Biggiehorn's Build Thread

[Biggiehorn]

Good to hear it was something simple like the battery but also disturbing to hear yet another fairly new battery failure to add to the ever growing list.

Did they make you pay for the battery? At this point the should issue some type of TSB on this. Obviously it’s an issue and they should address it to make it right. It’s ridiculous people are becoming stranded over these failures with a 2-3 year old vehicle. Absolutely not acceptable.

They did cover the battery under warranty. So no cost to me except for my time and the gas used to get down there and back. I agree… It is concerning. I bought my truck in late May of ‘21 and I only have 12.5k miles on it. I never even considered it being the battery until @MikeyHo808 mentioned it. Being such a new vehicle, it just never entered my mind. Here is the recap on my paperwork. The truck had 38 DTC’s related to battery voltage. That is just insane. It’s no wonder I was having issues lol. Anyways, I picked it up right before they closed and drove it 25 miles home tonight. So far so good

 

[Desert Dawg]

Dang, sorry you went through all of that and I sincerely hope it was the battery. I posted a couple threads on this too as my Rebel went dead on me twice with the first time while on an off-road trip in CO and the second time just over a week ago when trying to get to work. I also have my 12-inch occasionally go out on me and also have issues with USB ports, but dealer says that they can't find anything wrong, and the second time the truck went dead was after installing a new battery (and I just hit 20K miles so still pretty new). I am done with mine and will be getting rid of it as I like wheeling in remote areas and/or take long family road trips and can't risk being stranded somewhere.

But hope all goes well by you on the fix and that you get to enjoy the truck with no more drama!

 

[Biggiehorn]

Dang, sorry you went through all of that and I sincerely hope it was the battery. I posted a couple threads on this too as my Rebel went dead on me twice with the first time while on an off-road trip in CO and the second time just over a week ago when trying to get to work. I also have my 12-inch occasionally go out on me and also have issues with USB ports, but dealer says that they can't find anything wrong, and the second time the truck went dead was after installing a new battery (and I just hit 20K miles so still pretty new). I am done with mine and will be getting rid of it as I like wheeling in remote areas and/or take long family road trips and can't risk being stranded somewhere.

But hope all goes well by you on the fix and that you get to enjoy the truck with no more drama!

I sure hope so too. It has been sitting at the dealer more these past two months than it has been sitting in my own driveway which definitely shouldn't be the case for a vehicle this new. I'm hoping this was the last of it so that I can put it behind me and get back to my normal routine with both the truck and my daily life for that matter lol.

Really is a shame but I can't say I blame you for deciding to get rid of yours. You definitely need reliability with what you do, and shouldn't have to worry about reliability with something purpose built like what you have done. Your build was one of the first 5th gen Ram threads that I read through. Well before I even bought my truck. I definitely enjoyed keeping up with it, and every time you drop photos of it out doing truck things, I can't help but wish I had mountains and terrain like that down in FL lol. Wish you the best as well with whatever you end up doing and whatever you decide to build next!

 

[Biggiehorn]

Haven’t posted much because I’m trying to avoid turning this into a negative thread, but unfortunately all of the issues mentioned in my previous posts have returned, including a few additional problems.

Still getting the intermittent 115V cargo power outlet on message, radio continues to turn on and off repeatedly, windows won’t roll down, AC goes in and out, parking sensors unavailable, service airbag system, trailer steering unavailable, trailer TPMS service required, service trailer brake, etc. Most recently, I got a service electronic stability control message and a 4WD system unavailable, so those are both new issues that I hadn’t seen previously.

When I dropped it off at the dealer, their OBD code reader wouldn’t even connect to the vehicle to the check the codes. It said something along the lines of no signal or no vehicle detected. So here we are again. I’ll post an update once I get more info but this is getting extremely frustrating. I haven’t even put 1k miles on the truck since this all started back in early August. Paying for a truck to sit these last few months between the dealership and my driveway isn’t something I plan to deal with a whole lot longer so hopefully they can pinpoint the problem soon.

 

[JerryBsizzle]

Haven’t posted much because I’m trying to avoid turning this into a negative thread, but unfortunately all of the issues mentioned in my previous posts have returned, including a few additional problems.

Still getting the intermittent 115V cargo power outlet on message, radio continues to turn on and off repeatedly, windows won’t roll down, AC goes in and out, parking sensors unavailable, service airbag system, trailer steering unavailable, trailer TPMS service required, service trailer brake, etc. Most recently, I got a service electronic stability control message and a 4WD system unavailable, so those are both new issues that I hadn’t seen previously.

When I dropped it off at the dealer, their OBD code reader wouldn’t even connect to the vehicle to the check the codes. It said something along the lines of no signal or no vehicle detected. So here we are again. I’ll post an update once I get more info but this is getting extremely frustrating. I haven’t even put 1k miles on the truck since this all started back in early August. Paying for a truck to sit these last few months between the dealership and my driveway isn’t something I plan to deal with a whole lot longer so hopefully they can pinpoint the problem soon.

Dude, I really don't know what to say. I know that has to be super frustrating!

Let me ask you, if you had it to do over again, would you mess with all the mods that involve the electrical/computer system? Like swapping to LED lights, adding rain sensing wipers, blind spot monitoring, passive entry? In your opinion do you feel like that may have affected anything?

Reason I ask is because I want to add passive entry. It's the only thing I miss from my Laramie. I have factory LEDs so I'm okay there. But I don't want to open pandoras box.

 

[Biggiehorn]

Dude, I really don't know what to say. I know that has to be super frustrating!

Let me ask you, if you had it to do over again, would you mess with all the mods that involve the electrical/computer system? Like swapping to LED lights, adding rain sensing wipers, blind spot monitoring, passive entry? In your opinion do you feel like that may have affected anything?

Reason I ask is because I want to add passive entry. It's the only thing I miss from my Laramie. I have factory LEDs so I'm okay there. But I don't want to open pandoras box.

No regrets there. All of that worked flawlessly before the first dealer visit that performed the recall. The dealer did say that the updated flash from that recall may not be playing nice with something, but we've still yet to determine if that is the case. I'm hoping that we are starting to track down the issue though. Still no definite answer, but it could be a faulty headlight wiring harness. For peace of mind, I have ordered a replacement from Jeremy at Retroshop. After discussion with him, he thinks the relay(s) in the harness may have went bad, but I'm believing something else caused that if that is the case. Either way, a replacement set was ordered.

Another issue recently discovered was condensation in my driver's side taillight. I pulled that off to inspect further and found a good amount of water that had somehow collected inside it. I don't see any cracks or leaks, but there must be a seal issue somewhere that caused it. As much as it hurt my wallet to do, I ordered a replacement taillight as well just to rule that out. I mean water and electronics don't mix very well so I'm hopeful that may have something to do with everything else going bananas right now.

I've just been holding off on posting on here as frequently because I feel like the dealer and I are chasing our tails, and I figured I might as well not post every little detail until a resolution is actually found. But to answer your question, I have no regrets and do not believe any of those are causing the issues. Last time my truck was at the dealer, they reset everything to factory so the truck no longer had BSM, RainSensing, Passive entry, etc. activated or functional, and even then the issues were still present. I turned it back on to test and everything worked, but I actually disabled almost everything with Alfa since then. I'm currently not using BSM, the tire recalibration, rain sensing, passive, etc. I did it purposely just to see if the issues stuck around and sure enough they have.

 

[JerryBsizzle]

No regrets there. All of that worked flawlessly before the first dealer visit that performed the recall. The dealer did say that the updated flash from that recall may not be playing nice with something, but we've still yet to determine if that is the case. I'm hoping that we are starting to track down the issue though. Still no definite answer, but it could be a faulty headlight wiring harness. For peace of mind, I have ordered a replacement from Jeremy at Retroshop. After discussion with him, he thinks the relay(s) in the harness may have went bad, but I'm believing something else caused that if that is the case. Either way, a replacement set was ordered.

Another issue recently discovered was condensation in my driver's side taillight. I pulled that off to inspect further and found a good amount of water that had somehow collected inside it. I don't see any cracks or leaks, but there must be a seal issue somewhere that caused it. As much as it hurt to do, I ordered a replacement taillight as well just to rule that out. I mean water and electronics don't mix very well so I'm hopeful that may have something to do with everything else going bananas right now.

I've just been holding off on posting on here as frequently because I feel like the dealer and I are chasing our tails, and I figured I might as well not post every little detail until a resolution is actually found. But to answer your question, I have no regrets and do not believe any of those are causing the issues. Last time my truck was at the dealer, they reset everything to factory so the truck no longer had BSM, RainSensing, Passive entry, etc. activated or functional, and even then the issues were still present. I turned it back on to test and everything worked, but I actually disabled almost everything with Alfa since then. I'm currently not using BSM, the tire recalibration, rain sensing, passive, etc. I did it purposely just to see if the issues stuck around and sure enough they have.

Okay that's good to know. Hopefully you get it resolved soon!

 

[Biggiehorn]

So here is where we are at currently. The taillight was replaced with a new unit, the headlight wiring was replaced with new adapter harnesses, and the dealer pinpointed an issue with the power feed going to the IPDC (Same part that was replaced back in August). They also found a couple of blown fuses that are related to modules controlled by the IPDC. All of that was corrected. Check engine/warning lights were cleared and the codes have not returned. Dealer took the vehicle on an extended test drive, and I have put another 30-40 miles on it after and as of right now (knocking on wood as I type this) it is running like a dream.

The technician's thoughts: He specializes in electrical related repairs for this particular dealer. He obviously doesn't know for certain, but he believes the collection of water inside the taillight did result in some of the other bizarre issues I was seeing. He also said it may have caused the failure in the Retroshop adapter harnesses as most of the truck's exterior lighting is all tied together in some fashion, so there is a good chance that is what fried the harness. The fuse tap from the Retroshop adapter that provides power to the OEM headlight DRL's was linked with all of the other modules with the IPDC that was also experiencing issues. The blown fuses that they found could have resulted from that since everything was sort of tied in with each other. Is this accurate? Who knows, but I can certainly follow along with how he connected the dots and made it all come back full circle.

I'm not sure if the synopsis above is correct or not, but I thought for certain they were going to charge me this time around since they had reason to believe that an aftermarket component did have some bearing to the problem. Even if the root cause was water related from the taillight failure. They didn't charge me a penny though. The service advisor reassured me before I left that if any of the issues return, to bring it right back in so they can keep digging, but that they both think this should hopefully be the end of it. We will see!

Side note: I really hope this is the last time I have to rip the front end of the truck apart for awhile

 

[Hez]

Very simple. Took about 5 minutes for me and that was my first time ever using Alfa. You only have to enable two things for it to work.

once in AlfaOBD, go to body computer, configuration change, and enable the following two settings. Mine already had the first one on, but I had to enable the second one.

ECUConfig 4: tailgate ajar indication - yes

CBC Config I/O: Connector F Pin 26: Truck Liftgate Ajar Signal Input Present - Yes

I have a 22 Ram 1500 Bighorn, went to enable these settings so that my tailgate warning activated, and cargo light/bed lights come on when tailgate opens - and was unsuccessful. I was able to change the settings in AlfaOBD - but nothing comes on when I open the tailgate and tailgate ajar warning never comes on.

 

[cskindt]

I have a 22 Ram 1500 Bighorn, went to enable these settings so that my tailgate warning activated, and cargo light/bed lights come on when tailgate opens - and was unsuccessful. I was able to change the settings in AlfaOBD - but nothing comes on when I open the tailgate and tailgate ajar warning never comes on.

I had the same problem with the same truck. After popping the tailgate cover off, I could see I didn't have the correct parts.
Check to see if your right side latch and wiring harness has four wires going to the plug. Mine only had two.

I had to buy a latch with the switch and a different harness. Then it worked.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[Biggiehorn]

@Hez,
@cskindt is correct. From what I’ve read on here, the ‘22s don’t have the correct latch equipped if not specifically ordered with the feature. The 2019-2021 model years come with the required latch and harness standard, it’s just not enabled on all of them by default.

 

[lapoolboy]

I had the same problem with the same truck. After popping the tailgate cover off, I could see I didn't have the correct parts.
Check to see if your right side latch and wiring harness has four wires going to the plug. Mine only had two.

I had to buy a latch with the switch and a different harness. Then it worked.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Can you give the part numbers you needed please?

 

[Biggiehorn]

Approaching 150 miles, several hours of sitting in stop and go traffic, and not a single issue so far. That is the longest stretch of drive time I have been able to do since getting the truck back after the first visit back in August. I'm going to go ahead and consider this last repair successful, but will certainly post an update if anything changes. I will gradually reenable everything with Alfa, but plan to do it one item at a time just as a precaution. No reason to believe any of that will give me trouble, but taking a step-by-step approach will make it easier to identify an issue if I do happen to run into something.

 

[Biggiehorn]

OEM Digital Rearview Mirror & LED Third Brake Light Install

I've had these sitting in the garage for a little while now. Have held off on doing anything to the truck with all the recent issues, but finally decided I couldn't wait any longer on this due to the excitement. I've followed along with the forum thread for this project for some time and knew it was something I wanted to add, but the price tag to buy these parts new held me back. I snagged these used from a guy on FB Marketplace. He traded in his '21 for a new Ram, and his new truck already had the digital mirror from factory so he decided to remove and sell this one.

Install was a breeze. It is all plug and play, but will only work on 21+ trucks currently. Install took me 45 minutes to an hour. Fishing the cable through the headliner took a little patience, but wasn't too bad. Overall, I'm really happy with the outcome. The mirror and brake light work great. Only issue I need to find a workaround for is the plastic bezel that surrounds the mirror. It doesn't fit in place as securely as it did with the original mirror. This is due to one less mounting tab on the digital mirror. It doesn't rattle or vibrate, but it is something I plan to eventually address because I don't like the idea of the cover shifting around from sitting loosely around the mirror.

My Recon LED 3rd Brake Light will be for sale in a few weeks if any interest. I want to run with my new light and mirror setup for awhile just to make sure everything remains good before I agree to letting the Recon unit go.

 

[MikeyHo808]

Glad to hear the gremlins have been exorcised from the vehicle!
And I hear you on removing the front grill assembly. Once was enough. Having to do it multiple times is not something I’d enjoy at all. Good luck, brother. Hope for nothing but smooth sailing ahead of you!

Lol, I just realized the analogy between your ordeal and gremlins…$hit went crazy when you got them wet, hehehe…!
Have a good day!

 

[Biggiehorn]

Glad to hear the gremlins have been exorcised from the vehicle!
And I hear you on removing the front grill assembly. Once was enough. Having to do it multiple times is not something I’d enjoy at all. Good luck, brother. Hope for nothing but smooth sailing ahead of you!

Lol, I just realized the analogy between your ordeal and gremlins…$hit went crazy when you got them wet, hehehe…!
Have a good day!

Thanks man! Gremlins indeed! A 3 month ordeal, but I THINK we finally got it. At least I hope we did. I was near my breaking point lol.

Wish you the best of luck as well. I came across your post with the recent issues at the dealer. Hope it all works out!

 

[MikeyHo808]

Thanks man! Gremlins indeed! A 3 month ordeal, but I THINK we finally got it. At least I hope we did. I was near my breaking point lol.

Wish you the best of luck as well. I came across your post with the recent issues at the dealer. Hope it all works out!

My ordeal continues on. Truck is in my garage now because service can’t figure out what’s going on with my 4wd system. It drives, just stuck in 2wd. Service elevated the problem and sent truck home. Just waiting on word to bring it back. Been trying not to drive it, but my other vehicle needs new shocks and struts and my back loves the comfy ride in the truck. Last I checked with service, they said next week. Guess we’ll see…

 

[Hez]

@Hez,
@cskindt is correct. From what I’ve read on here, the ‘22s don’t have the correct latch equipped if not specifically ordered with the feature. The 2019-2021 model years come with the required latch and harness standard, it’s just not enabled on all of them by default.

Thanks guys! Will look into it this weekend.

 

[Biggiehorn]

I've put over 700 miles on the truck since last picking it up from the dealer and absolutely no issues at all. The truck is running strong. I haven't really done or added much since installing the digital rear view camera and OEM LED 3rd brake light, but I do have a couple of projects waiting on standby. Work gets extremely busy this time of year, and I don't typically have much downtime. I still have all the parts to add passive entry to my rear doors sitting in the garage, so I'm hoping to find time to knock that out soon.

I also recently decided to burn up my gift card that I won in Recon's Truck Madness contest from early this year. The gift card balance was about to expire, and since Recon allowed me to stack it with their Black Friday sale, I said screw it and decided I might as well take advantage of the additional savings while I can. I held on to the card as long as I could hoping that Recon would release something new or unique for our trucks, but no such luck. I decided to grab some apparel and 2 of their pure white LED rock light kits. Their rock lights are insanely expensive so I'm hopeful that the performance and quality are a direct reflection of the price. I would have never purchased them had it been with my own cash, but since the gift card was about to expire, I was willing to give them a chance since I needed to spend it on something. Does anyone have any experience with Recon's rock lights and care to share their experience? Online reviews seem to be very limited (probably due to their price lol).

Pretty crazy that everything below only ran me $5 out of my pocket after the gift card and stacked discounts! The BT speaker was a freebie and they also threw in an additional t-shirt and some decals for free with the order.

 

[Biggiehorn]

Still slow rolling in my neck of the woods, but figured I'd drop a mini update and some recent photos. Work and the holiday rush is starting to settle down so that should hopefully create some opportunities to dive back in to the Ram. Right now, I have the rear passive entry kit to knockout and Recon's rock lights. I really want to get the passive entry out of the way. Its a bit more involved, and I'd like to be able to provide any feedback that I can in the passive entry thread since not many people have added it to the rear doors to my knowledge. The rock light kit appears to be premium. I still wouldn't pay Recon's asking price, but there is a huge difference between Recon's kit and those cheap kits you find on Amazon or eBay. Before doing the rock lights, I want to purchase rear wheel well liners. That is something I've wanted since day one practically and I still haven't done it. I want the liners obviously for the cleaner look and the better protection, but I also want them so that I have better mounting options for the rock light kit when I get around to it. I think I've decided to go OEM on the wheel liners. I've looked at RC, husky, and a few others, but OEM seems like the direction I'm leaning towards the most. I'm still undecided here so please feel free to chime in if you have an opinion or suggestions.

Also, I've been looking at phone mount options lately. I love my clamp style Bulletpoint mount, but I wanted something that supported Apple's Magsafe feature. I was going to try and piece something together myself with the existing Bulletpoint mounting arm, but I just got an email from BulletPoint yesterday evening, and they now offer both Magsafe wireless charging mounts, and Magsafe non charging mounts.. I purchased the non charging version last night. I'll create a thread with the product info and my review once I get some time with it, but I think these might be the solution several of us were after. Will update soon!

Just some recent photos I took. Having fun with the new iPhone camera!