What Voltage Should Etorque Be at?

[MurphBigHorn]

Sorry to rehash an old thread. I just purchased a 2022 1500 w etorque and my batter seems to sit at 12.8 v while driving. At idle it sits at about 13.5. That seems really low based on these standards? Has anything changed for the 2022 model?

Nothing wrong with those numbers, once the system is charge it will stop charging and run at 12.6 or so.

 

[betadamascenone]

Nothing wrong with those numbers, once the system is charge it will stop charging and run at 12.6 or so.

Thank you so much! There’s so much new technology in this bad boy it’s hard to understand how all of the electrical works. I ended up lucking out and getting the Firefighter Built to Serve edition in the diamond crystal black and love it, so I am paranoid I’ll encounter the issues I’ve seen so many others report.

 

[securityguy]

Thank you so much! There’s so much new technology in this bad boy it’s hard to understand how all of the electrical works. I ended up lucking out and getting the Firefighter Built to Serve edition in the diamond crystal black and love it, so I am paranoid I’ll encounter the issues I’ve seen so many others report.

Worry less...enjoy more

 

[betadamascenone]

Worry less...enjoy more

I certainly will! Switching to this from my 2019 1500 feels so different! My 2019 was totaled and it was sad to see her go, but the upgrade is nice to say the least

 

[Ran4]

I know this is a really old thread, but after reading all 164 posts, I wanted to add my two cents. I have a 2023 1500 with the 5.7 etorque. I noticed something similar to what has been reported here by some folks. On long highway drives (say ones over 50ish miles?), I've noticed the voltage seems to settle in around 12.7, and stay there. The stop/start still operates properly, and during the 'stop' part of the stop/start, the voltage will stay at 12.7 to 12.6. Short drives are a whole different ballgame, but I have yet to see voltage above 13.4. I'm not saying that its never been above 13.4; I'm only saying that during times that I've been monitoring the voltage, I've seen in it no higher than 13.4. FWIW, my 2019 Jeep 2.0 etorque behaved differently, and almost always hovered in the 13.4 to 14.1 range.

 

[RAM Patriot]

It is my understanding that etorque trucks are equipped with a smart alternator.
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What are 'smart' alternators and how do they help with emissions?

Smart alternators are essentially those that have their output voltage controlled externally via the Engine Control Unit (ECU) rather than by an internal voltage regulator as found on traditional alternators.

When an alternator is running and producing a charging voltage the electromagnetic field generated inside it produces a mechanical load on the engine via the alternator drive belt. This load increases as the output voltage rises, meaning that the engine has to work harder to turn the alternator which consumes more fuel in the process. Traditional alternators maintain their voltage between 13.8-14.4V depending on the state of charge of the battery and various other factors. This means that there is always a significant load on the engine from the alternator which requires fuel to be consumed.

As smart alternators are ECU-controlled it enables manufacturers to vary the voltage output more than can be achieved with an internal regulator. This provides the opportunity to bring the voltage below 13.8V during periods when no further charging is required (e.g. when the battery is nearly full) meaning that engine loads are reduced, fuel consumption is reduced and emissions are lowered, all helping manufacturers to comply with industry environmental regulations.

 

[Snekpete]

I know this is a really old thread, but after reading all 164 posts, I wanted to add my two cents. I have a 2023 1500 with the 5.7 etorque. I noticed something similar to what has been reported here by some folks. On long highway drives (say ones over 50ish miles?), I've noticed the voltage seems to settle in around 12.7, and stay there. The stop/start still operates properly, and during the 'stop' part of the stop/start, the voltage will stay at 12.7 to 12.6. Short drives are a whole different ballgame, but I have yet to see voltage above 13.4. I'm not saying that its never been above 13.4; I'm only saying that during times that I've been monitoring the voltage, I've seen in it no higher than 13.4. FWIW, my 2019 Jeep 2.0 etorque behaved differently, and almost always hovered in the 13.4 to 14.1 range.

As the lead acid battery ages you will notice slightly higher voltages, at least I did. I replaced my two year old stock battery with an H8 AGM and the running voltages went down slightly. The voltage also seems higher in cold weather.

 

[JJRamTX]

My 2019 "Smart Alternator Software" caused me to have a dead 12V battery a few months after I bought the truck back in Summer of 2019. The software module needed an update because it wasn't telling the Alternator when to come on and charge. No problems since the software update.

 

[MurphBigHorn]

My truck is different then it use to be. Im not sure if it is after the recall was done or maybe the battery just isn’t the same anymore. It use to drop to 12.6v once it was charged. Or at a stop when auto start stop engaged. Voltage would drop to 12.6 and once it started back up. Voltage would rise if it was still charging. Now it always high 13’s voltage range. Even after hours of driving. No signs of needing a new battery. But definitely curious how the system would work if I tossed a new battery in.

 

[muengineer]

My Ram is currently at the dealer for the engine start battery not charging while driving.

In mid September, with less than 10k miles and less than 1 year in service, the battery light came on when merging onto a freeway. At that time the battery was below 12V and not charging.

I drove the truck back home and restarted it 10 minutes later and it started charging as indicated by the 14.3V being shown on the dash.

For the next two days the voltage changed during various drives from 12.3V to 14.2V, so I thought it was ok.

I mentioned it to the service advisor when we took the truck in for a mainuenenace service and they applied a software update to the ET system to resolve the issue.

Fast forward to the last week of September, the truck dropped below 12V on the same drive merging on the same freeway. I took a picture of the dash with the truck at Interstate Highway speed with the battery light on and the voltage at 11.6V and the battery light on.

When I got to where I was going, I wrote a rather strongly worded email to the service manager and general manager of the dealer telling them that they had one more chance to fix the truck and quit wasting my time with software updates as there was obviously a hardware problem.

Since I've purchased 20 new CDJR vehicles from this dealer since 2012, I guess they listened when I threatened to sell all 3 of my Jeeps and Truck and never return. So they picked up the truck Monday and started actually troubleshooting it.

Guess what, the MGU shorts out and stops providing power to either battery when the vehicle gets up to operating temperature, then it starts fluctuating providing less power, no power and then more power and then none. This is directly off the MGU.

This Is consistent with the observed behavior of the charging. They have ordered a new one and it is being delivered tomorrow and they will have the truck ready by Friday. They are also testing the engine battery to make sure it isn't degraded and replace as necessary.

It's really sad that the truck with less than 1 year in service has a problem on such an expensive part that is so critical to making the truck work. I do feel better that they took more of a look at it this time and came up with a better answer than software.

 

[muengineer]

Update, I got the truck back on Friday last week and we have taken two long trips over an hour and had 13.6-14.3 Volts displayed on the dash the entire time.

It looks like the MGU was indeed the bad part and the issue is corrected.

 

[tfitz44]

Update, I got the truck back on Friday last week and we have taken two long trips over an hour and had 13.6-14.3 Volts displayed on the dash the entire time.

It looks like the MGU was indeed the bad part and the issue is corrected.

Very interesting. On my 2021 Rebel, it has always stayed in the 13.8v-14.3v while driving. And even when I came to a stop and motor would turn off, the voltage stayed above 13.5v. Over the past few weeks, I started to notice the motor running really rough, like it was out of fuel when the auto start/stop would kick in to shut the engine down. But up to this point, no warning lights or messages. Skip to two day ago, I go to start it after being in the grocery store, and nothing. Just a bunch of clicking sounds, lights on the instrument panel lighting up then blackout. Had to jump the truck twice to get to an Advanced Auto to get a new battery. Installed a new H8-AGM and now when driving, the voltage stays at 12.9v to 13.1v. Also when coming to a stop now, and the auto start/start engages, the battery voltage drops between 12.4v-12.6v. Where as before, it would not drop below 13.5v. I’m completely stumped on what’s going on with it.

 

[Snekpete]

Very interesting. On my 2021 Rebel, it has always stayed in the 13.8v-14.3v while driving. And even when I came to a stop and motor would turn off, the voltage stayed above 13.5v. Over the past few weeks, I started to notice the motor running really rough, like it was out of fuel when the auto start/stop would kick in to shut the engine down. But up to this point, no warning lights or messages. Skip to two day ago, I go to start it after being in the grocery store, and nothing. Just a bunch of clicking sounds, lights on the instrument panel lighting up then blackout. Had to jump the truck twice to get to an Advanced Auto to get a new battery. Installed a new H8-AGM and now when driving, the voltage stays at 12.9v to 13.1v. Also when coming to a stop now, and the auto start/start engages, the battery voltage drops between 12.4v-12.6v. Where as before, it would not drop below 13.5v. I’m completely stumped on what’s going on with it.

When I put in my H8 AGM I got the same voltages. The voltage varies depending on a bunch of different variables, one of which is the condition of the battery. A new battery will, ironically, show lower voltages.

 

[tfitz44]

When I put in my H8 AGM I got the same voltages. The voltage varies depending on a bunch of different variables, one of which is the condition of the battery. A new battery will, ironically, show lower voltages.

Oddly enough, all day today it has been where it was all along, staying between 14.1v and 14.3. And even after driving for 20 minutes, pulling into the parking lot of the hardware store it was at 14.5v. So who the hell knows. I think once the computer had a chance to reset itself over night, everything went back to normal.

 

[Nickster5k]

Update, I got the truck back on Friday last week and we have taken two long trips over an hour and had 13.6-14.3 Volts displayed on the dash the entire time.

It looks like the MGU was indeed the bad part and the issue is corrected.

New MGU still going strong? I had a similar story (sans a reasonable service tech at the dealer), and not even 2 months after a new MGU I'm back to the dealer with low voltage.

My 2019 1500 limited 5.7 etorque has about 38k miles. Normal voltages for me have been consistently 13.6-14.2 throughout the life of the truck. Mid September I was driving home one night and the low voltage light comes on, start/stop warning light comes on, along with the check engine light with the voltage dropping into the 11.5-11.7 range. By the time I made it home (maybe 10-15 miles) voltage had dropped to 10.7, confirmed by my radar detected connected to the 12v outlet on the dash. As I ran through the system pages trying to take down notes, the screens and computers shut down and the engine stalled. It started up again but died after maybe 10 seconds. Pulled the battery (Walmart H8, but less than a year old) charged it up and tests good. Dropped it back in and engine starts but clearly no charging at just 12.5v. Making my way to the dealer it drops again to 11.3. My thoughts at the time were that the Texas heat cooked the MGU to oblivion as it was record hot and in the sun all day that day, could have cooked a steak on my hood. (My truck is normally spoiled with garage-to-garage treatment).

After 2 months of dealer BS and them hording my truck (didn't even give me a loaner because "none were available") they replace the MGU (along with several other parts unrelated to the electrical system that I probably didn't need, but my 5 year nearly expired extended mopar warranty covered). All works great!

Fast forward a month to the Friday before Christmas and I'm pulling in my driveway and engine light/low voltage warning comes on at 11.7v. Just drove it straight to the dealer and dropped it off. Been a week now and "nothing yet its a process that takes time to properly diagnose". I read that as they haven't touched it, but we shall see. Sorry if this read more like a rant on the dealer than discussion of the electrical system, but I'm genuinely interested if anybody is still having issues after replacing the MGU and if so what the issue turned out to be.

 

[muengineer]

My MGU appears to still work ok.

I took it on a 240 mile trip on Tuesday and the battery voltage stayed at 14 the entire time.

On Thursday when I took the trip back the battery fluctuated between 13.1 and 13.5 volts.

Today I took it on a 15 minute trip and had 14 on the way and 13.6 on the way back.

The voltage fluctuation kind of puzzles me sometimes because the battery voltage appears to drop as the battery (48v) needs more charge and as more electrical load is used.

I have not seen any voltages below 13.1 since replacing it.

 

[Nickster5k]

Quick follow up on my MGU issue. After another 6 weeks at the dealer I finally got my truck back. Turns out the 48V battery pack was bad and causing such a strain that the new MGU couldn't keep up. Apparently the battery pack is "not supposed to go out" so they don't stock the parts, they just make and shop them when ordered (hence it took another month). Luckily, the hybrid part of the truck has a separate manufacture's warranty period and it was still covered (dealer said it was over $7k).
After the install of the new 48v battery pack, voltage was steady at around 14.5V. Two days later and it starts overcharging every time I would brake, getting up to 16+ volts. FYI, the electrical systems start shutting down around 15.5v (e.g., blind spot monitoring etc.) and power steering becomes unavailable at 16V, so that was fun... Now after another week at the dealer, it turns out the overvoltage was due to poor installation with wires pulling out of a harness and not making contact. Now all is running well at 13.8-14.5v. I have a feeling my 12v battery is not long for this world with all the abuse it's taken over the past 6 months, but so far it's still cranking.

 

[Havok]

Quick follow up on my MGU issue. After another 6 weeks at the dealer I finally got my truck back. Turns out the 48V battery pack was bad and causing such a strain that the new MGU couldn't keep up. Apparently the battery pack is "not supposed to go out" so they don't stock the parts, they just make and shop them when ordered (hence it took another month). Luckily, the hybrid part of the truck has a separate manufacture's warranty period and it was still covered (dealer said it was over $7k).
After the install of the new 48v battery pack, voltage was steady at around 14.5V. Two days later and it starts overcharging every time I would brake, getting up to 16+ volts. FYI, the electrical systems start shutting down around 15.5v (e.g., blind spot monitoring etc.) and power steering becomes unavailable at 16V, so that was fun... Now after another week at the dealer, it turns out the overvoltage was due to poor installation with wires pulling out of a harness and not making contact. Now all is running well at 13.8-14.5v. I have a feeling my 12v battery is not long for this world with all the abuse it's taken over the past 6 months, but so far it's still cranking.

I just bought a 2023 Lone Star/Big Horn 4x4 with 25 miles. It had obviously been sitting on the lot for a year. My battery voltage reading on the dash was reading 13.1 and dropped steadily as I drove, down to 12.7. I took it to the dealer and they said that's normal?? Any documentation of what the Etorque battery voltage should read? Thx

 

[Nascar Tommy]

I just bought a 2023 Lone Star/Big Horn 4x4 with 25 miles. It had obviously been sitting on the lot for a year. My battery voltage reading on the dash was reading 13.1 and dropped steadily as I drove, down to 12.7. I took it to the dealer and they said that's normal?? Any documentation of what the Etorque battery voltage should read? Thx

Read the posts above and you'll find your answer.
I think it should be 13 to 14.5 ish.
Also check you're date of manufacture on your truck. If this truck was sitting around for a year you may want to insist on a new battery. The manual states if you are not going to use the vehicle for longer than 3 weeks disconnect battery. I doubt the dealer did that or regularly started it.
If Dealer won't replace it you may want to replace it yourself to avoid problems..
There are many threads in this forum outlining battery issues and how electricaly finicky the etorqes are.
Good Luck

 

[MurphBigHorn]

I just bought a 2023 Lone Star/Big Horn 4x4 with 25 miles. It had obviously been sitting on the lot for a year. My battery voltage reading on the dash was reading 13.1 and dropped steadily as I drove, down to 12.7. I took it to the dealer and they said that's normal?? Any documentation of what the Etorque battery voltage should read? Thx

It’s normal. My truck run’s 13.6 -13.9 when it’s charging. Once the system is charged . I’ll be down to 12.6v. I now have 55k miles still running strong.