What Voltage Should Etorque Be at?

[Ramgoose]

Thanks for the info! I think Im trying to stay ahead of it before something happens. Like today the lowest it got to was 13.4, but that’s because the cooling fans were running because the AC was running. That seems to happen a lot during ridiculous hotter times. Almost embarassed at how loud and long the cooling fans run while in traffic.

If I have to reset a few things after replacing the battery, I’m ok with that.

Tell me about it. Today was a relatively cool summer day here in Southern Nevada only 102’. We saw 118’-119’ for a week last month.

 

[MurphBigHorn]

Experienced these low voltage readings. Took the truck for my first trip. 2hrs in. Felt a jolt. And watch voltage gauge drop. Scrolled to the digital reading. It was at 12.5v. drove another 30mins. Stop for a bath room break for the kids. And shut truck off. 10mins later started her up. And off again. Went up to 13.2v. 20 mins later felt a jolt again. Back down to 12.5. There definitely seems to be issues with this system. Your average person probably wouldn’t notice. But me I feel everything. Wife even commented on it over and over. What that. Look it did it again. We can hear ( stock exhaust) and feel mds kick in. So ended up doing the lock out.


Normally I never seen voltage issue. Unless I use remote start. Where it would never leave 12.6v and normal start was always 13.8v

When my muffler comes in. I’m going to have to keep this mds off for good.

 

[Jnav]

Intermittent charging on my 1 week old hemi etorque. Here’s 12.6 volts at 75mph after an hour of highway driving. The next day it decided to charge on the first trip, sustaining 13.7 volts.

seems like neither forum members nor dealership know for-sure if this is an issue?

 

[cervelo15]

Experienced these low voltage readings. Took the truck for my first trip. 2hrs in. Felt a jolt. And watch voltage gauge drop. Scrolled to the digital reading. It was at 12.5v. drove another 30mins. Stop for a bath room break for the kids. And shut truck off. 10mins later started her up. And off again. Went up to 13.2v. 20 mins later felt a jolt again. Back down to 12.5. There definitely seems to be issues with this system. Your average person probably wouldn’t notice. But me I feel everything. Wife even commented on it over and over. What that. Look it did it again. We can hear ( stock exhaust) and feel mds kick in. So ended up doing the lock out.


Normally I never seen voltage issue. Unless I use remote start. Where it would never leave 12.6v and normal start was always 13.8v

When my muffler comes in. I’m going to have to keep this mds off for good.

Intermittent charging on my 1 week old hemi etorque. Here’s 12.6 volts at 75mph after an hour of highway driving. The next day it decided to charge on the first trip, sustaining 13.7 volts.

seems like neither forum members nor dealership know for-sure if this is an issue?

Yep, coming back from Tennessee yesterday doing 75 on I81 it did the same. This happened in the sixth hour of our homeward bound trip and actually saw the voltmeter drop from 13.4, to 12.6, then 12.7 and that’s where it stayed until we got home. Was at 13.4-13.8 the whole way, then out of nowhere dropped.

With the wife, daughter and dog and a bed full of luggage, it was a scary position to be in still 75 miles away from home. I’m slowly losing faith in this system and wish I’d have never got it. Next step is to upgrade the battery and see if that fixes it.

I wish someone could give me a focused explanation on why the battery just drops out of nowhere. I know how the etorque system works and that’s all the videos I seem to find.

 

[MurphBigHorn]

Yep, coming back from Tennessee yesterday doing 75 on I81 it did the same. This happened in the sixth hour of our homeward bound trip and actually saw the voltmeter drop from 13.4, to 12.6, then 12.7 and that’s where it stayed until we got home. Was at 13.4-13.8 the whole way, then out of nowhere dropped.

With the wife, daughter and dog and a bed full of luggage, it was a scary position to be in still 75 miles away from home. I’m slowly losing faith in this system and wish I’d have never got it. Next step is to upgrade the battery and see if that fixes it.

I wish someone could give me a focused explanation on why the battery just drops out of nowhere. I know how the etorque system works and that’s all the videos I seem to find.

How many miles / year old is the battery?

 

[Jnav]

How many miles / year old is the battery?

Not seeing a date sticker but the truck was manufactured 06/21 . 400 miles

 

[cervelo15]

How many miles / year old is the battery?

Truck manufactured 12/2020 and purchased in January of this year, and mileage is just under 9000 miles. Since Covid, I'm working from home permanently, so it doesnt get driven every day. Sometimes it gets driven a couple times a week, and those are shorter trips. I have purchased a BatteryTender and put that on intermittently when it acts weird.

It's only been on 2 longer trips this year, Florida in May and NC/TN last week.

Not sure if the short trip/lack of driving is contributing to this. Or if the BatteryTender is interfering with the eTorque battery pack.

 

[MurphBigHorn]

Truck manufactured 12/2020 and purchased in January of this year, and mileage is just under 9000 miles. Since Covid, I'm working from home permanently, so it doesnt get driven every day. Sometimes it gets driven a couple times a week, and those are shorter trips. I have purchased a BatteryTender and put that on intermittently when it acts weird.

It's only been on 2 longer trips this year, Florida in May and NC/TN last week.

Not sure if the short trip/lack of driving is contributing to this. Or if the BatteryTender is interfering with the eTorque battery pack.

Not seeing a date sticker but the truck was manufactured 06/21 . 400 miles

Sound like us 3 all have very new batteries and having same issues.

I also don’t drive mine for work.

Do any of you plan to go to dealer for this? I’m leaving for vacation. And can’t get it looked at for few weeks.

 

[cervelo15]

Sound like us 3 all have very new batteries and having same issues.

I also don’t drive mine for work.

Do any of you plan to go to dealer for this? I’m leaving for vacation. And can’t get it looked at for few weeks.

I was thinking of calling them, but I'm preparing for them to give the standard 'working as designed' or 'no issues noted'. That's why I was looking for an unbiased explanation if anyone has one. I was wondering, does the voltmeter dip to 12.7 because the 48v battery determines the 12v battery is fully charged, thus having the voltmeter flucations? And if it goes up to >13v, does that mean its actively charging the 12v battery? I'm wondering if there is something about the MDS and connecting it with these fluctations. I did see an article that says when you let off the gas and the MDS kicks in, eTorque is designed to capture some of that energy. So maybe there is something there.

I only have 1 RAM dealer nearby that I trust, the others are miles away, so if I did call, I only have one shot at it. I was mulling over upgrading the 12V battery as others have done on this post, but not sure if that would make things worse or not. Either way, even if I do get it checked, a new, better rated 12V battery is going in for peace of mind.

 

[MurphBigHorn]

I was thinking of calling them, but I'm preparing for them to give the standard 'working as designed' or 'no issues noted'. I only have 1 RAM dealer nearby that I trust, the others are miles away, so if I did call, I only have one shot at it.

I was mulling over upgrading the 12V battery as others have done on this post, but not sure if that would make things worse or not. Either way, even if I do get it checked, a new, better rated 12V battery is going in for peace of mind.

Let me know what you find out. I might just buy a battery after vacation and see too.

 

[cervelo15]

Let me know what you find out. I might just buy a battery after vacation and see too.

Will do! So here's the latest of what happened with the voltage fluctuations since I put it on the battery charger Saturday night. Started truck Sunday, climbed to 13.6, then swiftly fell to 12.7-12.8v. Did this 2 more times Sunday and when taking my daughter to practice last night, stayed at 12.7 even after the truck was warmed up.

Had an appt this morning and did the 13.7-12.7 dip., but on my way home, rose to 13.6 and stayed there.

So this did happen before when I put it on the charger, so I think it's worth me making a call just to get some idea what's going on. I need to check on my lift kit parts anyways, so I can tap them when I'm on the phone.

 

[Jnav]

Will do! So here's the latest of what happened with the voltage fluctuations since I put it on the battery charger Saturday night. Started truck Sunday, climbed to 13.6, then swiftly fell to 12.7-12.8v. Did this 2 more times Sunday and when taking my daughter to practice last night, stayed at 12.7 even after the truck was warmed up.

Had an appt this morning and did the 13.7-12.7 dip., but on my way home, rose to 13.6 and stayed there.

So this did happen before when I put it on the charger, so I think it's worth me making a call just to get some idea what's going on. I need to check on my lift kit parts anyways, so I can tap them when I'm on the phone.

Dealers service center wasn’t well versed on the Etorque system when I called yesterday. I had to spend a few minutes explaining that there’s not an alternator on the truck. I pressed more on the 12v charging system and they said I should only bring it in if it fails to start. How will I get there once that happens?? Lol. Kinda lame..

 

[tsbbartholomew1]

The 12v battery system is only used for initial starting and running accessories in the truck. All subsequent auto start/stop starts are coming off the 48v system. Also the "alternator" that everyone is referring to isn't putting out the voltage you are seeing on your dash. It is putting out 48 volts and is charging the etorque battery pack behind your rear seat through both regenerative engine braking and belt drive. The etorque system then monitors the 12 volt system and through a 48 volt to 12 volt converter only puts out enough voltage to keep everything charged and the accessories running.

 

[cervelo15]

The 12v battery system is only used for initial starting and running accessories in the truck. All subsequent auto start/stop starts are coming off the 48v system. Also the "alternator" that everyone is referring to isn't putting out the voltage you are seeing on your dash. It is putting out 48 volts and is charging the etorque battery pack behind your rear seat through both regenerative engine braking and belt drive. The etorque system then monitors the 12 volt system and through a 48 volt to 12 volt converter only puts out enough voltage to keep everything charged and the accessories running.

This is the explanation I was looking for, the link between the 48 and 12v batteries. Although, still not sure why there is a wild fluctuation in the 12v battery voltage. What I had thought about these fluctuations is that like you said, the system monitors the 12v battery and then charges it based on what accessories are running or voltage needs. So to me, that would explain why it falls from 13.x to 12.x because the battery may have sufficient charge and you're not running a lot of accessories. Having the voltmeter go up to 13.x volts means it's actively charging the battery.

My plan is to buy an upgraded battery that has been suggested here just as peace of mind. My start/stop has not failed yet, and actually, has been quite smooth and impressive.

@Jnav that's what I was expecting from the dealer, and the one around here I trust might do the same. I may just call because I have to check on parts I'm waiting for and see if they give me the same story.

 

[BlueMoose]

The 12v battery system is only used for initial starting and running accessories in the truck. All subsequent auto start/stop starts are coming off the 48v system. Also the "alternator" that everyone is referring to isn't putting out the voltage you are seeing on your dash. It is putting out 48 volts and is charging the etorque battery pack behind your rear seat through both regenerative engine braking and belt drive. The etorque system then monitors the 12 volt system and through a 48 volt to 12 volt converter only puts out enough voltage to keep everything charged and the accessories running.

If you get the "Auto Start/Stop System Unavailable" message comes up, is the truck still running off the 48V?

Also should the 48V keep the 12V at a consistent level? In recent weeks my truck will be at 14V at startup, but will end up in the low-to-mid 13s by the end of the trip (it was worse on the roadtrip). This was in conjunction with the "Start/Stop Not Available" message.

 

[tsbbartholomew1]

If you get the "Auto Start/Stop System Unavailable" message comes up, is the truck still running off the 48V?

Also should the 48V keep the 12V at a consistent level? In recent weeks my truck will be at 14V at startup, but will end up in the low-to-mid 13s by the end of the trip (it was worse on the roadtrip). This was in conjunction with the "Start/Stop Not Available" message.

If your truck has been sitting for a bit in between starts and the battery has had any parasitic discharge you will see a higher charge voltage for a bit while the system is recharging the 12v battery then it should taper off to between say 12.6 and 13.2 volts...if you have the auto-start purposely shut off or it is disabled due to an etorque system fault then the truck is starting every time off of the 12v battery from what I understand. Due to the potential of hard starts during the winter etc. due to low temps the etorque motor is disabled other than the auto-start/stop situations where the engine has been sufficiently warmed up. This does away with the possibility of premature wear/slip of the etorque system belt. The trucks have a normal starter that is used on cold starts and then once operating temperatures are reached the auto start/stop starts are then handed off and handled by the etorque motor/alternator setup.

 

[MurphBigHorn]

The 12v battery system is only used for initial starting and running accessories in the truck. All subsequent auto start/stop starts are coming off the 48v system. Also the "alternator" that everyone is referring to isn't putting out the voltage you are seeing on your dash. It is putting out 48 volts and is charging the etorque battery pack behind your rear seat through both regenerative engine braking and belt drive. The etorque system then monitors the 12 volt system and through a 48 volt to 12 volt converter only puts out enough voltage to keep everything charged and the accessories running.

I thought this was how it worked, but I assumed running voltage at 12.5v was bad, since I read 13.2 is the lowest it should go while the truck is running.

So basically your saying. After start up. We see a higher voltage because it recharging the 12v battery. Once that 12v is significantly charge. It’s dropping down to 12.5v while running. Is normal?. Is it’s possible for it to spike up later if it charging? Mine never goes back up if it has dropped. Even after 2hrs of driving. Two phones and two tablets charging the whole time. Or is it slowly charging and just keeping it at the 12.5 some time 12.6v while running for long duration.

Last night. Started up and went to 15min trip. Truck stayed at 13.8 volts. Hit the grocery store. Then on the way home. Started to rains. When head lights came on it dropped to 13.5v. Ok cool. Wipers went off. It raised back up to 13.8. Then 5miles later. It just dropped to 12.5v. So I assume 12v battery is charge enough. And if it just trickles to keep it at 12.5v.

My dealer didn’t know what to say. They just ask is it starting fine? And just said wait see if it ever has hard time starting.

 

[tsbbartholomew1]

Way I understand it is that basically everything in that etorque truck subtract the initial startup on the regular starter is basically running off the 48v to 12v converter during normal operation. An unused battery can only take so much charge while the truck is running. Mine has pretty consistently been 13.2-13.6v in short cycle driving but on longer trips I see it drop into the 12.6-12.8v range where in my opinion it is in more or less a maintenance type mode just providing enough juice to keep accessories running and battery topped off.


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[SpeedyV]

I happened to look at this today while cruising down the highway, and it held a steady 14.0V (as it almost always does). That said, it's fascinating to watch the needle drop when the truck shuts off in stop/start mode, as you basically use it to predict when the truck will restart.

 

[tsbbartholomew1]

I happened to look at this today while cruising down the highway, and it held a steady 14.0V (as it almost always does). That said, it's fascinating to watch the needle drop when the truck shuts off in stop/start mode, as you basically use it to predict when the truck will restart.

How long was your drive? Mine will stay in the mid to high 13’s during short cycle driving say of 30 minutes or less but will then begin to taper off. I have done a lot of research on the etorque system as well as having talked to senior techs who do know the proper operation. I always want to understand what I own. Always have been that way …not to say there hasn’t been issues with the 48v battery packs in these trucks but charging issues tend to come from the 48v system. Also have been bad 12v batteries too. Things fail…bottom line. I’m just sharing what I have come to learn with the group as I have found it to be helpful.


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