2015 Power Wagon Battery Issue, Truck will die while driving.

[Northernpike1162]

My 2015 Power Wagon with the 6.4 Hemi will shut down while driving. It seems the battery (new June 2021) Napa Premium AGM doesn't hold a charge or doesn't charge well. I don't drive it a lot so I put it on a charger about every 2 weeks. I went camping this weekend and had charged it up prior to leaving. Drove about 70 miles towing my 16' camp trailer and got to where I was going fine. Drove home the next day not towing to pick up my wife and we drove back up no problems. On way home yesterday truck died about halfway home. Checked voltage and it was low, about 12.5 I think. I tightened the connections and bam we're back on the road and got home without any problem. The issue I think I'm having maybe is getting the battery post connections tight enough, but I'm reaching the limit of tightness but I think they aren't tight enough, they will move on the post if I try to move them without to much effort. Alternator is good. Could the posts be defective, slightly small? Is there something I can put on the posts to make them slightly bigger? I'm pulling the battery and taking it to the local Napa store tomorrow to see what they say.

 

[Jeepwalker]

You need to "Clean" the connections (remove the oxidation), with a battery terminal cleaner, not just *tighten* them. In fact, overtightening a cable connector can sometimes distort the clamp and sometimes cause 'less' quality connection. So you want them tight, but not "over-tight". But clean is real important too.

Once you've cleaned them, I would take the truck to an auto parts store and have them Load Test the battery, and also test the charging system. It might be that your battery has gone 'low' enough times that it's degraded. Perhaps not, but it's a possibility. I know you put a charger on it, and that's good, but to rule battery weakness out, have it checked to be sure there's enough 'capacity' there. Batteries can get weak for a lot of reasons. A parts store usually will test them at no cost. But it would be good to rule battery issues out. If it is the battery, that's a cheap fix.

Best of luck!

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[huntergreen]

Yup, clean the terminals. If problem persists, go back to the Napa that sold you the battery.