Has anyone experienced this battery issue before?

[JaysFan9292]

Yesterday My boy was driving my truck and called me and said it just died while driving, engine off, dash lights going crazy. I had no tools to diagnose at the time but truck would not turn over the battery was also warm to the touch, more then i think it should be.....anyway we were 50 km's from home I decided to get a new battery and it fired right up all seems great now. Has anyone had a battery fail like that with no warning? Weird thing is I tested the voltage of the bad battery today and it had 12.7 volts. Battery posts were tight and clean when i removed the old battery....Bad cell maybe?

 

[buddy guy]

12.7 volts is on the cusp of too low voltage (even though it sounds like enough). Load test after a charge is the only way to reliably test a battery. I have a 30 dollar mechanical load tester thats one of my most valuable tools. Bet it would fail.

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk

 

[JaysFan9292]

12.7 volts is on the cusp of too low voltage (even though it sounds like enough). Load test after a charge is the only way to reliably test a battery. I have a 30 dollar mechanical load tester thats one of my most valuable tools. Bet it would fail.

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk

Ya i'm sure it was a battery issue. I Just never thought a vehicle would die like that once its running, seems dangerous depending on the timing and location.

 

[south7west]

Did the battery smell like vinegar / sulfur? If so, battery pretty much died. I'd check the alternator at a local auto parts store and make sure the alternator is putting out enough voltage, because once the engine is on, the alternator takes over keeping the electrical components running.

 

[buddy guy]

Ya i'm sure it was a battery issue. I Just never thought a vehicle would die like that once its running, seems dangerous depending on the timing and location.

I had a motorcycle battery do that. Literally the moment I pulled into my garage after a road trip. Just up & died like it said I got you home...I'm dead now.

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk

 

[crash68]

Ya i'm sure it was a battery issue. I Just never thought a vehicle would die like that once its running, seems dangerous depending on the timing and location.

When the vehicle wouldn't crank over means the voltage for the vehicle modules was probably below what they'll run reliably. Vehicles nowadays depend pretty heavily on a functional battery, if the voltage drops suddenly the vehicle shuts down.
If that was the original battery, it done good for most vehicles nowadays most start going bad by 4 years. I didn't mess around with mine('15), it failed to remote start and then turned over slow using the key.

 

[JaysFan9292]

Did the battery smell like vinegar / sulfur? If so, battery pretty much died. I'd check the alternator at a local auto parts store and make sure the alternator is putting out enough voltage, because once the engine is on, the alternator takes over keeping the electrical components running.

Battery had no smell, just warm between the posts. I tested the new battery with vehicle running, alternator seems good it was 14.6 with engine on.

 

[bellaireroad]

Did the battery smell like vinegar / sulfur? If so, battery pretty much died. I'd check the alternator at a local auto parts store and make sure the alternator is putting out enough voltage, because once the engine is on, the alternator takes over keeping the electrical components running.

This...sounds like the alternator may be bad....You’ll find out in a couple of days if the new battery goes out


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[JaysFan9292]

When the vehicle wouldn't crank over means the voltage for the vehicle modules was probably below what they'll run reliably. Vehicles nowadays depend pretty heavily on a functional battery, if the voltage drops suddenly the vehicle shuts down.
If that was the original battery, it done good for most vehicles nowadays most start going bad by 4 years. I didn't mess around with mine('15), it failed to remote start and then turned over slow using the key.

My truck is a 2014, I'm assuming it was original. Makes sense on all the electronics and sensors on newer vehicles. I tried to boost the old battery first it seemed like it wasn't taking a charge.

 

[JaysFan9292]

This...sounds like the alternator may be bad....You’ll find out in a couple of days if the new battery goes out


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

The alternator tested 14.6 with the new battery, so I'm guessing its ok. I have never experienced a sudden battery failure before, usually you can tell when its going bad.

 

[BossHogg]

Yesterday My boy was driving my truck and called me and said it just died while driving,

voltage of the bad battery today and it had 12.7 volts.

Bad cell maybe?

Been there and done it. Sure has the signature of a cell randomly flipping polarity. The best way to catch it is to put it back in the vehicle and monitor the battery voltage. You will see a low voltage and then it will flip back to normal. That one low voltage incident is enough to kill the ignition system.

 

[BossHogg]

12.7 volts is on the cusp of too low voltage

Battery voltage on a lead-acid is an indication of the battery's charge. In automotive, low voltage is typically below 9.6 volts, an area where the battery can no longer provide current.

At 12.7 volts, a lead-acid is at 100% change. Falling below 12 volts indicates a 50% charge.

In the OP's case, the engine stalled while running. This means the battery could not provide current to the ignition system nor could the alternator because the battery had an internal short consuming what the alternator produced leaving nothing for the ignition system.

A wealth of credible information is a Google search away, search "car battery voltage".

 

[buddy guy]

Battery voltage on a lead-acid is an indication of the battery's charge. In automotive, low voltage is typically below 9.6 volts, an area where the battery can no longer provide current.

At 12.7 volts, a lead-acid is at 100% change. Falling below 12 volts indicates a 50% charge.

In the OP's case, the engine stalled while running. This means the battery could not provide current to the ignition system nor could the alternator because the battery had an internal short consuming what the alternator produced leaving nothing for the ignition system.

A wealth of credible information is a Google search away, search "car battery voltage".

Yeah, been there done that but thx. Ok, I was off about .3 volts:

From one of many sites that reflect the same:


"12 volts is the standard automotive battery in today’s vehicle and each of the battery has 6 cells with a voltage of 2.1. A fully charged car battery has 12.6 volts.
There is a very big difference when a car battery drops even a small amount of voltage. When a car drops, for instance, from 12.6 to 12.0, there will be 75% difference. Its power drops from 100% to 25%. At 12.4 volts, a car battery is 75% charged while at 12.2 volts its 50% charged.
Consider your car battery charged at 12.4 volts or higher and discharged at 12.39 volts or less."


"A wealth of credible information is a Google search away, search "car battery voltage".

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk

 

[Hemi395]

The best way to determine if any battery is good or not is to have it load tested and the AGM batteries in our trucks are notorious for dying suddenly. They tend to show decent voltage but can't handle any appreciable load. Most go about 3 - 4 years and are toast which sucks because they aren't cheap.

 

[buddy guy]

The best way to determine if any battery is good or not is to have it load tested and the AGM batteries in our trucks are notorious for dying suddenly. They tend to show decent voltage but can't handle any appreciable load. Most go about 3 - 4 years and are toast which sucks because they aren't cheap.

Which is why I use a battery tender from October to April. Anything to help condition the battery.

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk

 

[BossHogg]

Which is why I use a battery tender from October to April. Anything to help condition the battery.

Many folks do not realize that the parasitic loss of a battery increase in the warmer weather over the colder months. In the very cold, battery chemistry slows down. I've had two battery failures back in 2011. The factory battery in my 2003 Tahoe gave it up in the springtime. The new Cosco Interstate failed (one bad cell that would flip polarity on occasion).

the AGM batteries in our trucks

Most go about 3 - 4 years

Are you implying our trucks come with AGM batteries? If so I've been cheated. My 2013 didn't nor did my 2015 come with AGMs. BTW, both trucks are still running the original factory-installed batteries.

 

[Hemi395]

Many folks do not realize that the parasitic loss of a battery increase in the warmer weather over the colder months. In the very cold, battery chemistry slows down. I've had two battery failures back in 2011. The factory battery in my 2003 Tahoe gave it up in the springtime. The new Cosco Interstate failed (one bad cell that would flip polarity on occasion).




Are you implying our trucks come with AGM batteries? If so I've been cheated. My 2013 didn't nor did my 2015 come with AGMs. BTW, both trucks are still running the original factory-installed batteries.

As far as I know they come from the factory with AGM batteries, I know my 2013 did. Mine has the tow package so idk if that's the difference, I had just assumed they all did...

 

[crash68]

As far as I know they come from the factory with AGM batteries, I know my 2013 did. Mine has the tow package so idk if that's the difference, I had just assumed they all did...

I've seen several gassers that don't have an AGM battery. The original OEM battery in my EcoDiesel actually had it marked that it was an AGM with a warning not to exceed 14.4V while charging.

 

[JaysFan9292]

The best way to determine if any battery is good or not is to have it load tested and the AGM batteries in our trucks are notorious for dying suddenly. They tend to show decent voltage but can't handle any appreciable load. Most go about 3 - 4 years and are toast which sucks because they aren't cheap.

Trucks been running great with the new battery, so that was definitely the issue....Not cheap indeed the only place that was open at the time was walmart paid 200 canadian. Cant imagine what a bigger brand would have cost.

 

[Dusty]

Yesterday My boy was driving my truck and called me and said it just died while driving, engine off, dash lights going crazy. I had no tools to diagnose at the time but truck would not turn over the battery was also warm to the touch, more then i think it should be.....anyway we were 50 km's from home I decided to get a new battery and it fired right up all seems great now. Has anyone had a battery fail like that with no warning? Weird thing is I tested the voltage of the bad battery today and it had 12.7 volts. Battery posts were tight and clean when i removed the old battery....Bad cell maybe?

Yes, but not on any of my Rams. My exe's Toyota died exactly like the symptoms who mentioned, and my neighbor just had the battery fail on her 2019 Rogue the same way.

Best regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 17 July 2018. Now at: 035813 miles.