Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
MarkEagleUSA
TDR MEMBER
2 weekends ago I decided it was time to put the snow plow away. Hooked it up and dropped it out behind the garage for the summer. A couple of days later my '03 was sluggish starting in the morning. Didn't really think much of it at the time and went off to work. Leaving to go home she was sluggish again. By sluggish, I mean it wasn't turning over as fast as it normally does, really straining to spin.
Got her home and checked charging voltage which was at 14.5. Went to disconnect the batteries and noticed the DS negative terminal was cracked where the bolt went through. Using a little Yankee ingenuity I grabbed a small C-clamp and tightened it up to snug the terminal and proceeded to go to Geno's and order a new set of battery cables.
Next morning, same sluggish start. The entire trip to work (about 10 miles/20 minutes) the voltage gauge was just above 14 indicating it was charging. Time to head home and guess what? Yup, another sluggish start. Got home and disconnected the batteries to check them. One was 12.5 and the other 12.1, so I pulled them and went to Advance Auto to get them tested. Both failed their test... twice, so I plunked down $300 on 2 new batteries and went home to install them. At that time I noticed the PS negative terminal was also cracked so I dug out another C-clamp. After a couple of days the volt meter continued to read just above 14 at all times.
Fast forward to tonight... came home and pulled the alternator. Took it to Advanced to be tested and it failed. They didn't have one in stock but told me 3 other stores in the area did. Off I went thinking I had found my problem. The second store tested the alt and it checked fine.
Now what? Instead of plunking down the coin for a reman alternator I decided to come home and change out the battery cables before going any further. Won't get to that until tomorrow or Friday after work so in the mean time I want to make sure I'm not missing anything. The cables in the truck appear to be original (still have the Mopar stickers on a couple of them). My thinking is that they may be corroded internally causing resistance while charging.
If the new cables don't help, what should my next step be? What else could cause a sluggish start? It's really laboring to turn over before firing. Could the starter need attention?
Any help appreciated...
Got her home and checked charging voltage which was at 14.5. Went to disconnect the batteries and noticed the DS negative terminal was cracked where the bolt went through. Using a little Yankee ingenuity I grabbed a small C-clamp and tightened it up to snug the terminal and proceeded to go to Geno's and order a new set of battery cables.
Next morning, same sluggish start. The entire trip to work (about 10 miles/20 minutes) the voltage gauge was just above 14 indicating it was charging. Time to head home and guess what? Yup, another sluggish start. Got home and disconnected the batteries to check them. One was 12.5 and the other 12.1, so I pulled them and went to Advance Auto to get them tested. Both failed their test... twice, so I plunked down $300 on 2 new batteries and went home to install them. At that time I noticed the PS negative terminal was also cracked so I dug out another C-clamp. After a couple of days the volt meter continued to read just above 14 at all times.
Fast forward to tonight... came home and pulled the alternator. Took it to Advanced to be tested and it failed. They didn't have one in stock but told me 3 other stores in the area did. Off I went thinking I had found my problem. The second store tested the alt and it checked fine.
Now what? Instead of plunking down the coin for a reman alternator I decided to come home and change out the battery cables before going any further. Won't get to that until tomorrow or Friday after work so in the mean time I want to make sure I'm not missing anything. The cables in the truck appear to be original (still have the Mopar stickers on a couple of them). My thinking is that they may be corroded internally causing resistance while charging.
If the new cables don't help, what should my next step be? What else could cause a sluggish start? It's really laboring to turn over before firing. Could the starter need attention?
Any help appreciated...
