Thank You! You Helped Save Me Considerable $$$.

[User_38976]

Wanted to say Thank You to the membership.
I admit to not being terribly active here. My '19 1500 Laramie has been very reliable, it's pretty much stock with a few Weather Tech, BakFlip and MOPAR aftermarket accessories, and I haven't had a need to visit much .....until the problem I had this morning.
Got ready for a Dr's appointment and the truck did NOTHING when I tried to open it. Thinking the battery in my fob gave up the ghost, I used the valet key to open it. No interior lights either. NOT the fob battery. It turned out to be the truck battery, but why?
I don't drive the truck often in the summer except for shopping and bad weather. I'm usually tooling around on my "Indian" Challenger while there's no "sn__" on the ground. Used the RAM last a week ago to haul lumber for my brother.
I put my battery pack on the battery and started it up - the bed lights switch went on. Hmmm. I turned it off. Pulled out to go to the Dr's office - no lights on the 4WD / 2WD pad and no position light to show it was in drive. Didn't notice that until I realized the truck wasn't shifting out of first and two messages showed on the dash for "Service Electronic Stability Control" and "Service Trailer Brake System". I admit I freaked - the Truck is 4 years old, but only has 15,784 on the odometer.
I disconnected the battery and reconnected the battery, hoping to clear the messages, which it did when I started it up, BUT
the backup camera and proximity sensors weren't working and the "bed light indicator" was on again. In fact, the Backup Cam app was gone from my display screen.
Started checking this forum for related threads and found one that indicated to let the truck sit for an hour or so - it would reload / reinstall the app from the mothership.
Sure enough, that did it. SO I'm back to the bed lights coming on every time I start the truck. BUT.....
....I don't need to have the truck towed to the dealership for service, saving me a sizeable chuck of coin. However, I'll end up paying the co-pay to the DR for the last minute cancellation, and I guess I'll need to order a new Light Controller module from MOPAR to rectify the original problem with the bed lights. $38.67 + S&H is a WHOLE LOT BETTER than the possible cost to tow, have the dealer diagnose and repair the issue.
Thanks for posting great info folks. Saved me a BUNCH of money.

 

[HSKR R/T]

I'd also advise to have your battery tested by a parts store to make sure it's still good. Draining a lead acid battery is bad for them. In the mean time, if you have a battery charger, hook it up because the alternator is meant as a top off charge, and will never completely charge a dead battery even after a jump start.

 

[User_38976]

Agreed. Despite it holding at 14.0 at idle, it is 4 years old, so a replacement is on the to-do list now. Winters here in the North East are hell on a battery.
Thanks!

 

[23RAM]

I'd also advise to have your battery tested by a parts store to make sure it's still good. Draining a lead acid battery is bad for them.

I concur...lead-acid batteries should never be drained less than 10% or so. Even deep cycle or AGM batteries can't handle less than 50% drain. As soon as you kill a lead-acid battery, it sulfates and damages the cells, and will never be 100% again.

it is 4 years old, so a replacement is on the to-do list now. Winters here in the North East are hell on a battery.

If the battery is well maintained and never drained low, they can last many years. Cold northern winters are not that bad on batteries if they're in good shape. I've had them last over 15 years in a vehicle. The factory lead-acid in my SUV is 10 years old and going strong. One of the first things I do is put a thin coat of vaseline on the terminals when I bring home a new vehicle - it helps to protect the battery posts and terminals. The vehicles are also driven at least once every few days, so they don't get a chance to run down. Having a light stay on will kill a battery quickly as you found out and sadly there's no way to fully repair that kind of damage.

 

[Rlaf75]

People think because they hardly drive the vehicle that battery will last longer. That's not necessarily true. Even sitting the battery gets drained because of all the electronics these things have. If you got 4 years out of the battery without driving I'd say lucked out. Replace the battery

 

[LITTLEREBEL]

I had to replace my battery already and just upgraded to a bigger H8 interstate battery from costco.

 

[BrandonSmith]

Battery tender will help greatly too. I have another vehicle that doesn’t get used but once a month, an RV, a motorcycle, a riding mower, etc. they all have tenders on them and batteries last a long time.

 

[User_38976]

I agree with everything posted here. Thank you for your input!
Despite the truck turning over easily since this happened and reading 14.4v now while running (the alternator is working well), I'm planning on getting a new one within the next few days for the reasons you noted.
I've been doing my homework on what's available in this area. NAPA, AutoZone, Advanced Auto and O'Reilly's are close by. I WISH I had a Costco nearby - for a number of reasons. Sadly, that's not an option.
I'm leaning toward the DieHard Platinum AGM over the NAPA Legend Premium AGM. Price is very comparable, with the DieHard showing 850 CCAs compared to the Legend's 800. Reading more in the specs and reviews - and taking that all with a grain of salt (I think there's a notable overall disparity in opinions between NAPA and Advanced Auto Parts customers and the value of their reviews). I tend to seek out as much information as my elderbrain can absorb before making an automotive purchase. Anyone with experience with either of these batteries, please post your opinions.

I ride my '22 Indian Challenger whenever I can during the warmer weather for everything except grocery shopping, and during bad weather. I replaced the original YUASA AGM battery in that within the first year - one close call myself / many stories of inconvenient failures, and of how long the manufacturer's stockpile of batteries sits around before being installed in new machines. The bike stays on a trickle charger / desulfater whenever it's not under my @$$.
The RAM sits across the parking lot at my apartment complex, making it difficult to keep the battery on a tender / charger. I have an attached garage that I keep the bike in - only because the RAM won't fit (24' long garage, 23'8" truck).

While I'm at it, I think it's time to put fresh batteries in the fobs as well.

 

[23RAM]

The RAM sits across the parking lot at my apartment complex, making it difficult to keep the battery on a tender / charger.

How about a solar charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter to help the battery?

 

[BrandonSmith]

How about a solar charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter to help the battery?

What i don’t like about that is that you are constantly charging, and can overcharge the battery if the solar panel output is not regulated. This can be just as bad as draining the battery.

One dealership around here has them in the windows of most their vehicles. You can buy the solar panels cheap online.

My choice - drive the truck a little more often! A portion of what you’re saving in riding the cycle appears to be going toward batteries in the truck.

 

[23RAM]

What i don’t like about that is that you are constantly charging, and can overcharge the battery if the solar panel output is not regulated. This can be just as bad as draining the battery.

Yes that's correct for large panels, but the small panels of 5-10w do not put out enough current to over-charge the battery - they don't need a charge-controller as they put out very low amperage. They're more like maintainers - they help to keep the battery topped up when the sun is out, not recharge them when they're low like larger panels or plug-in chargers. Lead-acid batteries have a high electron loss just sitting in the driveway, and these small solar chargers just help to keep them at or near 100%. Don't be afraid to use them in vehicles that sit for days or weeks.

One dealership around here has them in the windows of most their vehicles. You can buy the solar panels cheap online.
My choice - drive the truck a little more often! A portion of what you’re saving in riding the cycle appears to be going toward batteries in the truck.

Sure you can do that. But gas is not cheap compared to "free" solar. A small solar panel will pay for itself in a few weeks or months depending on your usage profile.

 

[User_38976]

What i don’t like about that is that you are constantly charging, and can overcharge the battery if the solar panel output is not regulated. This can be just as bad as draining the battery.

One dealership around here has them in the windows of most their vehicles. You can buy the solar panels cheap online.

My choice - drive the truck a little more often! A portion of what you’re saving in riding the cycle appears to be going toward batteries in the truck.

While I can't argue with your logic, I'll admit that I don't ride to save $$.... I ride to save my sanity.
It doesn't hurt that the bike gets 46 mpg, but it would take a looong time to recoup the purchase price of the bike.
I traded in my 2016 Hellcat Challenger for the RAM a year before retiring three years ago. The RAM does everything, any time (that I can't do on the bike).

Yes that's correct for large panels, but the small panels of 5-10w do not put out enough current to over-charge the battery - they don't need a charge-controller as they put out very low amperage. They're more like maintainers - they help to keep the battery topped up when the sun is out, not recharge them when they're low like larger panels or plug-in chargers. Lead-acid batteries have a high electron loss just sitting in the driveway, and these small solar chargers just help to keep them at or near 100%. Don't be afraid to use them in vehicles that sit for days or weeks.

Sure you can do that. But gas is not cheap compared to "free" solar. A small solar panel will pay for itself in a few weeks or months depending on your usage profile.

Good point, and an option worth looking into! I guess I have more research to do.

Thank you All!

 

[ABlanton123]

I have a 2019 Ram 1500 Laredo. First problem was failed to start, did not recognize fob. Realized battery was DEAD....4.7V while connected. I took battery to get charged and tested...all good. Truck starts now and has 14.7V. Second problem was now has check engine light on and code P1DF3 fired on analyzer...ECU reset by unhooking battery again...cleared code and truck now starts. Third problem now is ESC light is on, no indicator light on 2WD or 4WD....truck will go into reverse and only go to !st gear. What am I missing....do I have a transmission failure now?

 

[HSKR R/T]

I have a 2019 Ram 1500 Laredo. First problem was failed to start, did not recognize fob. Realized battery was DEAD....4.7V while connected. I took battery to get charged and tested...all good. Truck starts now and has 14.7V. Second problem was now has check engine light on and code P1DF3 fired on analyzer...ECU reset by unhooking battery again...cleared code and truck now starts. Third problem now is ESC light is on, no indicator light on 2WD or 4WD....truck will go into reverse and only go to !st gear. What am I missing....do I have a transmission failure now?

Should get a scan tool that can clear codes, so you don't have to unhook battery to clear a check engine light.

 

[User_3336]

I have a 2019 Ram 1500 Laredo.

I'm not familiar with that trim level. Did I miss something in the 19 MY offerings?

HSKR R/T I can't believe you didn't catch that.​

Another case of AI?

 

[ABlanton123]

This turned out to be a battery problem…even though it tested good at both Autozone and Dealership.

 

[23RAM]

This turned out to be a battery problem…even though it tested good at both Autozone and Dealership.

Most places don't actually load-test the battery, they just read the voltage after a high current charge which doesn't mean much. A load-test puts a heavy current draw on the battery and then checks current flow and voltage level under load. Bad batteries often pass the basic voltage check but fail load-tests.