Battery Slowly Draining?

[AZRickD]

I bought a 2014 Ram (54K miles) two weeks ago (Dec 17).
Duralast Gold battery dated July 2020. Probably from AutoZone.

No battery issues until Tues (Dec 29) when the starter engaged slowly then (click, click).
I measured the voltage and it was around 11 volts. Temp in the Phoenix morning was about 39F.

I jumped it and took it to the local auto parts store (O'Reilly). They put the Testometer on it and everything from the battery to the alternator to the diodes, and whatever else it tested for was normal.

I took it home and put it on the charger. It behaved normally until this morning when the starter didn't turn at all (just click-click). I tested the battery and found it to be around 9 volts. I put the charger on it and within about 4-minutes it turned over like nothing was wrong.

The battery was miraculously up to 12-something volts and 95%.

I drove it to O'Reilly's once again and it checked out once again.

We both wondered if I had a current drain somewhere (and with the TIPM, anything is possible).

He recommended a local shop that does electrical systems. I might pay them a visit.

 

[AZRickD]

A handy trouble-shooting video

 

[Daw14]

Go buy a battery. What’s radio shack? That guy in the video is an ******

 

[AZRickD]

If you search this forum (and other RAM forums), you will find that the advice of "Go buy a battery" doesn't solve the problem from time to time.

 

[Wild one]

If you search this forum (and other RAM forums), you will find that the advice of "Go buy a battery" doesn't solve the problem from time to time.

Go buy yourself an old style toaster battery tester,and recheck the battery the old school way by putting a big load on it.Not a fan of the new digital style battery testers,as they'll pass a battery,when the old school testers will fail it.You're call,but i'd suspect the battery if it gives you issues as soon as it gets cold.

Amazon.com: OTC 3180 100 Amp Battery Load Tester: Automotive

 

[AZRickD]

I have obeyed your command.

I await Knowledge in 5-7 Days.

 

[clifford15]

AZRickD, I have had a couple of new batteries go bad within a few months but it was a very long time ago. While it could be the battery, also check your instrument cluster to make sure it is shutting down after a few minutes. Sometimes the HVAC module prevents the system from going to sleep and it kills the battery. An OBD dongle can also do the same thing.

 

[AZRickD]

Ummm. Funny you should mention those two items.

I have an ODB dongle on there now.

Also, when I locked the truck tonight I noticed, as my lights dimmed to off, the instrument panel stayed on an annoying 60-seconds as the needles on tach and speedo blipped once every three seconds.

I have charged the battery (13.29V) and disconnected the negative post. We’ll see how the isolated battery does tomorrow morning. The battery had dropped to 65% at 12V a couple of hours ago. The battery sure seems to charge up fast.

 

[AZRickD]

Uncoupled morning battery voltage: 12.97v

Temp around 37F

 

[AZRickD]

Battery seems to be doing better over-night.

Unplugged ODB dongle.
Re-set TIPM.

Who knows?

 

[caulk04]

First step in a slow drain is to check the current draw on the battery. Takes a while for these trucks to shut all the way down, but you should be around 50mA generally. The obd dongle is likely drawing some on it's own and could be keeping some modules awake too.

I have a couple dongles, one draws nothing but the other draws about 80ma. Guess how I discovered that...

'go buy a battery' is a parts cannon option.

 

[AZRickD]

Will do.

Waiting for my tester cable to arrive.

 

[AZRickD]

The Tester cable arrived (it has the proper resistor and a handy switch).

I can't say I waited very long to do the test. Maybe 10-minutes. Some say wait a half-hour or a full hour.


Looks like 3.9 on the 200m scale.

 

[shmedley]

Where did you get a tester cable?

 

[AZRickD]

It's not really necessary, but it's handy.

https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-64970-...e&sprefix=battery+drain,automotive,187&sr=1-4

 

[AZRickD]

Battery drain seems to have been reduced to nominal.