Service Required messages and Warning Light after battery died whilst using AlfaOBD tool

[TH22]

2022 DT Ram 1500 Limited (5.7 liter gasoline) located in Australia

I replaced the original 98 Liter with a 205 Liter gasoline tank but found that the fuel gauge needle position and Range (Distance To Empty) were incorrect.

Yesterday I was using the Windows 2.4.0.0 AlfaOBD tool set to "ECU's: Body Computer: DT MY2022+ PowerNet" configured with "Car configuration change > VehConfig 3-Fuel Capacity (36-290 L)" from 205 liters down to 130 liters (to see if any settings besides 130 and 98 worked). I have seen mention of "ECUConfig 4: Fuel Capacity" as being another setting in various "posts" but could not find it.

I was cycling the Ignition Switch between OFF/ACC/RUN and occasionally starting the motor. A couple of times before the battery was fully discharged (and "died") I saw the red Battery symbol but didn't realise what that meant as the RAM has a large battery.

I measured the battery and saw it was just under 12 VDC so I put on a slow "trickle charger" for several hours until it was "fully charged" (measured 12.9 VDC and over 14 VDC with the motor running). However, now everytime the Ignition Switch is in RUN or the motor is running I get the following error notifications

Cruise Control Unavailable Service Required
Service Antilock Brake System
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light
Service Electronic Stability Control
Service Trailer Brake System
Service Forward Collision Warning (FCW) Light
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) Fault Warning Light

I have disconnected the battery positive connection for over an hour and been for a short drive but issue is still there

Any assistance will be gratefully accepted

 

[TH22]

P.S. No error codes in AlfaOBD

 

[theblet]

Some batteries don’t like to be fully discharged. It might be done.

 

[23RAM]

I measured the battery and saw it was just under 12 VDC so I put on a slow "trickle charger"

"Just under 12" could mean it was down to about 30-40% 11.8-11.9v - you killed the battery and it sulfates (sulfur crystals form on the plates reducing current flow). When the battery is that low, you need to put a high amperage charger (C/10 at least) on it to dissolve the sulfur from the plates. A slow charger is the exact opposite of what was needed to recharge the battery - a slow or low output charger/maintainer simply keeps a good battery in good condition. If you ever discharge your vehicle battery, you need to jump start and then take the vehicle for a 30-60 min highway drive to recharge the battery. The alternator on the vehicle can put out a pretty decent current flow to recharge, but you need to maintain it for a while to ensure it gets a good charge. For instance, my RAM with L2 group includes a 220 amp alternator which will recharge the battery quickly.

If you don't have a high current charger, or a pulse charger that is designed to "repair" batteries, then I recommend you take it for a 30 min highway drive immediately, let it sit overnight and then check resting voltage in the morning before you try to start it. If it's 12.6v or better, you might be ok. If it's less than 12.5v you've lost about 20-30% capacity and will likely never recover it fully. It'll slowly start losing reserve capacity and will likely need to be replaced in a year or two as it won't have enough juice to start the truck reliably. If possible, take the battery to a battery store that can load-test the battery. If it was my truck, I'd get it load-tested and replace if needed now rather than get stuck somewhere with a weak battery later.

As for the lights and warnings, just drive it normally and usually they'll clear after a few drive cycles without errors. If the check engine light is on, you'll need to get that cleared first.

 

[23RAM]

Some barriers don’t like to be fully discharged. It might be done.

All batteries perform best if never fully discharged 1.
Flooded lead-acid batteries must maintain 90%+ charge to maintain full capacity 2.
Deep cycle "RV" style lead-acid batteries must maintain 70%+ charge to maintain full capacity 2.
Lithium batteries must maintain 20%+ charge to maintain full capacity 3.

All batteries have life cycle maximums, so regardless of their maintenance, even lightly used batteries will eventually degrade and start losing capacity. Typically lithium batteries have 10x the recharge cycles compared to flooded lead-acid, hence their growing popularity in RV, solar, and other uses.

1 - Ni-Cad single cells were the only batteries that worked best by depleting and individually recharging. Packs of Ni-Cad cells should not be run down less than 20%.
2 - when discharged too low, these batteries sulfate leading to early failure.
3 - most Lithium batteries are actually "packs" of single cells, so it's best to never fully deplete them as it leads to unequal states of charge among the cells which lowers total capacity of the pack.

 

[Pribilof]

IIRC 194 liters is the highest you can set the computer to.

If the battery died during a computer change you probably need to see a dealer.

Did you save you initial config in Alfa? Try getting you battery charged and then reload that config.

 

[TH22]

Some barriers don’t like to be fully discharged. It might be done.

Do you mean batteries?

 

[TH22]

"Just under 12" could mean it was down to about 30-40% 11.8-11.9v - you killed the battery and it sulfates (sulfur crystals form on the plates reducing current flow). When the battery is that low, you need to put a high amperage charger (C/10 at least) on it to dissolve the sulfur from the plates. A slow charger is the exact opposite of what was needed to recharge the battery - a slow or low output charger/maintainer simply keeps a good battery in good condition. If you ever discharge your vehicle battery, you need to jump start and then take the vehicle for a 30-60 min highway drive to recharge the battery. The alternator on the vehicle can put out a pretty decent current flow to recharge, but you need to maintain it for a while to ensure it gets a good charge. For instance, my RAM with L2 group includes a 220 amp alternator which will recharge the battery quickly.

If you don't have a high current charger, or a pulse charger that is designed to "repair" batteries, then I recommend you take it for a 30 min highway drive immediately, let it sit overnight and then check resting voltage in the morning before you try to start it. If it's 12.6v or better, you might be ok. If it's less than 12.5v you've lost about 20-30% capacity and will likely never recover it fully. It'll slowly start losing reserve capacity and will likely need to be replaced in a year or two as it won't have enough juice to start the truck reliably. If possible, take the battery to a battery store that can load-test the battery. If it was my truck, I'd get it load-tested and replace if needed now rather than get stuck somewhere with a weak battery later.

As for the lights and warnings, just drive it normally and usually they'll clear after a few drive cycles without errors. If the check engine light is on, you'll need to get that cleared first.

Thanks, great information and advice

 

[TH22]

All batteries perform best if never fully discharged 1.
Flooded lead-acid batteries must maintain 90%+ charge to maintain full capacity 2.
Deep cycle "RV" style lead-acid batteries must maintain 70%+ charge to maintain full capacity 2.
Lithium batteries must maintain 20%+ charge to maintain full capacity 3.

All batteries have life cycle maximums, so regardless of their maintenance, even lightly used batteries will eventually degrade and start losing capacity. Typically lithium batteries have 10x the recharge cycles compared to flooded lead-acid, hence their growing popularity in RV, solar, and other uses.

1 - Ni-Cad single cells were the only batteries that worked best by depleting and individually recharging. Packs of Ni-Cad cells should not be run down less than 20%.
2 - when discharged too low, these batteries sulfate leading to early failure.
3 - most Lithium batteries are actually "packs" of single cells, so it's best to never fully deplete them as it leads to unequal states of charge among the cells which lowers total capacity of the pack.

Thanks for the great information

 

[TH22]

IIRC 194 liters is the highest you can set the computer to.

If the battery died during a computer change you probably need to see a dealer.

Did you save you initial config in Alfa? Try getting you battery charged and then reload that config.

Thanks, my responses:

1. 194 liters - That doesn't appear to be the case on the 1500 DT's in Australia (maybe different elsewhere or for different Ram models). I was told 130, so tried it and it worked but thought this surely cannot be the case so tested from 131 to 205 (the size of the tank) but only 130 (and 98) worked

2. Ok, I hope not

3. Yes I did and will

 

[theblet]

Do you mean batteries?

Yea. Auto correct sucks

 

[kapinallinen2]

Thanks, my responses:

1. 194 liters - That doesn't appear to be the case on the 1500 DT's in Australia (maybe different elsewhere or for different Ram models). I was told 130, so tried it and it worked but thought this surely cannot be the case so tested from 131 to 205 (the size of the tank) but only 130 (and 98) worked

2. Ok, I hope not

3. Yes I did and will

Give it few drive cycles, there is a good chance that the errors will clear on their own.

 

[kapinallinen2]

I was cycling the Ignition Switch between OFF/ACC/RUN and occasionally starting the motor. A couple of times before the battery was fully discharged (and "died") I saw the red Battery symbol but didn't realise what that meant as the RAM has a large battery.

It is recommended to use a keep-alive power-supply connected to the battery terminals during any extended ignition on periods.

 

[23RAM]

1. 194 liters - That doesn't appear to be the case on the 1500 DT's in Australia (maybe different elsewhere or for different Ram models). I was told 130, so tried it and it worked but thought this surely cannot be the case so tested from 131 to 205 (the size of the tank) but only 130 (and 98) worked

That makes some sense...that's two of the common sizes here - 26 and 33 gallon tanks.
Where did you find a 205 liter tank (that's about 54 gallons)? Is it custom made to fit the RAM?

 

[TH22]

That makes some sense...that's two of the common sizes here - 26 and 33 gallon tanks.
Where did you find a 205 liter tank (that's about 54 gallons)? Is it custom made to fit the RAM?

Yes, custom made for both the DS and DT 1500's in Australia
No obvious information from the manufacturer that the AlfaOBD application does not have the capability to configure the fuel tank size to match what they supply

 

[TH22]

Battery "stuffed".
I installed bluetooth battery monitor and we went for an hour and half drive.
Over 14 VDC whilst motor running, dropped to 12.76 VDC, when arrived home, now 11.89VDC after 2.5 hours. New battery organised for tomorrow

 

[Smorgan1701e]

That makes some sense...that's two of the common sizes here - 26 and 33 gallon tanks.
Where did you find a 205 liter tank (that's about 54 gallons)? Is it custom made to fit the RAM?

I had a 60 gallon S&B tank added to my 2019 RAM 3500 but I can’t get the body computer to add it. I have the OBD Link MX+ with the security bypass cable and the android tablet. I can link to the MX+ but not the truck body computer. Have no idea what I am doing wrong. Anybody have any ideas? The gas gauge does work but want to DTE to be closer to actual.