ToofZombie
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- Oct 29, 2023
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- 47
I have a 2020 Ram 1500 Limited with the EcoDiesel V6. I installed a lithium secondary battery system from KickAss Products a couple of weeks ago (Sept 2023). It has a DC/DC charger, connects with Anderson plugs to the battery and I was running the ignition wire to fuse 66 in the under-steering wheel fuse box. The KickAss battery is powering the 75L Dual Zone fridge/freezer I also bought. I installed everything and it was working beautifully for about a week. The lithium battery charged well off the DC-DC charger and the ignition wire set up made sure that it was only powered with the engine running. The freezer side of the fridge easily was getting down to -5 degrees F. I didn't start the truck but left the fridge on to see how long it would take to drain the KickAss battery so I would have an idea what I was working with camping. After 3 days, the lithium battery still had about 20% charge and the fridge was running tip-top shape. I am thrilled with the KickAss Products set up and want to sing their praises from the mountaintops. However....
On the 4th day after my little experiment, I went out and started the truck (everything great), drove it to and from work (83 miles round trip). Before I got home that evening, I stopped to fill up the fuel tank. When I started the truck after filling, it turned over well, but cranked for a good 3-5 seconds before starting normally. Hmmmm... weird. All was well and I stared the truck up the next morning and went to work. No problems. Then, I got ready to leave for the day about 10 hours later and the truck will not start. When I turn the key to try, there is no cranking and I start getting lots of weird notifications like "service air bag system" and "blind spot monitoring temporarily disabled." After the failed start I heard a "buzzing" sound coming from the under-hood fuse box. When I opened it, relay k16 (Automatic ShutDown) was literally buzzing like a bee. I could remove it and re-insert, but after a failed start it would do the same "buzzing." I went and bought a replacement fuse to try. When I inserted the new relay, exactly the same 'buzzing" sound happens and there is the same no-start with the same messages popping up. I unhooked the entire KickAss battery system from the Ram's battery, Uber'ed a ride home, and let it sit all night. Next day I go back to work in my car and try to start the truck. Same routine, however now the radio has an anti-theft message on it and is asking for a PIN and I have no idea or ever remember setting one up. Checked the battery and we are still at 12v, lights are on bright, doors unlock with fob, etc. I left the truck at work another night, tried to start it the next day (last Thursday)... no luck. I had to have the truck towed out to the dealership that afternoon because I was getting nowhere at all. The truck has been at the dealership since Thursday evening and I called the service manager before it got there and gave him a run down on everything and the ASD relay buzzing and he didn't say much other than they would take a look at it when they could. Friday came and went, no news, and I assume they were off all weekend. Maybe they will look at it tomorrow but I wanted to throw my experience out there and see if anyone else had an issue like this and what happened. Of course I want to blame it on the KickAss battery and fridge, but I don't know if that is related or not. I was planning on running my OBD scanner on it and then I found out that Ram buried the input under the instrument panel and you need their "special adapter" to go between the port and the OBD scanner. Awesome.
Any ideas?
On the 4th day after my little experiment, I went out and started the truck (everything great), drove it to and from work (83 miles round trip). Before I got home that evening, I stopped to fill up the fuel tank. When I started the truck after filling, it turned over well, but cranked for a good 3-5 seconds before starting normally. Hmmmm... weird. All was well and I stared the truck up the next morning and went to work. No problems. Then, I got ready to leave for the day about 10 hours later and the truck will not start. When I turn the key to try, there is no cranking and I start getting lots of weird notifications like "service air bag system" and "blind spot monitoring temporarily disabled." After the failed start I heard a "buzzing" sound coming from the under-hood fuse box. When I opened it, relay k16 (Automatic ShutDown) was literally buzzing like a bee. I could remove it and re-insert, but after a failed start it would do the same "buzzing." I went and bought a replacement fuse to try. When I inserted the new relay, exactly the same 'buzzing" sound happens and there is the same no-start with the same messages popping up. I unhooked the entire KickAss battery system from the Ram's battery, Uber'ed a ride home, and let it sit all night. Next day I go back to work in my car and try to start the truck. Same routine, however now the radio has an anti-theft message on it and is asking for a PIN and I have no idea or ever remember setting one up. Checked the battery and we are still at 12v, lights are on bright, doors unlock with fob, etc. I left the truck at work another night, tried to start it the next day (last Thursday)... no luck. I had to have the truck towed out to the dealership that afternoon because I was getting nowhere at all. The truck has been at the dealership since Thursday evening and I called the service manager before it got there and gave him a run down on everything and the ASD relay buzzing and he didn't say much other than they would take a look at it when they could. Friday came and went, no news, and I assume they were off all weekend. Maybe they will look at it tomorrow but I wanted to throw my experience out there and see if anyone else had an issue like this and what happened. Of course I want to blame it on the KickAss battery and fridge, but I don't know if that is related or not. I was planning on running my OBD scanner on it and then I found out that Ram buried the input under the instrument panel and you need their "special adapter" to go between the port and the OBD scanner. Awesome.
Any ideas?
