BATTERY.....New and Old thread

[RAMaway]

Took my dead Costco, interstate battery back after 12 mo. I got the larger 900 cca, AGM
battery. In Jan. I replaced the 2 yr. old battery that came in the RAM, Hemi with E-torq.
with the New 850 cca from Costco. The old thread below:


My 2020 Ram 1500 Laramie with E-torq, at 17 K miles must have a
parasitic draw. Had a fail to start this morning battery down to 11.70 volts.
I charged it up and runs good with check engine lite on, as I suspect it
should be on. Doe's anyone have any input??

My son a Master Mech. checked the draw, and it came down in 2 stages.
The final draw came at about 45/50 minutes. He said that was the longest
he had ever saw. But did come within specks.
Checked my new after 2 wks. and it was 12.35 volts this morning, started and
came up to 14.43 and maintain when I turned on heated seats and wheel, lights
and heater fan.

My Grandson, works on Range Rovers, said with all the drain on RAM battery, and
short trips with heated seats, steering wheel and electric motor for steering.
Going on a 10/15 min trip ever day, the battery is not being replenished.
And he tell his RR customers with auto start, to start the vehicle 15/20 min. before
they try to leave home to further charge the battery, if they do a lot of short trips.

I am looking for ANY input, someone else has to be having this problem.
I have checked and ALL I have is an analog, No digital to monitor as I drive.

RAMaway,

 

[Elvira]

Perhaps think about a battery maintainer, something to keep the battery up and to compensate your short drives with very little charging times.

 

[tron67j]

First thing, telling people to idle a vehicle for 15 or more minutes is kind of nutty, it wastes fuel and idle charge is lower versus higher rpms. The vehicles should be designed with alternator and batteries to not have a problem with short usage since the automotive industry understands the average use of a vehicle is short trips. So the solution is find the problem, not excessively idle vehicles. Each vehicle is unique, maybe the owner has added accessories that were not included in the engineering; maybe there is a software update needed; maybe a bad component is causing draws for extended periods of non-use.

For your situation, after checking the alternator output and battery capacity, next thing is taking a volt meter and tracing as much as possible to see if a draw can found. If not, next thing is pulling all fuses each night and then return one at a time each subsequent night until the same starting trouble appears.

This is the problem with incorporating a sound system, video system, gaming system, navigation system, gizmos to replace simple switches, decorative lighting, and the plethora of electronic options that create both comfort when they work and new ways to drive an owner nuts when they don't. So just like a house when plumbing or electrical problems arise, you don't generally expect the same person to fix both: so expecting a mechanic to be the master of all is really not fair. No offense to mechanics, just the opposite. I think you need to specialize today for a repair center to be able to service all that vehicles have become.

 

[Mister Luck]

Maintenance free batteries are difficult to measure for individual cell strength.

A battery can have a (semi) weak cell from the factory and still pass testing.

I try to remember an annual maintenance routine of cleaning the battery it’s posts / clamps and place it on a smart charger to top it off.

I believe the E torq does have some issues with charging and I think the larger battery you traded up to is a step in the right direction.

I agree with tron67j examining the charging system with the size and output voltage of the alternator.

 

[RAMaway]

Yesterday my 2020 Ram died 6/8 times, once in the middle of the intersection.
I can ONLY find the simulated analog meter to display on dash, no digital output
of the alternator. After it restarted the meter would sort of jump around till it got
to the center of the meter where it usually rests.

When I got home it measured 12.3 volts. At which time I put it on the charger.
And a couple hrs. later, all was well when I took it around the block.
The original SMALL battery lasted almost 2 yrs. the Interstate replacement lasted
less than 1 yr. And with the short trips I make around town the larger 900 CCA ran
down in 5 wks.

I got to take it in and have it checked out, but I believe it is all the short trips not
letting the battery fully charge. Also ALL the DC motors like the ones on the Air foil
behind the front valance, DC motor for power steering, two motors on the frame rails.
Then the heated seats and steering wheel. I do NOT use the stop/start feature.

I have to have it checked out just in case the E-torq has messed the bed!
That's my story! Anyone else with same/simulacra experience.....RAMaway

 

[crash68]

The original SMALL battery lasted almost 2 yrs. the Interstate replacement lasted
less than 1 yr. And with the short trips I make around town the larger 900 CCA ran
down in 5 wks.

If your puking batteries that fast, there's a problem with the charging system, it might be caused by the IBS which is on the negative battery terminal which sends information to the ECM to control the battery charging.

 

[gofishn]

You do NOT have a Battery Issue and your short trips are NOT the problem.

You got a Electrical Gremlin draining those batteries.
Got to find out, exactly what Gremlin is causing the issues and get it fixed.

Your Master Tech Son should be telling you this already.

 

[RAMaway]

gofishn, my son checked the drain at the end of the dead (new) interstate battery.
After the truck was shut off we checked the drain/draw with a meter between the
battery cables. Can't remember the Milliamp draw but it came down in two stages,
and it was like 45 or 50 minutes till it was at acceptable level. My son said that was
the longest one he had ever measured.
He tried to check and see if the computer has to be made aware that a NEW Battery
has been installed. Like maybe the IBS system that crash68 mentioned. Could NOT
confirm one way or the other.

My Grandson was in from the west coast where he a Mater tech for Range Rover.
He said that some of the RR that are loaded with all the bells and whistles with
extra draw on the batters and used for short trips they will recommend to start
the vehicle 15/20 minutes before leaving.

As bad as I hate to, I guess I will take it in. Just to make sure that the E-torq has
not messed the bed. As my 3 yr. warranty is up the 17 of this mo.

Thanks for the input..........RAMaway

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

Sounds like your 48volt battery may be your problem for the eTorque system, they've had numerous problems with them, sounds like dealer time.

 

[tron67j]

If I paid big bucks for a Range Rover and was told the fix for an electrical problem was to idle it for 170 hours a year, I would be gobsmacked.

Any Brand that would have it's technicians tell it's customers to do that instead of finding the real problem and solving it has a poorly designed product and no interest in corporate longevity.

Definitely get the truck to a dealer before warranty ends to at least get the issue documented. I suggest doing video to prove the issue and document a step by step process for the dealer to perform so that they can replicate the issue.