Batteries discharging

[JSchooley]

When my '10 2500 Laramie was less than 1 year old the batteries ran down, completely dead, in about two weeks when the truck was not used regularly. I took it to Dodge and they could not find anything at fault. Although they suggested the obvious, a light was on or other drain was present, I was sure all lights were off and doors closed. No glove compartments open, etc. The problem did not recur until today.



I last drove the truck on Sunday, several times and enough time to charge the batteries. This afternoon (Wednesday) about 4:30 I went to start the truck and the batteries were almost dead again. I verified lights were off and all compartment and exterior doors were properly closed. Both batteries seem to be taking a charge OK and I have them on overnight charge at 25 Amps for both in parallel.



I would appreciate hearing of this happening to anyone else, and any thoughts what might be causing it or what action I can take to prevent it in the future.



John

 

[BILLUA]

Good luck! I had that problem in my 2005 after a couple of years. I was told the instrument cluster had a short and Chrysler paid for parts and I paid for labor. That ended up not being the problem. If I didn't drive the truck less than every two weeks, the batteries would be discharged.

I tried all the tips, pulling fuses, tracking current draws etc.

I NEVER found the problem. The fix was when I traded it in on my 12.

 

[SMcGrady]

This may seem pretty obvious, but a phone charger plugged into the Accessory Pwr. (The one that is powered all the time) will drain your batteries pretty quick. They draw quite a bit of pwr, even when not charging your phone. This I learned from my own experience.
Just a thought...

 

[sag2]

Same with leaving the key in the ignition.

 

[Alan Reagan]

Vanity mirror light, glove box, and under hood light are usually the culprits. Two weeks is enough for a small light to do the deed. Keep in mind, there is always a trickle to the ECM. With that said, hook up an ammeter to the batteries and since the fuses are right there, start pulling the obvious ones, one at a time till you see a significant drop it won't go to zero, but the drop will be noticeable. Once you find the fuse that does the trick, then you have to find what's in that circuit that's killing your batteries.

 

[Gonzo 1066]

My 04 will drain batteries in about 2 weeks if I leave the key in the ignition. Take the key out and no problem

 

[Alan Reagan]

My 04 will drain batteries in about 2 weeks if I leave the key in the ignition. Take the key out and no problem

I looked at the signature instead of the first line of his email. I was thinking 01. Gonzo is right. Make sure the key is not in the ignition. My wife's Jeep will do it if the FOB is in the car. She has the keyless system and the the vehicle starts reading the FOB as soon as the door is open.