Long term storage

[spitty]

I will be storing my 2019 Rebel for 3-4 months in a climate controlled garage with no electrical outlets for trickle charger. What is the procedure for disconnecting the battery and reconnection later? Negative first, but what about computer memory etc.?
Thanks

 

[Wild one]

I will be storing my 2019 Rebel for 3-4 months in a climate controlled garage with no electrical outlets for trickle charger. What is the procedure for disconnecting the battery and reconnection later? Negative first, but what about computer memory etc.?
Thanks

Doesn't affect anything except your heater and radio settings ,you'll have to go in and reset your radio amp settings etc. My truck sits all winter with the battery disconnected. Hook up the positive first,you always remove the negative first,but on reconnection you hook up the positive first.

 

[pacofortacos]

Isn't there also a plug that you can disconnect instead? At least there used to be as that is how they came from the factory since they could sit for months on end. Would still wipe out most of the settings though.

 

[RDNKB34R]

Doesn't affect anything except your heater and radio settings ,you'll have to go in and reset your radio amp settings etc. My truck sits all winter with the battery disconnected. Hook up the positive first,you always remove the negative first,but on reconnection you hook up the positive first.

May be a stupid question but why do you reconnect the battery with the positive first ?

 

[BossHogg]

I will be storing my 2019 Rebel for 3-4 months in a climate controlled garage with no electrical outlets for trickle charger. What is the procedure for disconnecting the battery and reconnection later? Negative first, but what about computer memory etc.?
Thanks

Air up the tires, and park on wood if your storage area is cement (prevents the cement from wicking moisture from the tire) causing flat spots. Also, you may want to cover the exhaust ports to prevent nesters.

why do you reconnect the battery with the positive first ?

The reason is to prevent electrical arcs with the battery's positive post and the vehicle chassis with a wrench. As long as the negative lead is not connected to the battery, there isn't a complete circuit. Shorting the negative lead to the vehicle's chassis will cause nothing.

 

[RDNKB34R]

@BossHogg thank you for explaining it.

 

[GTyankee]

For that period of time, you could find something called the IOD fuse

What is the IOD fuse Dodge Ram?


Ignition-Off Draw (IOD) is a normal circumstance where power drains from a car's battery while the ignition switch is off. Vehicles that have not operated for 20 days or more will experience heavy battery drainage. Before storing a vehicle, remove the IOD fuse to reduce discharge.

More on the IOD Fuse

Removing IOD Fuse

Any suggestions on how to remove / replace this IOD fuse? I want to avoid breaking the plastic housing surrounding it and the tabs holding it in place. Any prying I do feels like it's going to break something. I can pull the whole housing up about 1/4 inch and it unseats the fuse but the...

www.ramforum.com

 

[BossHogg]

For that period of time, you could find something called the IOD fuse

The IOD fuse is no longer, when RAM introduced its new electrical architecture in 2013. RAM came up to speed with other manufacturers by implementing a "ship mode" in the body control module.

 

[Gommer]

Get some rodent and bug traps, too. Left one of my vehicles in storage for about a year once and when I went to get it out mice had chewed through parts of the vents, wires in the engine bay, dash, seats, ugh. It was a mess.

So traps and bait, for sure. Be prepared, also, that your truck will probably tell you it needs an oil change as soon as you get try to use it. Not sure if the battery being disconnected will resolve that. I left my truck unused in my own garage at home for about 4 months and as soon as I started it up it said it needed an oil change even though it only had maybe 2000 miles since the last.

 

[mikeru]

Be prepared, also, that your truck will probably tell you it needs an oil change as soon as you get try to use it. Not sure if the battery being disconnected will resolve that. I left my truck unused in my own garage at home for about 4 months and as soon as I started it up it said it needed an oil change even though it only had maybe 2000 miles since the last.

Oil change intervals aren't based solely on mileage. There is a time element as well. For instance, my owner's manual says to never exceed 1 year or 10k miles, whichever comes first. In your case, the time element had expired. Modern vehicles are smart enough to figure out the date and local time after you connect the battery back up.

 

[Elkman]

You can attach a small 8 Ah battery to the jumper connections to maintain the memory in the truck. This is often done when changing out the starter battery. Attaching a battery maintainer low amperage device also takes care of this.

Most important is to add fuel stabilizer to the gas tank and run the engine long enough to get it through the fuel injectors.

 

[Dusty]

I will be storing my 2019 Rebel for 3-4 months in a climate controlled garage with no electrical outlets for trickle charger. What is the procedure for disconnecting the battery and reconnection later? Negative first, but what about computer memory etc.?
Thanks

I would also recommend running the air conditioner for five or ten minutes before the final shutdown. This will prevent some of the seals drying out.

You'll probably be in danger more from critter attack. A vehicle that's been victim of the rodent family is not a pretty sight. If you search the web there's a person who uses a five gallon bucket filled with water and peanut butter to kill rodents. Follow his design. It works!

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 3 June 2018. Now at 70188 miles