"Battery Saver" mode

[dmaw2308]

A couple weeks ago I had the battery saver mode pop up on my screen. I couldn't control any electronics including, but not limited to:

Cruise control
Heated/Vented seats
Heated steering wheel
Heat/AC
Radio
etc

I had figured this was due to sitting outside in the cold for over a week without being driven, and an off road light I had wired with a lighted switch that was always on. After this happened, I disconnected the switch and didn't have an issue the next time I drove the truck. After a week of sitting again, this time in my garage, I drove the truck yesterday to work with no issues. When I left work this morning, I had no issues (truck was parked inside overnight). I drove 3 miles to a hardware store. I was in there about 30 minutes, then drove 7 miles home with no issues. I left the truck outside for 35-40 minutes (it was 15 degrees out) before taking a kid to school. When we got in the truck, it had the battery saver mode on again.

I purchased new batteries in March or April I believe. I was curious if I potentially got a bad one, so I got them tested this morning and the guy said they were good, but admitted he knows nothing about diesels.

The truck seems to start fine. The voltage immediately pops up to 14 when its running.

Is there anything else I can do to try and pinpoint the problem before resorting to taking it to a dealer?

 

[crash68]

It maybe the Intelligent Battery Sensors which are located on the negative battery terminals. I couldn't tell you how to check them but they monitor the batteries and voltage.

 

[Dennis Shellito]

I don't know what year your truck is but it must be newer than my 2011 because I don't think my truck has this "battery saver mode". I could be wrong but maybe the truck has sat too much and drained the batteries. Not so enough that it won't start but enough to cause this BSM notice. You haven't disclosed how far you drive to work but if it is a rather short commute maybe you could take it for a longer drive to top off the batteries. I know when my truck has sat for an extended time the volt meter is at high charge for quite a while before it finally backs off the charge rate. I didn't keep track but am thinking maybe 100 miles.

 

[dmaw2308]

I don't know what year your truck is but it must be newer than my 2011 because I don't think my truck has this "battery saver mode". I could be wrong but maybe the truck has sat too much and drained the batteries. Not so enough that it won't start but enough to cause this BSM notice. You haven't disclosed how far you drive to work but if it is a rather short commute maybe you could take it for a longer drive to top off the batteries. I know when my truck has sat for an extended time the volt meter is at high charge for quite a while before it finally backs off the charge rate. I didn't keep track but am thinking maybe 100 miles.

Its a 2017 2500 Mega Cab 6.7L.

My work commute is fairly short, between 5-10 miles, but like today, if I drove it to work yesterday, I knew I needed it for something else today. Since it was warmer than the older car that had been sitting for 3 days, I took the kid to school (14 mile round trip). I know that isn't much driving, but I would think it would have been enough to not cause the issue to pop up after less than an hour of sitting. I totally expected to see the issue yesterday morning when I went to work since it had been sitting almost a week and it wasn't there. Thats the confusing part for me.

I drive the truck much more in the summer, hauling a boat, camping, traveling, etc. In the winter, I only drive it when I have to. Usually when there's excessive amounts of snow, the wife takes the older car, or if I need to run to Menards/Lowes/Home Depot (2 or 3 times a month). I usually use the older car as much as possible during the winter months to attempt to keep the salt and rock chips away because I actually want to keep this truck a lot longer than my previous 6.

I'll be using it to pick up some fencing materials around 10 days from now, 280 mile round trip. Maybe that will help.

I have a couple battery tenders on my boat batteries, if I can't narrow the issue down, I may just have to start using one on the truck.

 

[crash68]

short trips with a CTD in the winter can be tough on the batteries as the grid heater runs to help warm the incoming air even while the engine is running. The dual batteries is not just for cranking the engine, it's also reserve power for the grid heater.

 

[Oliver Closehauf]

I bought myself a battery tender 4.5 amp model and just keep it plugged into the truck when I'm home. I don't drive mine at all so I needed to do something. It makes a big difference. Surprising how much two batteries will drain by just sitting there for a few days.

That's good to know about the grid heater.

 

[dmaw2308]

short trips with a CTD in the winter can be tough on the batteries as the grid heater runs to help warm the incoming air even while the engine is running. The dual batteries is not just for cranking the engine, it's also reserve power for the grid heater.

Well, now I know, the short trips to work every once in a while is definitely not what is causing it. Drove it to work Tuesday, started fine yesterday morning with no error, went to the gas station and purchased fuel. Started fine there too. Then drove about 120 miles, left it running while loading fence materials, drove 160 miles home. We put the trailer in my garage to unload and left the truck outside. When we were done unloading we started the truck to take the trailer back and battery saver mode was on. It sat outside a maximum of one hour after being driven for almost 5 hours. No stopping and starting, all highway (speeds varied due to driving into and out of a blizzard). I checked voltage occasionally and it sat at 14v the entire time. Absolutely makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[Oliver Closehauf]

What kind of stereo do you have? Does it have any kind of premium audio with an amp? if it does you may want to try pulling the fuse to the amp and see if that makes any difference.

Sounds like you have something that's still on when you turn the truck off, draining the battery.

And you may just have to hook a multimeter to your battery watch the voltage. If its having a problem after only 5 hours, you should probably be able to see the voltage dropping. Start pulling fuses to accessories first, one at a time, and look for the voltage to stabilize. Start with radio, amp etc.

 

[dmaw2308]

What kind of stereo do you have? Does it have any kind of premium audio with an amp? if it does you may want to try pulling the fuse to the amp and see if that makes any difference.

Sounds like you have something that's still on when you turn the truck off, draining the battery.

And you may just have to hook a multimeter to your battery watch the voltage. If its having a problem after only 5 hours, you should probably be able to see the voltage dropping. Start pulling fuses to accessories first, one at a time, and look for the voltage to stabilize. Start with radio, amp etc.

When this happened the other day, it had sat for less than an hour after 5 hours of driving.

The weird thing is, it was fine after sitting for 6 days, but not after 1 hour. I don’t get it.

I don’t believe I have an amp.

 

[crash68]

Sounds like you may have a deeper issue with the IBS, did a Google and found this: https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/battery-saving-mode.257292/

 

[dmaw2308]

Sounds like you may have a deeper issue with the IBS, did a Google and found this: https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/battery-saving-mode.257292/

I had read through that one before posting here, but seems they never really found any answers. I also read through a few others stating that some connectors had failed. I guess I'll just have to keep investigating and try to narrow it down somehow as I'll hopefully have some more time in the near future to look into it.

I wonder if a bad trailer connection would cause it. The entire time I was pulling the trailer, "check trailer brake connection," and "trailer disconnected," kept popping up on my instrument panel. Owner of the trailer has a '15 Ram 3500 and said everything was working fine for him when he brought it to me.

 

[dmaw2308]

Another update. I haven't had a chance to investigate to see if anything is draining the battery, but I have found another cause of it.

Truck has to be outside, below 40 degrees, and only when I use remote start. If I manually start the truck, inside or outside, I have not had this issue happen. It also hasn't happened when the temperature is above 40 degrees (or the truck is inside) and I use remote start.

 

[Oliver Closehauf]

Well I know that 40 degrees is that magic must use a block heater number in my year's service manual. Maybe the remote start is keeping your grid heaters on?

Wouldn't it be great to have a "CumminsCon" or "RamCon" where you could sit down with engineers that design these things and ask them WTF? A bunch of engineers at a table and a room full of truck owners. I wonder how fast it would get ugly?

 

[2019david]

I had this on my 2019 ram 3500 mega cab i figure out the process to fix it

1. Look at the driver side negative terminal there is a small battery sensor on it goodle the part number my revision of the sensor was discontinued with a completely different ended in AB and manufacturing date 2022 (cost 90 dollars CAD)
2. Replace the garbage stock batteries with the biggest AGM that are the highest cold crank and capacity replace both batteries (850 cca 360 each)
3. Now in minus degree cold weather the stock felts might be ok but also make sure to use them from the stock battery on each side dont throw them away unless you have a better solution coldest it gets here is -7-15 Celsius since i live in canada
4. If extremely cold i read to use a ctek charger for agm battery and keep plugged in over night daily as a dealer fix

I replaced with new sensor new agm batteries about 2 weeks ago its been -2-5 the past 6 days and havent seen it pop up battery saving mode and my voltage on start up is 13.6 and within 2-3 mins on idle changes to 14.2-3 consistently

I also have a full stereo in the truck total rms power at 4000 rms power and the voltage at full volume lowest it hits is 13.7 on the basslines and turn off about 5 mins from home and my resting charge rate is at 12.7volts and no low battery warning from compustar alarm anymore

Hope this helps i dealt with this for almost two winters here

Also as soon as power saving mode happens stop truck or at a red light turn truck off open door and close it restart it and power saving mode wont come back on again till its cold started again