recommend charging the battery over night, clean the battery and ground terminals. Check your cables and ground straps. Then measure the voltage at the battery while idling. Should be reading around 13.8vdc. With the truck turned off and after sitting a while a healthy battery should read around 12.6vdc. My truck is 20% under driven without issues. But I don't have any add-on electronics.

 

[flyers21fan]

Thanks for the help but i was barely able to read the last 5 digits on my old alternator and it turns out it does have the larger 160 amp so I replaced the 136 with the 160 and so far so good

 

[chefred112]

glad you figured it out...I was gonna say with an amp, why are you running a 136 alt as opposed to 160..

 

[Lugnutz]

The stock is 136 for sure. These rams are definitely prone to water induced issues. I just replaced my TIPM as well and these are not properly sealed from the back/bottom side at the fuse panel. Susceptible to moisture for sure.