jillshubby
Junior Member
Hello, I have a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi. It is experiencing intermittent hard start. All of last week the truck started, and continues to start, but occasionally it will have trouble starting. Most of the time it starts normal, but it seems that if anything has had a chance to drain the battery even a little bit, then it will struggle starting the next time. The most recent example is yesterday when I ran into a coffee shop. I accidentally left the lights on, but it was only 5 minutes, yet when I got back in the truck and started it, it was very sluggish to turn over and barely had enough "juice" to start. I drove to another quick stop, did not leave the lights on this time, and this time it started completely normal. Another time I arrived somewhere early, sat in the truck with the radio on for 15 minutes, then the next time I got back in the truck a couple hours later, it was sluggish to start, but did start on the first try. So it seems that maybe the battery is draining very quickly if anything has a chance to pull power while the truck is not running...but if I simply drive it and nothing gets left on for even a few minutes, then it will start just fine every time.
Could this be that the battery is simply going bad?
The alternator is charging it well, and the battery reads over 14V with engine running, and about 12.8V after driving.
Thanks for your input!
Could this be that the battery is simply going bad?
The alternator is charging it well, and the battery reads over 14V with engine running, and about 12.8V after driving.
Thanks for your input!