Newbie Q re. Batteries

[voisin]

I've got a 2019 Ram 1500. It failed to start the other day and I had a friend boost it and it has been fine for the last few days, but now I've got in my head that it likely needs to be replaced at some point. When researching a booster pack to buy as a just-in-case, I came across someone saying the following:

"Regular battery maintenance by charging car battery periodically with a charger. It is better to buy a charger than getting a jump starter. Jump starter may get you going. You still need a charger to fulling charge your battery. Charging your battery with your car alternator will never fully charge your battery."

So I wanted to get everyone's thoughts on this. Is this true? If so, then:

1. Should I forget the booster pack and just buy a battery charger? If so, any recommended brands?

2. Can I charge the battery in the same manner as boosting it (red to red, black to black?) or do I have to physically take the battery out of the vehicle?

3. If I have to take it out, I read that I need a "power maintainer" to keep power going to the truck so that there aren't odd issues with the electronics / anti-theft / etc. Is that true?

4. When my buddy tried to boost my battery, he put the red to red, and the black to a piece of the truck frame (which is actually what the manual says), but that didn't work. It only worked once he did red to red, black to black on the battery itself (which the manual says not to do in order to avoid a spark or arc, which is strange, because that's the only way I've ever seen people do this...?).

Sorry for all the questions. Still new at all this!

 

[SniperDroid]

How long was your vehicle sitting before it would not start? My 2019 2500 has no problems starting up after two weeks of no use. You may have other issues at play. If you drive every day, your alternator WILL charge up your battery, if you have a good battery. One weak cell can give you headaches. Have the battery tested by a competent shop or dealer. If it's a 'maintainer' you want, check out the NOCO line of products. I use them for CHARGING and Maintaining, and they work very well.

 

[voisin]

How long was your vehicle sitting before it would not start? My 2019 2500 has no problems starting up after two weeks of no use. You may have other issues at play. If you drive every day, your alternator WILL charge up your battery, if you have a good battery. One weak cell can give you headaches. Have the battery tested by a competent shop or dealer. If it's a 'maintainer' you want, check out the NOCO line of products. I use them for CHARGING and Maintaining, and they work very well.

It was probably sitting for a week but the day I tried was also bitterly cold and for probably a month I hadn’t been driving much (once or twice a week short trips into town) due to lockdowns. The weather warmed up since and I haven’t had a problem in a few days.

I’ve seen the NOCO line. Does the battery have to be physically removed or disconnected when connecting a NOCO maintainer?

 

[SniperDroid]

Removal is not required, it is computerized and works while the battery is still connected or not.

 

[mikeru]

I've got a 2019 Ram 1500. It failed to start the other day and I had a friend boost it and it has been fine for the last few days, but now I've got in my head that it likely needs to be replaced at some point. When researching a booster pack to buy as a just-in-case, I came across someone saying the following:



So I wanted to get everyone's thoughts on this. Is this true? If so, then:

1. Should I forget the booster pack and just buy a battery charger? If so, any recommended brands?

2. Can I charge the battery in the same manner as boosting it (red to red, black to black?) or do I have to physically take the battery out of the vehicle?

3. If I have to take it out, I read that I need a "power maintainer" to keep power going to the truck so that there aren't odd issues with the electronics / anti-theft / etc. Is that true?

4. When my buddy tried to boost my battery, he put the red to red, and the black to a piece of the truck frame (which is actually what the manual says), but that didn't work. It only worked once he did red to red, black to black on the battery itself (which the manual says not to do in order to avoid a spark or arc, which is strange, because that's the only way I've ever seen people do this...?).

Sorry for all the questions. Still new at all this!

I have both a charger and a jump starter (booster). A battery charger will not do you much good if your battery dies when you aren't at home.

I'm not sure I believe the claim about the alternator never fully charging the battery, without data showing why this claim is made.

When jumping, you should always connect the positive of the boost battery to the positive of the battery being jumped, the negative of the boost battery to a grounding point in the engine bay. In that order. This is to prevent sparks/arcs from igniting any hydrogen gas that may be present in the immediate area of either battery. Sealed batteries supposedly do not emit hydrogen during charging, but I've seen the aftermath of a battery explosion. I'd rather be safe than sorry. I suspect it didn't work for you because whatever "piece of the truck frame" you connected to wasn't properly grounded, or the clamps weren't making good contact.

 

[Whiskey13]

If it were my I would just change the battery. Factory batteries for the most part have always failed in any of my vehicles long before any after market batteries I have installed

 

[GTyankee]

Go to some place that has a Battery Tester & ask them if they will do a load test, most Auto Parts stores have them.

Personally, i don't like jump starting a battery, using the + to + And - to frame
I use + to + and - to -
i will not have my face almost on the battery that may be about to blow up

I have seen cars with a Bolt that is long enough to pass through the radiator support, then a nut is screwed onto the bolt.
The bolt is long enough & thick enough to connect jumper cable clamps onto, making a great Negative ground

If you buy a Battery Charger, it is best to get a unit that has
12, 6, & 2 amp settings

Modern Chrysler Alternators have the internal Voltage Regulator ,
the Voltage Regulator is controlled by the CPU.
The CPU cuts off the Voltage Regulator well short of a full charge, they are trying to avoid having the battery overcharging, because that could make them them Liable.

Many people use a little box, called a battery maintainer, they only put out 1 to 2 AMPS.
They make maintainers for different types of batteries, Liquid or Gel.

As far as Jump Starters go, ask around about a compact unit that they often sell on TV,



It may do the job ?

 

[JayLeonard]

I always connect the jumper cables to the dead battery first. And I go directly to the battery.
The alternator will charge the battery completely, but probably not at idle unless it's running for a long time.
If a battery even gives me an ounce of trouble, I replace it asap.

 

[Chrisjoi]

I agree with all said above but want to add a bit about booster packs. Since most have on/off switches the issue with sparks is irrelevant because you can connect the clamps then energize the lines to jump start. I have a Schumacher and it works great. I also carry jumper cables and it is so much easier to use the booster pack than to uncoil the cables and put them back up. As a bonus my booster pack has USB, 12v and 110 volt capability so I can use it for many other purposes as well.

 

[RAMaway]

What Whiskey13 said, my Ram 2020 $hat the bed a wk ago.
Boosted and went to Auto Zone, it check at 600 amps. BUT
one day later after charging all night it read 6 volts.
I was thinking parasitic draw, with the Etorq...BIG BUCKS.
Went to Costco, Interstate GAS Mat battery was $175. plus
tax. Checked for battery drain it came down to 130 mil amp
in 10 min and about an hr. later it was under 50. I was lucky.
RAMaway......

 

[rws1944]

As others have mentioned you would be better off getting a new battery. I have a 2019 1500 limited (17k on the clock) and have had battery issues as my others have had. Instead of worrying if the battery will do its job, replace it. I ended up with an Interstate AGM 94R-H8 installed for $230.00. The original OEM battery was not AGM and was an H-7. The H-8 fits just fine and is a much better battery than the OEM one. In my case piece of mind was worth the price. For what it's worth I also have an Antigravity Micro-Start Model XP-10 under the rear seat just in case.

 

[brian42]

Your buddy probably didn't find a suitable enough ground. I recommend never connecting all the terminals directly on the batteries.

The reason to do (-) on the jumping truck battery and ground on the truck being jumped is to prevent a direct circuit between the two batteries. That can lead to a considerable heat build-up and possible explosion.

You can try and keep yours working as long as possible but you are only delaying the inevitable. If you can go a few days between starts without issue I would consider keeping the battery otherwise just get a new one.

Many of us (me included) have had our battery crap out on us out of nowhere. One day works great, the next day the truck doesn't start.

I decided to cut my loses and just bought an X2 Power battery. Not cheap but I won't have to get another battery for at least 6 years.

Plenty of cost-effective options out there. Somewhere inbetween is to upgrade to an H8-sized battery. All you have to do is pop out the insert at the bottom rear of the battery box and the larger battery drops right in. Our trucks come with an H7-sized unit.

 

[voisin]

Your buddy probably didn't find a suitable enough ground. I recommend never connecting all the terminals directly on the batteries.

The reason to do (-) on the jumping truck battery and ground on the truck being jumped is to prevent a direct circuit between the two batteries. That can lead to a considerable heat build-up and possible explosion.

You can try and keep yours working as long as possible but you are only delaying the inevitable. If you can go a few days between starts without issue I would consider keeping the battery otherwise just get a new one.

Many of us (me included) have had our battery crap out on us out of nowhere. One day works great, the next day the truck doesn't start.

I decided to cut my loses and just bought an X2 Power battery. Not cheap but I won't have to get another battery for at least 6 years.

Plenty of cost-effective options out there. Somewhere inbetween is to upgrade to an H8-sized battery. All you have to do is pop out the insert at the bottom rear of the battery box and the larger battery drops right in. Our trucks come with an H7-sized unit.

Thanks for the advice. It's been more than a week now and we haven't had the issue repeat. I suspect that the air suspension has an issue and caused the motor to continue to run trying to level it. I noticed on particularly cold days it would seemingly take forever to stop, and I am guessing that, combined with not a lot of driving, caused the battery to drain.

I am looking at the NOCO Genius5 (https://no.co/genius5#), which charges batteries but also has a feature to restore batteries ("Restore your battery - Detects sulfation and acid stratification and restores lost performance for stronger engine starts and extended battery life."). I'd love your thoughts if you have any on this.

 

[brian42]

Mine had a hiccup one morning (out of nowhere) and then was fine. Weeks later things started acting up again and I cut my losses and got a new battery.

There are way more electronics on this truck than my last one and fluctuations in power (voltage, current, surges, etc.) concern me.

The alternator runs the electrical distribution but if the battery is a huge load (e.g. dead) it can tax the electrical system and cause irregularities.

Just my .02

 

[Coastal WA Gal]

Knock wood, I've had good luck with the Battery Tender Plus to maintain my battery when I don't drive for weeks at a time (health issues). I also have a NOCO Genius Boost on hand for jump starting if it's ever necessary and the NOCO is also usable to recharge my phone and laptop in case of a power outage. Very handy things to have around.

Battery Tender https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00068XCQU

NOCO Genius Boost https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015TKUPIC