2020 Ram 1500 Will Not Reliably Start

[nichobt]

Hey everyone,
Have a 2020 Ram 1500 with 53k miles. Had battery replaced a couple months ago. Worked fine since then. Last few days I get a single click when trying to start. Hook it up to a jump starter or jump from my wife's SUV and it will eventually start, but takes quite a few tries. Once it starts it will start perfectly every time until it has sat and cooled down. Then it goes back to a single click. So, I can't imagine it is a fuse or relay since it does work eventually. Battery was replaced by warranty again last night just to be sure. Alternator should be fine since I am holding about 14.5V once started. Drives fine with no electrical power issues.
Next step is to take out the starter to get it tested, but wanted to see if anyone had other recommendations first. My fear is that the starter DOES work and when I take it in they will say it is working fine. Not easy having to wait until it cools completely to recreate the problem.

Appreciate the insight.
Nick

 

[Darksteel165]

Not enough information to go off of.
v6, v8, etorque?

Is it outside of warranty? If it's eTorque it has a 7 year warranty of those parts.

 

[nichobt]

Not enough information to go off of.
v6, v8, etorque?

Is it outside of warranty? If it's eTorque it has a 7 year warranty of those parts.

V8 5.7, not etorque - no warranty at 53k miles(I would assume a normal warranty for non-etorque?)

 

[Darksteel165]

V8 5.7, not etorque - no warranty at 53k miles(I would assume a normal warranty for non-etorque?)

I would assume so yes.

It's a federal mandate but Ram can kind of choose what is covered.
The Federal Emissions Warranty lasts for 2 years/24,000 miles or 8 years/80,000 miles for specific components. This warranty ensures your vehicle meets all federal emissions regulations set out by the EPA.

Hopefully someone else can give you an idea.

I wonder if you can check the starter without removing it, but it looks to be in a pretty bad spot.

 

[nichobt]

I would assume so yes.

It's a federal mandate but Ram can kind of choose what is covered.
The Federal Emissions Warranty lasts for 2 years/24,000 miles or 8 years/80,000 miles for specific components. This warranty ensures your vehicle meets all federal emissions regulations set out by the EPA.

Hopefully someone else can give you an idea.

I wonder if you can check the starter without removing it, but it looks to be in a pretty bad spot.

Yeah, it isn't terribly easy to get to. I've watched a lot of videos and I think I can do it, but I was hoping to get a bit more feedback from some more experienced folks before I set out to do that. With the air suspension the truck can raise high enough that I can just crawl under the truck to see it, but I think it is probably safer to just jack it up if I decide to actually remove the starter. There is no way that I know of to 100% test the starter without taking it out or having more sophisticated equipment. I guess I will wait for someone to reply that might be able to help push me in the right direction. Eventually, I am just going to take the damn thing out...

 

[Fatherof3]

Yeah, it isn't terribly easy to get to. I've watched a lot of videos and I think I can do it, but I was hoping to get a bit more feedback from some more experienced folks before I set out to do that. With the air suspension the truck can raise high enough that I can just crawl under the truck to see it, but I think it is probably safer to just jack it up if I decide to actually remove the starter. There is no way that I know of to 100% test the starter without taking it out or having more sophisticated equipment. I guess I will wait for someone to reply that might be able to help push me in the right direction. Eventually, I am just going to take the damn thing out...

Personally I would check your battery cables , make sure they’re tight both on the battery and where they connect from the battery . The fact that it will start with no problem when it’s warm but not when it’s cold should mean your starter is ok to me .

 

[nichobt]

So, they all look clean and well connected to me. I installed the new battery myself and they do not wiggle at all. I just removed the starter and am going to go get it tested to see if they can detect any problems. It wasn't terribly difficult to remove. I will report what they tell me at Autozone. I know that they are not always the best for testing equipment, but it is close and fast. I have a suspicion that it isn't the starter either, but eliminating one possibility after another.

 

[HemiDude]

Have you checked to make sure there isn't a drain on the battery? If you don't want to take on that big of a task all at once, maybe just disconnect your battery overnight and then see if it starts right up after hooking it back up in the morning.

 

[Roddly]

Anecdotal and all, but the starter in my 2019 ram 1500 went out before it even hit 31kmi and the symptoms were just like what you described.

 

[nichobt]

Ok, so here is an update. HemiDude, you might be right. I did change out the starter. Something is draining the battery or it could be the alternator. It will not start again this morning. So, I drove the truck a bit yesterday and the Battery Voltage reading as I was driving started at around 14.5V, but over time it was dropping down to 13.4V or so. That tells me there is either something draining the battery or the alternator is not giving the truck enough of a charge. I am not entirely sure.

 

[nichobt]

So, the battery jump starter started it. It was reading 12.0V before that and then with the jump starter it went up to 14.6V or so once it started. Can I assume alternator could be the issue if it is slowly decreasing in battery voltage? The battery is brand new and the 2nd battery since I exchanged it to make sure it was in good shape.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Ok, so here is an update. HemiDude, you might be right. I did change out the starter. Something is draining the battery or it could be the alternator. It will not start again this morning. So, I drove the truck a bit yesterday and the Battery Voltage reading as I was driving started at around 14.5V, but over time it was dropping down to 13.4V or so. That tells me there is either something draining the battery or the alternator is not giving the truck enough of a charge. I am not entirely sure.

That sounds normal. As the battery charged, the output from alternator should drop so you aren't overcharging the alternator.

Sounds like your next steps will be to check for parasitic draw in battery. Disconnect negative lad and connect an ammeter between the negative post and cable. Check amp draw. Start pulling and replacing fuses until you find the one that stops the amp draw. You will need to wait about 10 minutes for the systems to do normal shut down before starting to diagnose.

 

[nichobt]

That sounds normal. As the battery charged, the output from alternator should drop so you aren't overcharging the alternator.

Sounds like your next steps will be to check for parasitic draw in battery. Disconnect negative lad and connect an ammeter between the negative post and cable. Check amp draw. Start pulling and replacing fuses until you find the one that stops the amp draw. You will need to wait about 10 minutes for the systems to do normal shut down before starting to diagnose.

So, just unhooked battery, let it sit 10 minutes+, tested with multimeter and it is coming up at 15-30mA. That is a pretty normal range, right?

 

[Richard320]

I would search for loose or corroded connections. Check all those cables going to the fuse box. Check the grounds real carefully.

Cold, things contract. No contact, just clicks. Then it starts running. High resistance, lots of current going through, things heat up and expand and you get better contact.

 

[Sportznut]

My air suspension used to adjust itself occasionally when the truck was shut off.

I always wondered how much effect that had on the battery. My OEM battery failed at 3 years. I upgraded the oem battery with an H8.

Is your new battery an H8?



Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[HSKR R/T]

So, just unhooked battery, let it sit 10 minutes+, tested with multimeter and it is coming up at 15-30mA. That is a pretty normal range, right?

That doesn't sound extreme. You are looking more for higher draws.

 

[dski]

So, just unhooked battery, let it sit 10 minutes+, tested with multimeter and it is coming up at 15-30mA. That is a pretty normal range, right?

I've followed this process and found it helpful for parasitic drain

 

[nichobt]

Ok, so I think I had the multimeter setup wrong. I have some brand off Amazon so it isn't quite the same as what I see in videos.

 

[nichobt]

 

[nichobt]

Let me know if that is the correct setting. If I am right, it is a 1.5A draw at rest