2017 Ram 3500 Tradesman 6.4L V8 battery keeps draining

[carlos22]

Ok guys, I appreciate all the comments. Unfortunately it seems my alternator wasn't the problem, I'm still getting a parasitic draw. I'm going to get my multimeter and test the battery and fuses like someone said on here. I'm going crawl under it too, check for any harness that could be peeling while I'm doing my oil change. I'll report back.

 

[carlos22]

Unhook the battery, and then check the voltage.
You could have a shorted cell, new fangled digital load tester will miss that sometimes from what I hear, I don't have one, had the old style with a big old shunt in it, like a toaster.

When you are checking current draws, you can't have anything turned on, unless you have a hi current amp meter, and not really going to tell you anything as with the key on, everything is drawing current. Charge battery up and leave unhooked and check it next day, or get it load tested again.
My Car battery dealer said it was OK, still under warranty, It would go dead in a week or 2 .
Canadian Tire checked it and showed bad. Been good after I bought new one.

I was running a small battery maintainer as the car would sit for long time , but don't need it now.
I should move it over to the truck as the battery is still original in my 2014
BTW if you are showing 8 volts , your battery is dead as a doornail.

I'll add that to my to do list. My battery showed 8 yesterday. It's under warranty so I'll pay my auto zone a visit.

 

[Marshall]

while you are crawling around in the dirt, have a real good look at the wiring going to rear end and the trailer hook up, and near the transmission , lots of wires there.

 

[carlos22]

Does anything not work? Power windows, locks, etc... My old Expedition had parasitic draws a couple times. First time was a rear windshield wiper that seized. The motor was running until it froze. It wasn't until I figured out the rear wiper wasn't working that I traced that one down. Another time there was a door sensor. Kept turning on lights because it thought someone had opened the door while parked. Sometimes it's the little things.

Regarding the trailer plug. It shouldn't charge if the motor isn't running unless someone change it. Most trucks now require you have the engine running for the relay to charge the camper battery. Some like my dad's F150 requires the truck be at least 10 mph to charge.

So I haven't noticed anything not working but oddly enough I've noticed stuff working overtime lol. My truck's dashboard lights stay on significantly after the key of out and truck is locked. Also there's this fleet monitoring thing that stays on aswell. Also do these trucks make noises after they shut off. Like mechanical switches? Mine makes a few switch noises after it's off. Don't know why, I've never had a car do that.

 

[62Blazer]

So shortly after that my battery went down to 9-10V and upon restarting the truck the battery dropped to 8V. While running the truck said the battery voltage was 13-14V but then turning it off and having the key in the on position the battery was dropping to 8-9V. Dangerously low, I don't think my battery was charging at all so I replaced my alternator. I think the readings from the other day weren't accurate because I charged my batteries 2 nights prior. I think my problem was the alternator, while driving about 25 miles I stopped for gas last week and my charge was dropping everything I turned the truck on. I think that was the problem, the autoparts people probably did my test wrong.

Regarding the comment about 13-14 volts when running. As already mentioned that is not really the "battery" voltage. That is voltage being provided by the alternator and is quite normal. Basically that is what it should be with the engine running and saying the alternator is good and doing what it is supposed to do. If the battery is dead the alternator, especially with the engine at idle, will take quite a bit of time to charge it up. In any case, if the alternator is putting out 13+ volts with the engine running that is good. If the battery starts draining right after you turn the engine off that is generally a sign the battery is bad.

 

[truck2569]

This started as an inquiry into whether my battery was dying due to the trailer 7 pin being attached. We'll I've disconnected everything and have been sitting here for a while. I've also made sure my inverter was off. However after maybe 5 min, the dash goes out and then a few min later it comes on again. I made sure the wheel for the dash lights is all the way off and my key is out. I tried to start my truck again and it was struggling as if the battery voltage was low. Also when I pulled codes, the only one there was for low battery voltage. If anyone has had this issue before let me know. This is a 2017 Ram 3500 Tradesman 6.4L V8

I had this same problem and found out it was the wire that went to the Alternator it was loose the snap had broken and wasn't charging properly. I also bought a solar panel and placed on my dash to keep it charged up from the drain of the accessories in the truck. just a thought. or it could be your battery.

 

[carlos22]

I had this same problem and found out it was the wire that went to the Alternator it was loose the snap had broken and wasn't charging properly. I also bought a solar panel and placed on my dash to keep it charged up from the drain of the accessories in the truck. just a thought. or it could be your battery.

I bought a multimeter from harbor freight because i had the basic red one and it died. I tested my battery and I'm getting 10.5V. On my dash it says my battery is at 10V which lines up. Once on, the truck says the battery is at 14V, I touch the multimeter to the bat again and my charge starts dropping immediately. It stops at 10.4~5V. Is it a bad battery? I have a battery fuse with me that I'm going to switch out.

 

[crazy jerry]

theres a ton of youtube videos showing how to easy check battery ,alternator ,parasitic draws , with multimeter. my battery in my car started going bad few days ago and died today. before it died i checked alternater output with a meter and its fine so ill get new battery tonight at wallyworld. old one was a optima red that barely lasted 5yr so im a bit disappointed. ive seen wally batteries last much longer