Sig Schecter
Member
Apparently my Ram is going through its midlife crisis. 106,000miles on my 2014 3.6. Been dealing with suspension maintenance but now I am experiencing hard starts. The other day the crank was so weak it didn't turn over. Took three tries before it did. All of my starts are weak lately and that day was the only day so far that it didn't turn over on the first try. Its been really cold here (teens and single digits overnight sometimes) but that particular day it was a good 20 degrees warmer outside.
Anyway, I just took it to the auto parts store to have the battery checked. Read 12v right away but the CCAs were really low. Besides telling me that the guy wasn't much help. Where do I start with this? All interior and exterior lighting seems fine when I stick the key in. If there's a parasitic drain somewhere wouldn't that drain the battery to below 12v? If the alternator was going wouldn't that also cause the battery to not show 12v or am I way off?
The other issue Ive been having is a whistling sound. Only when the engine is cold and only under load. i.e. Start the truck, pull out of the driveway, apply anything from a moderate amount of gas and up there will be a whistling/whining sound at the higher end of RPM range for that shift until RPMs drop. At first you can hear it almost the whole time I'm accelerating (up until RPM drops for gear change or letting off the gas). As the truck warms up the noise will be shorter and quieter until it no longer does it which is probably only a mile or two.
I intend to take it in but if there's any simple things I can check myself beforehand Id like to try. Or at least have something to go off of when I drop it off.
Anyway, I just took it to the auto parts store to have the battery checked. Read 12v right away but the CCAs were really low. Besides telling me that the guy wasn't much help. Where do I start with this? All interior and exterior lighting seems fine when I stick the key in. If there's a parasitic drain somewhere wouldn't that drain the battery to below 12v? If the alternator was going wouldn't that also cause the battery to not show 12v or am I way off?
The other issue Ive been having is a whistling sound. Only when the engine is cold and only under load. i.e. Start the truck, pull out of the driveway, apply anything from a moderate amount of gas and up there will be a whistling/whining sound at the higher end of RPM range for that shift until RPMs drop. At first you can hear it almost the whole time I'm accelerating (up until RPM drops for gear change or letting off the gas). As the truck warms up the noise will be shorter and quieter until it no longer does it which is probably only a mile or two.
I intend to take it in but if there's any simple things I can check myself beforehand Id like to try. Or at least have something to go off of when I drop it off.