Remote start not working when cold

[HydroRebel]

Well, my Odyssey battery showed up and before installing it I measured the voltage from it as received and it was 12.9 volts. Before swapping the battery I measured my current draw with my clamp meter instead of going in series with my other meter (due to the temperature outside) and I got 50mA which is pretty normal. The clamp meter is probably not as accurate as going in series but close enough. Anything over 100mA is usually a sign of parasitic drain so it seems I'm ok here. I than swapped the battery and did a remote start no problem. I sat in the truck for a bit and my settings were all gone, backup camera never worked, etc. which I was aware of from a YouTube video. Apparently with our trucks if you disconnect the battery you lose a bunch of stuff and it takes roughly an hour for everything to come back to normal (I was hoping it wouldn't happen but oh well!). I shut off the truck and watched the battery voltage drop to 12.3 volts which I thought was odd. Put the clamp meter back on and my amperage was all over the place and mostly staying over 1 amp. I'm making an assumption right now that the truck might be using a module or 2 (communication) to update all my settings again but this is just a guess. I will check this again after all my settings are back to normal.

Here's a pic of the Odyssey battery for those interested:



And here's a pic of my stock battery. It's not an AGM battery and I wish I had a pic of my 4th gen's battery because it was definitely an AGM battery. The Odyssey is 840 CCA vs the stock 730:

 

[jtodd5781]

Since my previous update almost a month ago, my remote start has worked every morning. The temp. has varied from high 20s-60s F. I have not followed what the mechanic said in my previous post about only locking it with the fob and locking it prior to remote starts.

It is supposed to be 18F Sunday and 8F Monday morning. I've never been outside below 23F so if I don't report back then I probably froze in time.

Mine has worked when it's in the 20's and above just fine. It's just when it get 10's and colder is when it happens. Hopefully you will find out something, but I seriously doubt what the dealer did fixed it.

 

[jtodd5781]

Well, my Odyssey battery showed up and before installing it I measured the voltage from it as received and it was 12.9 volts. Before swapping the battery I measured my current draw with my clamp meter instead of going in series with my other meter (due to the temperature outside) and I got 50mA which is pretty normal. The clamp meter is probably not as accurate as going in series but close enough. Anything over 100mA is usually a sign of parasitic drain so it seems I'm ok here. I than swapped the battery and did a remote start no problem. I sat in the truck for a bit and my settings were all gone, backup camera never worked, etc. which I was aware of from a YouTube video. Apparently with our trucks if you disconnect the battery you lose a bunch of stuff and it takes roughly an hour for everything to come back to normal (I was hoping it wouldn't happen but oh well!). I shut off the truck and watched the battery voltage drop to 12.3 volts which I thought was odd. Put the clamp meter back on and my amperage was all over the place and mostly staying over 1 amp. I'm making an assumption right now that the truck might be using a module or 2 (communication) to update all my settings again but this is just a guess. I will check this again after all my settings are back to normal.

Here's a pic of the Odyssey battery for those interested:

View attachment 82627

And here's a pic of my stock battery. It's not an AGM battery and I wish I had a pic of my 4th gen's battery because it was definitely an AGM battery. The Odyssey is 840 CCA vs the stock 730:

View attachment 82628

I do hope this works for you. Here is the battery I am thinking of getting. https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...8-P?navigationPath=L1*14920|L2*15000|L3*15597

 

[jtodd5781]

Well, my Odyssey battery showed up and before installing it I measured the voltage from it as received and it was 12.9 volts. Before swapping the battery I measured my current draw with my clamp meter instead of going in series with my other meter (due to the temperature outside) and I got 50mA which is pretty normal. The clamp meter is probably not as accurate as going in series but close enough. Anything over 100mA is usually a sign of parasitic drain so it seems I'm ok here. I than swapped the battery and did a remote start no problem. I sat in the truck for a bit and my settings were all gone, backup camera never worked, etc. which I was aware of from a YouTube video. Apparently with our trucks if you disconnect the battery you lose a bunch of stuff and it takes roughly an hour for everything to come back to normal (I was hoping it wouldn't happen but oh well!). I shut off the truck and watched the battery voltage drop to 12.3 volts which I thought was odd. Put the clamp meter back on and my amperage was all over the place and mostly staying over 1 amp. I'm making an assumption right now that the truck might be using a module or 2 (communication) to update all my settings again but this is just a guess. I will check this again after all my settings are back to normal.

Here's a pic of the Odyssey battery for those interested:

View attachment 82627

And here's a pic of my stock battery. It's not an AGM battery and I wish I had a pic of my 4th gen's battery because it was definitely an AGM battery. The Odyssey is 840 CCA vs the stock 730:

View attachment 82628

I would like to get an Optima battery for my truck, but I don't think they make the right size for my truck.

 

[HydroRebel]

I would like to get an Optima battery for my truck, but I don't think they make the right size for my truck.

I've used one Optima Red top before and it failed on me. That was on a Tundra that had electrical gremlins though! The general word is many moons ago Optima batteries were the best but their reputation went downhill years ago. Die Hard batteries (like the one you linked above) get great reviews and honestly was my 2nd choice if I couldn't get an Odyssey. I haven't used either Die Hard or Odyssey but I ordered the Odyssey based on their reputation. By the way it was a direct fit replacement. With an Optima you would have to get a bit creative to mount it firmly in the battery stand for our trucks.

I was of course a little irritated by this whole situation but not so much anymore. I consider it my fault as my 4th gen came from the lot with an AGM battery and I went with the assumption that my Rebel did too without looking at it. My mother always said "Never assume anything" so I only realized recently that I never had an AGM battery. If I would've known my battery would've been replaced before winter. Even though it's money out of pocket I feel a lot better now knowing that I have an AGM battery so it was money well spent IMO. Practically everyone here uses AGM batteries for their reliability in the extreme cold.

Now, regarding my settings. It's been over an hour and I went for a little drive. Some of my settings are back to normal but a lot aren't. My backup camera still isn't working or the Sirius radio (not that I use that anyway). Even the few things I did with AlfaOBD a few months ago are working the way I set them up. Guess I'll give it a little more time. If I had my time back I would've put my battery tender on the battery cables before removing them from the battery!

 

[UnloosedChewtoy]

It's not an AGM battery and I wish I had a pic of my 4th gen's battery because it was definitely an AGM battery. The Odyssey is 840 CCA vs the stock 730:

What setup did you have in your 4th gen? To my knowledge, no gasser 4th gen 1500s ever came from the factory with an AGM battery. The only ones I never saw in person were the EcoDiesels, so maybe they had AGMs.

Some FCA products do, but 4th gen (gassers) were not one of them that I ever saw or heard of.

 

[HydroRebel]

What setup did you have in your 4th gen? To my knowledge, no gasser 4th gen 1500s ever came from the factory with an AGM battery. The only ones I never saw in person were the EcoDiesels, so maybe they had AGMs.

Some FCA products do, but 4th gen (gassers) were not one of them that I ever saw or heard of.

It was a 2014 ram 1500 sport 5.7L hemi. Those models are specific to Canada so I'm not sure if that's why or a less likely scenario the dealer installed it. Bought it brand new off the lot and the battery was one of several items I checked before I drove away. I can hunt through my old pics to see if I have one of the battery but I don't think that I do.

 

[jtodd5781]

Well, after not being able to remote start my truck due to the cold temperatures, I put a battery tender on my truck last night and even though it was colder this morning (-2°f) it started just fine. Either the battery is junk (even though the dealer said it tested ok) or something electrical is drawing the battery down to a level where it won't remote start. I will be back at the service department at 7:30 Tuesday morning to waste more time with them. I should demand a new battery even though the one in it tested fine according to them.

 

[HydroRebel]

Well, after not being able to remote start my truck due to the cold temperatures, I put a battery tender on my truck last night and even though it was colder this morning (-2°f) it started just fine. Either the battery is junk (even though the dealer said it tested ok) or something electrical is drawing the battery down to a level where it won't remote start. I will be back at the service department at 7:30 Tuesday morning to waste more time with them. I should demand a new battery even though the one in it tested fine according to them.

Yeah man our issues are a little odd and frustrating for sure. We know our remote starters work, we (or at least some of us) can manually start the truck ok when it fails to remote start even with lower battery voltage. I tested my battery draw when the truck was sitting and was getting around 50mA so in my case that indicated no parasitic draw.

This is only my 2nd day with the new battery and my truck remote started no problem this morning. Your dealer might be "somewhat" correct when they say the battery tested ok. Hard to say what kind of test they actually perform on the battery. I'm willing to bet it's not a thorough test like a battery place would do and I personally don't trust the BS my dealer tells me. My opinion based on what I've seen so far is the stock batteries are junk. I'll continue to monitor my new battery voltages from time to time and will update this thread if I get any remote start failures in the future. According to the forecast it's not getting warm where I live anytime soon.

 

[Jako]

"Hard to say what kind of test they actually perform on the battery. I'm willing to bet it's not a thorough test like a battery place would do and I personally don't trust the BS my dealer tells me"

As per my service and replacement battery ticket
"On inspection tech found battery voltage low. Load tested the battery with GR8 machine. Battery failed load test."

No idea what a GR 8 machine is or parameters of the load test.

Wish you the best of luck.

 

[UnloosedChewtoy]

As per my service and replacement battery ticket
"On inspection tech found battery voltage low. Load tested the battery with GR8 machine. Battery failed load test."

No idea what a GR 8 machine is or parameters of the load test.

They just meant its a GREAT machine? Get it?

Dad jokes aside, it was probably one of these.

GR8 Series

Midtronics GR8 is an all-in-one portable battery diagnostic station with comprehensive & multitasking capabilities. Perfect for busy shops with limited space.

www.midtronics.com

Regardless of battery test, batteries can still be "bad" (not hold sufficient charge) and not test bad.

 

[Jako]

They just meant its a GREAT machine? Get it?

Dad jokes aside, it was probably one of these.

GR8 Series

Midtronics GR8 is an all-in-one portable battery diagnostic station with comprehensive & multitasking capabilities. Perfect for busy shops with limited space.

www.midtronics.com

Regardless of battery test, batteries can still be "bad" (not hold sufficient charge) and not test bad.

Thanks for the info, not so much for the "GREAT"

 

[jtodd5781]

Yeah man our issues are a little odd and frustrating for sure. We know our remote starters work, we (or at least some of us) can manually start the truck ok when it fails to remote start even with lower battery voltage. I tested my battery draw when the truck was sitting and was getting around 50mA so in my case that indicated no parasitic draw.

This is only my 2nd day with the new battery and my truck remote started no problem this morning. Your dealer might be "somewhat" correct when they say the battery tested ok. Hard to say what kind of test they actually perform on the battery. I'm willing to bet it's not a thorough test like a battery place would do and I personally don't trust the BS my dealer tells me. My opinion based on what I've seen so far is the stock batteries are junk. I'll continue to monitor my new battery voltages from time to time and will update this thread if I get any remote start failures in the future. According to the forecast it's not getting warm where I live anytime soon.

What was the temperature where you were at this morning when you tried your remote start and it worked?

 

[HydroRebel]

What was the temperature where you were at this morning when you tried your remote start and it worked?

It was -23 degrees celcius this morning which is much warmer than it has been lately!

 

[jtodd5781]

It was -23 degrees celcius this morning which is much warmer than it has been lately!

Well, that's a good sign that your truck started and it was 5°C colder than it was here when my truck wouldn't start. Keep me posted. Thanks

 

[HydroRebel]

Well, that's a good sign that your truck started and it was 5°C colder than it was here when my truck wouldn't start. Keep me posted. Thanks

Well I just tried a remote start after I read your message. Failed! With both the app and keyfob. It started manually just fine once again. I'm really tired of this. The next gen Tundra can't come soon enough!

 

[HydroRebel]

Okay I just did another few checks. This time checking for a parasitic draw I actually got something: between 1.5-1.6 amps. I pulled fuses one at a time until I found the culprit. It was F38 highlighted below. As soon as I pulled this fuse my amperage dropped from over 1.5 amps to 20mA. Anyone know exactly what this component is? Whatever it is it's intermittent for me as I never had a parasitic draw last time I checked.

 

[jtodd5781]

Okay I just did another few checks. This time checking for a parasitic draw I actually got something: between 1.5-1.6 amps. I pulled fuses one at a time until I found the culprit. It was F38 highlighted below. As soon as I pulled this fuse my amperage dropped from over 1.5 amps to 20mA. Anyone know exactly what this component is? Whatever it is it's intermittent for me as I never had a parasitic draw last time I checked.

View attachment 82787

Well.... that suck. I was hoping the the battery would have been the cure-all. I was able to find out that DTCM means Drive Train Control Module, I don't have a clue what Active CL and Temp VLV mean. Have you measured the voltage of your battery after letting it sit? Maybe the solution would be to install 2 batteries, but you shouldn't have to take drastic measures to cure the problem. I'm debating on the action the dealer should take as this is frustrating.

 

[jtodd5781]

Well.... that suck. I was hoping the the battery would have been the cure-all. I was able to find out that DTCM means Drive Train Control Module, I don't have a clue what Active CL and Temp VLV mean. Have you measured the voltage of your battery after letting it sit? Maybe the solution would be to install 2 batteries, but you shouldn't have to take drastic measures to cure the problem. I'm debating on the action the dealer should take as this is frustrating.

I would be curious how often the current draw spikes. I know it would be nice to have a current meter with data logging capability in order to monitor the current draw over a period of time, but I know I don't have one.

 

[Willwork4truck]

“...I just hit 10k miles with no issues until a week ago where my truck will also not remote start when it's about 40F or lower.”

Yeah my wife’s truck just gives me “that look” and refuses to start if below 40.
Somethin’ about girl trucks I think...