Battery saver mode question

[lpfm1990]

Truck info- 2016 3500 Cummins, 3 years and 4 months I’ve had it, 3 years and 6 months from build date


Ok, so for only the 2nd time ever since owning 4th gen rams. I got the “battery saver mode” message.... 1st time was 2 years ago (my fault, I went snowmobiling at -5*f and forgot to turn off the interior lights in my enclosed trailer and they stayed on for 7-8hrs with 4 old incandescent rv trailer light bulbs burning away) but after I started the truck, the message disappeared after about 25-30minutes of the truck idling and driving....

Now fast forward to tonight, remote start truck at work, let it warm up for about 10 minutes (34 outside) and get in truck to the message, but all the way home for 35 minutes of driving at 45-60mph most the way, and the message never disappeared? Truck started fine, I listened to it crank over at the man door like I always do.... so I’m guessing that I’ve got a toasted battery (or batteries being it’s a Cummins) probably gonna head over to Napa in town in the morning and see what their battery tester shows providing I don’t have to run 2hrs away to pick my dad up from the hospital (long story) but when the truck is off, does both batteries stay connected to each other, or does the computer isolate them?


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[clifford15]

The 2 batteries are always connected.

 

[lpfm1990]

The 2 batteries are always connected.

Ok, I’ll take a ratchet with me to take off one of the negative cables to keep the batteries isolated from each other during the test, was hoping I’d get more more then this out of the batteries, couldn’t pick much of a worse time to have this issue take place [emoji53]


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[clifford15]

I got 2.5 years out of mine. The thing is they tested good at the dealer but they went completely dead one time and I always got the battery saver indicator in the winter. Fortunately the Tradesman does not have any critical components that stop under power shedding.
They work fine for my 5th wheel camper.

The truck now has fancy AGM batteries from Batteries Plus.

 

[lpfm1990]

Just got back from Napa, I’m guessing both batteries are on their way out, voltage was at 12.8-12.9 with the truck off, 11xx with both batteries combined, and with the negative disconnected off the passenger side, I got 685cca on the passenger side, and 698cca on the driver side (which that side was still fully connected to the truck so that should have been lower then the passenger side I would think?) like the guy said, they “pass” but typically like to see them over the 730cca they are rated for being it was 36*f at the time of testing


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[G. Mcpherson]

Time for a couple AGM Batteries.

 

[2003F350]

Yeah your CCA are way lower than I'd put in ANY diesel.

My last 3 have had minimum 850 CCA rated batteries.

 

[lpfm1990]

Factory is 730, agm is out of the question right now, those are like $230 each


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[lpfm1990]

I’m not against going for a bigger battery thou (old wet cell will work fine for me for this go around) what other sizes fit into the stock tray and blanket covering without any cutting or modding to make it fit? I believe stock is a 94r (also called an h7?)


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[RamCares]

Truck info- 2016 3500 Cummins, 3 years and 4 months I’ve had it, 3 years and 6 months from build date


Ok, so for only the 2nd time ever since owning 4th gen rams. I got the “battery saver mode” message.... 1st time was 2 years ago (my fault, I went snowmobiling at -5*f and forgot to turn off the interior lights in my enclosed trailer and they stayed on for 7-8hrs with 4 old incandescent rv trailer light bulbs burning away) but after I started the truck, the message disappeared after about 25-30minutes of the truck idling and driving....

Now fast forward to tonight, remote start truck at work, let it warm up for about 10 minutes (34 outside) and get in truck to the message, but all the way home for 35 minutes of driving at 45-60mph most the way, and the message never disappeared? Truck started fine, I listened to it crank over at the man door like I always do.... so I’m guessing that I’ve got a toasted battery (or batteries being it’s a Cummins) probably gonna head over to Napa in town in the morning and see what their battery tester shows providing I don’t have to run 2hrs away to pick my dad up from the hospital (long story) but when the truck is off, does both batteries stay connected to each other, or does the computer isolate them?


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Hello lpfm1990,
We are certainly sorry to hear about your ongoing concern. If you're not able to determine a solution based on suggestions from fellow forum members and you decide to address this with your dealer, please let us know via private message. We would be more than happy to provide you with an additional layer of assistance for that process.
Laura
RamCares

 

[lpfm1990]

Hello lpfm1990,
We are certainly sorry to hear about your ongoing concern. If you're not able to determine a solution based on suggestions from fellow forum members and you decide to address this with your dealer, please let us know via private message. We would be more than happy to provide you with an additional layer of assistance for that process.
Laura
RamCares

Thanks for reaching out, but I’m likely going to go with Napa legend batteries. The OEM batteries are ok, but Johnson controls doesn’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling (had one explode in my whole house generator, and a couple go from working one day to dead as a door nail the next). Hopefully next week or so I’ll have some new batteries as I need some thing reliable with winter finally showing up here, and if it’s nasty outside I’m gonna be dependent on my truck to get my father who has liver cancer to the hospital for a transplant whenever we get that phone call.

Anyways, thanks again for reaching out


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[nukegm]

go with deka batteries. just my .02 cents...also avail from napa. i have a friend who has 60 trucks. his best luck past couple years is with deka from napa. my 16 2500 battery gave it up after 28,000 miles. my current 18 2500 cummins gets weak after not using it for 3 days. kinda pathetic. but its probably all the electronics. cheers comrade!

 

[lpfm1990]

go with deka batteries. just my .02 cents...also avail from napa. i have a friend who has 60 trucks. his best luck past couple years is with deka from napa. my 16 2500 battery gave it up after 28,000 miles. my current 18 2500 cummins gets weak after not using it for 3 days. kinda pathetic. but its probably all the electronics. cheers comrade!

So far I see Deka makes... Deka (duh. Lol) and Duracell and Napa legend series. Can’t find if they make any other brands, but so far I’ve only hear good things about Deka


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[G. Mcpherson]

I had Deka in my 01 Duramax. Always worked well in any conditions.

 

[lpfm1990]

I’m leaning abit towards their agm, 970/800cca and it’s not a whole lot more then the traditional wet-cell battery


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[RamCares]

Thanks for reaching out, but I’m likely going to go with Napa legend batteries. The OEM batteries are ok, but Johnson controls doesn’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling (had one explode in my whole house generator, and a couple go from working one day to dead as a door nail the next). Hopefully next week or so I’ll have some new batteries as I need some thing reliable with winter finally showing up here, and if it’s nasty outside I’m gonna be dependent on my truck to get my father who has liver cancer to the hospital for a transplant whenever we get that phone call.

Anyways, thanks again for reaching out


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Hello lpfm1990,
Not a problem, we're always happy to assist.
Laura
RamCares

 

[lpfm1990]

And tonight showed the batteries condition, Tuesday and Wednesday nights were warm enough (38-40) that it started and didn’t give any messages.... tonight being 17, well, gave me issues... instead of doing my normal remote start, I figured I’d walk out to the truck. And start it with the key, flipped the key to on and let it go through the pre-heat (turned off the blower so I wouldn’t have an extra draw from that, she cranked over fine, and soon as it caught the grid heater kicked in (watched the headlights dim badly) and being it had only ran for a second the alternator hadn’t got going enough to get the voltage back up it stalled the truck. So turned the key off and back to on, let it preheat again, fired up, and cranked over slower, caught but the grid heater waited a couple seconds to kick again, which was enough to get the alternator producing power and get the voltage high enough, but watching the headlights with the grid heater cycling it was drawing down the headlights way more then it had last winter, and the battery saver mode message came on, so the batteries are done, after I get done with my father and taking him to the hospital for a fluid draining procedure I’m gonna run to Napa and pick up a coupe legend agm 94r/h7 batteries and toss them on my card (I hate using it, but it’s the only option I have right now [emoji53])


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[lpfm1990]

And 2 brand new Napa legend agm 94r’s are now in the truck, my local in town Napa didn’t want to deal, so I went to the next one on my way to go to sams club for a set of Duracell’s (Napa was 204.99 and Sams was $174.99) figured I’d give the other napa a shot, and they let theirs go for $184.50, I’d rather give the Napa store a few bucks instead of Walmart. And they weren’t much more then the old wet-cell batteries


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[moparguy62]

I can tell you I'm have same issue. I just bought a left over 2019 Ram 3500 6.7 larime Its been sitting on the lots I know for sure since may, because I found a battery test in glove box and the cover off passenger side battery. I brought it back again today. Mind you i charged the batteries all night, and when I started it up drove 1/4 mile truck goes into battery saver mode. Dealer says batteries are find BS they are over a year old been dead so many times sitting there. If they don't fix it I'll buy two brand new batteries and start a Case File with Ram.

 

[RamCares]

I can tell you I'm have same issue. I just bought a left over 2019 Ram 3500 6.7 larime Its been sitting on the lots I know for sure since may, because I found a battery test in glove box and the cover off passenger side battery. I brought it back again today. Mind you i charged the batteries all night, and when I started it up drove 1/4 mile truck goes into battery saver mode. Dealer says batteries are find BS they are over a year old been dead so many times sitting there. If they don't fix it I'll buy two brand new batteries and start a Case File with Ram.

Please do not hesitate to follow up with us via private message if any additional assistance is needed, @moparguy62

Mark
RamCares