Electrical problems

[Clintburns]

I have a 2019 ram bighorn . Got off work and started truck and battery seemed weak and turned over slow, but it started. Then the check engine and esc lights came on. I put it in drive and went to leave and it would not shift out of first. I took battery off to be tested and it was good just needed charging. I charged battery and reinstalled. Then nothing. No power anywhere. No horn no windows no lights nothing. Had it carried to dealership as it is still under warranty. It has been there for 9 weeks. They can't figure it out. I have also contacted ram customer care and got them involved. And still can't fix it. Has anyone had this issue. And how long can they keep my truck. They didn't even give me a loaner vehicle. I have one borrowed from a friend. Any advice would be appreciated.. thanks in advance..

 

[Barnyard]

Absolutely get a new battery. Mine did the exact same thing in November. New battery took care of it. Just need to figure out why there's a relay clicking noise every time it shifts to third and fourth.

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[Clintburns]

Absolutely get a new battery. Mine did the exact same thing in November. New battery took care of it. Just need to figure out why there's a relay clicking noise every time it shifts to third and fourth.

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I tried a new battery before I took it to dealership. They say they have power going to pdc but nothing coming out. So they replaced the pdc and still nothing. Then they replaced a module under the back seat and nothing. I'm frustrated because in 9 wks that's all they have done.

 

[Barnyard]

Oh, I missed the fact that you already tried a new battery. Sorry! Hopefully they'll figure it out soon

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[yankeefan31569]

Absolutely get a new battery. Mine did the exact same thing in November. New battery took care of it. Just need to figure out why there's a relay clicking noise every time it shifts to third and fourth.

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SAME... problem solved

 

[FirstTimeRamDriver]

I was in this position yesterday. New battery and problem solved

 

[ronmac7609]

Not exactly what you had happen but... 2019 Ram 1500 Hemi. My truck wouldn't start 4 different times. Very random but all in the morning. Replaced 3 year old original battery myself and it still did it again. Wouldn't start from fob or button. I can't find anything that causes it. Looks like low voltage around 11.6-11.7 at battery. Starts after jumping. Dealer can't find any issues. Picking it up today after 4 days at dealer and of course it won't happen there.

 

[Louhound88]

Not exactly what you had happen but... 2019 Ram 1500 Hemi. My truck wouldn't start 4 different times. Very random but all in the morning. Replaced 3 year old original battery myself and it still did it again. Wouldn't start from fob or button. I can't find anything that causes it. Looks like low voltage around 11.6-11.7 at battery. Starts after jumping. Dealer can't find any issues. Picking it up today after 4 days at dealer and of course it won't happen there.

When you have this happen and see 11.6V at the battery, how are you testing this? With a meter at the battery? If so, does it remain at 11.6V if you disconnect the battery and test again?

If you have low voltage at the battery while it's connected, then you should disconnect it to test it separately to make sure nothing on the truck is draining down the voltage. If it's only happening when connected (which seems likely as it's reoccuring) then you may have a short somewhere.

Losing a few volts isn't a big deal with a fresh 14+ volt battery. Will still be enough to start most things needed on the truck, but a constant short could slowly drain the battery down and eventually you're battery has a new float point. So a short in an alternator winding could allow the alternator to still work, but produce less voltage output. Because it's not fully dead it may be missed, but something like that could cause problems and not be found until you replace it completely. A turn to turn short on the alternator wouldn't pop a fuse, or cause the alternator to completely stop working, it'll just be a strain on the system.

Could be anything electrical though, but not many other electrical items could cause that. Unless there is some voltage regulation board that's failing, and causing voltage setpoint to be lower than it needs.

But i'd start with testing the battery connected and disconnected to see what's going on.

 

[ronmac7609]

When you have this happen and see 11.6V at the battery, how are you testing this? With a meter at the battery? If so, does it remain at 11.6V if you disconnect the battery and test again?

If you have low voltage at the battery while it's connected, then you should disconnect it to test it separately to make sure nothing on the truck is draining down the voltage. If it's only happening when connected (which seems likely as it's reoccuring) then you may have a short somewhere.

Losing a few volts isn't a big deal with a fresh 14+ volt battery. Will still be enough to start most things needed on the truck, but a constant short could slowly drain the battery down and eventually you're battery has a new float point. So a short in an alternator winding could allow the alternator to still work, but produce less voltage output. Because it's not fully dead it may be missed, but something like that could cause problems and not be found until you replace it completely. A turn to turn short on the alternator wouldn't pop a fuse, or cause the alternator to completely stop working, it'll just be a strain on the system.

Could be anything electrical though, but not many other electrical items could cause that. Unless there is some voltage regulation board that's failing, and causing voltage setpoint to be lower than it needs.

But i'd start with testing the battery connected and disconnected to see what's going on.

Is there a way they can test an alternator for that? I used a voltmeter while connected, didn't try it disconnected but will.

 

[Louhound88]

Is there a way they can test an alternator for that? I used a voltmeter while connected, didn't try it disconnected but will.

With a multimeter you can check the resistance of the alternator, though without knowing what a good alternator's resistance is it may not say much to test it.

If the truck is off you can check voltage at the battery. Start the truck and test it again at the battery to see what the system voltage is now. With the truck running the alternator should put out between 13 to 15 volts, enough to run the electrical system and recharge the battery. Also, you should be able to run the vehicle strictly on the alternator. Likely your battery is being used while the truck is running too, slowly draining it down.

If you test the voltage while the truck is running and it's still low, then you're alternator isn't outputting enough voltage to handle everything. Indicating a short or other issue with the alternator.

 

[jws1982]

I’d check for ground wires that are improperly secured to the frame. A poor ground can cause all sorts of intermittent electric issues.


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[ronmac7609]

After it wouldn't start Sunday and Monday again and needed to be towed to dealer (that's a whole other story with roadside assistance not showing after 5 hours and not even helping me), the starter was replaced. Had to find my own tow and pay. Seeking reimbursement for tow now.