Charging Issues 2006 3500 WoW who would have thunk it possible being this simple

[TurbineDoc]

I'll start this by saying Thank You forum members I think I have found the smoking gun to my charging issues.

I've been turning wrenches for decades mostly GM a 1st for me on this new to me truck charging issue since purchasing this 5.9L truck in 2019, I am a veteran of many GM 6.5 sites since 2000 & I used to be one of the "go to guys" for 6.2/6.5 forums and VW TDI 1.9 2003 vintage diesels.

About 3 mos ago I woke up to a dead truck that had dead battery, over 3 years old so I put in new batteries all is well for last 3 mos but truck stayed parked for most of that time, 1 haul 2 weeks ago 350 miles round trip pulling 31' travel trailer. Loaded up this weekend with (25) 40# bags of lime headed for my camp to raise soil PH. Check gauges alarm lit up P2503 Charging system voltage low, late afternoon hoping to get early start next morning , bad alternator right ??? wrong, new alternator same problem its late I'll get up early next morning do some troubleshooting, putting batts on trickle charge all night. Checked both batts independent of each other 13.1 volts, also load cell checked all good.

Start truck still showing low volts on dash 11.9V and same on ECM Edge monitor voltage showing 11.9V odd, especially since I'm seeing 17V on each battery with truck running, smelling rotten eggs and boil over on passenger side and a little liquid on driver side batt.

Hmnn swap everything loaded in my 5.9 dually to my 98 "old Faithful" GM 6.5L turbo diesel head up to camp & back no problems. Get on this forum my (OEM) Dodge tech manual is about worthless here, but Thankfully I joined this forum.

With search tool typing in charging problems came across this thread https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/voltage-and-charging-problem.268141/

And this one https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/strange-alternator.267299/

And found out most probably my issue was the crossover cable....REALLY ????...No WAY..so I took my battery jumper cable set and connected positive from 1 to the other battery viola battery voltage on dash back up to 14V. Gotta be a Fluke no way as simple as bad cross connect cable, disconnected the jumper back to the low voltage condition so Wow Thanks a gazillion TDR members that pointed me in the right direction in the 2 above linked posts.

I just did front axle universals,and wheel bearings, now an alternator that was probably just the X over cable...what else am I looking at in my future at 200K miles on this 2006? I have a blend actuator door not shifting air from cab to defrost am I reading correctly I have to take apart dash to access it and replace plastic with plastic gears/arms where not a matter of if but when it will be bad again ?

Tim

 

[KParsons]

I'll start this by saying Thank You forum members I think I have found the smoking gun to my charging issues.

I've been turning wrenches for decades mostly GM a 1st for me on this new to me truck charging issue since purchasing this 5.9L truck in 2019, I am a veteran of many GM 6.5 sites since 2000 & I used to be one of the "go to guys" for 6.2/6.5 forums and VW TDI 1.9 2003 vintage diesels.

About 3 mos ago I woke up to a dead truck that had dead battery, over 3 years old so I put in new batteries all is well for last 3 mos but truck stayed parked for most of that time, 1 haul 2 weeks ago 350 miles round trip pulling 31' travel trailer. Loaded up this weekend with (25) 40# bags of lime headed for my camp to raise soil PH. Check gauges alarm lit up P2503 Charging system voltage low, late afternoon hoping to get early start next morning , bad alternator right ??? wrong, new alternator same problem its late I'll get up early next morning do some troubleshooting, putting batts on trickle charge all night. Checked both batts independent of each other 13.1 volts, also load cell checked all good.

Start truck still showing low volts on dash 11.9V and same on ECM Edge monitor voltage showing 11.9V odd, especially since I'm seeing 17V on each battery with truck running, smelling rotten eggs and boil over on passenger side and a little liquid on driver side batt.

Hmnn swap everything loaded in my 5.9 dually to my 98 "old Faithful" GM 6.5L turbo diesel head up to camp & back no problems. Get on this forum my (OEM) Dodge tech manual is about worthless here, but Thankfully I joined this forum.

With search tool typing in charging problems came across this thread https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/voltage-and-charging-problem.268141/

And this one https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/strange-alternator.267299/

And found out most probably my issue was the crossover cable....REALLY ????...No WAY..so I took my battery jumper cable set and connected positive from 1 to the other battery viola battery voltage on dash back up to 14V. Gotta be a Fluke no way as simple as bad cross connect cable, disconnected the jumper back to the low voltage condition so Wow Thanks a gazillion TDR members that pointed me in the right direction in the 2 above linked posts.

I just did front axle universals,and wheel bearings, now an alternator that was probably just the X over cable...what else am I looking at in my future at 200K miles on this 2006? I have a blend actuator door not shifting air from cab to defrost am I reading correctly I have to take apart dash to access it and replace plastic with plastic gears/arms where not a matter of if but when it will be bad again ?

Tim

 

[HPSimpson]

That cross cable has been trouble for many folks you have to open either end and look at the condition of the cable itself, on my '96 replaced the cables bought from Geno's garage problem solve.

 

[cerberusiam]

Cross over cable, passenger side ground cable, driver side hot cable, replace them all as those will be the trouble spots. While your at it marine lugs on the battery and solder ends to all the cables that need them. Gives you a chance to open up the covering and see what is going on inside the cable.

HVAC door problems are just as usual as battery cables. Get the Blend Door USA kit and do it right. Yes, you have to remove the HVAC box and disassemble most of it to replace the doors.

 

[TurbineDoc]

Cross over cable, passenger side ground cable, driver side hot cable, replace them all as those will be the trouble spots. While your at it marine lugs on the battery and solder ends to all the cables that need them. Gives you a chance to open up the covering and see what is going on inside the cable.

HVAC door problems are just as usual as battery cables. Get the Blend Door USA kit and do it right. Yes, you have to remove the HVAC box and disassemble most of it to replace the doors.

Thank you kindly sir, yes I ordered full set of cables from Rock Auto, I figured as much on blend door as well I just decided to ask before diving in to it and finding out there was a simpler fix or swapping in OEM parts that will just be a matter of when they will fail again not if

 

[Ozymandias]

Check youtube for how to take out the dash and the hvac box, it isn't as difficult as in older vehicles.
The whole thing comes out in one piece, more or less.

 

[Tuesdak]

Welcome to the darkside brother! Was wondering if that was you from over in 6.5 land.

 

[TurbineDoc]

Welcome to the darkside brother! Was wondering if that was you from over in 6.5 land.

That would be me after owning this Dodge for just over a year I'm really wondering if having a Cummins in the Dodge wrapper is all it is cracked up to be, certainly not as repair/reliability friendly as my GMs have been, both my (98) 6.5s still on the road, as well as my 90 C1500 4.3L gasser truck

 

[MichaelOverfield]

That would be me after owning this Dodge for just over a year I'm really wondering if having a Cummins in the Dodge wrapper is all it is cracked up to be, certainly not as repair/reliability friendly as my GMs have been, both my (98) 6.5s still on the road, as well as my 90 C1500 4.3L gasser truck

The Dodge wrapper is the issue, the Cummins Engine is solid. That crossover cable, and the rest of the electrical is all Dodge. Consider yourself lucky to get a 2006, before the emmissions went on that created all kinds of new issues. That and with with FCA using the Mercedes BlueTec system in the Gen 3s, making a real riddle to figure it all out, and leading most to go the way of the delete.

 

[RollOver_Pete]

The TIPM is certainly one of DC's better ideas.
The fun is only beginning.
Enjoy your ride.

 

[TurbineDoc]

The TIPM is certainly one of DC's better ideas.
The fun is only beginning.
Enjoy your ride.

TIPM is that a matter of when & not if on the 2006 3500 I did not see it in the recall info I just looked at

 

[RollOver_Pete]

TIPM is that a matter of when & not if on the 2006 3500 I did not see it in the recall info I just looked at

It's on my 2006. I'm not sure when DC first infected our trucks with this virus? I don't believe there are any recalls for the TIPM. If I'm wrong, somebody please chime in. I know there have been issues with hooking to a trailer with wiring issues. Instead of blowing replaceable fuses, it fries your TIPM after a few times. Personally, I've had a/c issues and headlight issues. Both times I've simply bypassed the computer and TIPM all together. The TIPM was a stupid idea in the first place. I have refused to allow any dealer to plug into my truck and I'll be damned if spend a single penny on something that was designed to fail in the first place. Who ever came up with the idea of replacing fuses with a computer board should be taken out back and shot!

 

[TurbineDoc]

Replaced 3 of 4 cables, X-over on Positive to positive and both battery ground cables, I looked but didn't find a "common parts list" I had one of those on a 6.5 forum I ran back in the day, if someone knows of such a list here please point me to it.

I'm looking for the part # of the 4th cable I think I should also refresh since I have the 3 other new ones, I'm looking for the driver side positive cable.

 

[User113]

My parts document (2004) says "WIRING, Battery Positive, Serviced in engine harness, (NOT SERVICED)," whatever that means. I searched, but that is the only occurrence of "engine harness" in the entire document. I would do like Cerb suggests, get a Marine terminal or a Mil Spec lug for that post and crimp and solder appropriate rings to the existing cables.

 

[Ozymandias]

56020664AB

 

[User113]

I believe he's looking for the cable that goes from the positive left side battery post to the starter motor and to whatever the electrical distribution box is called on a 2006. The part number used to be 04801279AC for both 2006 and 2007, but it's discontinued. It might be available from some third party vendor, I don't know.

If the cable is not available and one doesn't want to "fix" the existing cable as cerberusiam suggests, custombatterycables.com has a couple of nice looking choices, just remember to also pick up the appropriate ancillary cables according to your truck's specifics.

 

[Ozymandias]

Sorry for that, I picked the wrong number.
But with your number I was able to find at least one that has it available.

https://www.moparautopartsdirect.com/oem-parts/mopar-battery-positive-wiring-left-4801279ac