Low Battery Voltage Warning

[Rob5]

I just returned from a trip where I towed a travel trailer with my 2016 Ram 2500. At the end of the trip I began to get intermittent low battery voltage warnings accompanied by a red battery icon. The warnings would come and go.

I tested the batteries with the motor running and measured a voltage of a little more than 14V and the batteries tested at 12.6V with the motor off for several hours. I have traveled about 400 miles with this condition with no problems. The warning has shown up with the trailer disconnected.

I have searched this site and others and found other people with this problem but none later than 2013 and no solutions, even from trucks taken to dealers. I will take the truck to the dealer but want to be better informed about this problem.

Any ideas what the problem is?

 

[DonFitzwater]

"Any ideas what the problem is?"

Short answer, No. No idea.

Long answer, dealers often times have no clue and Star doesn't seem to be of much help. My 2010 went through PCM, alternator and wiring changes. In the end, they felt it necessary to blame my auxiliary driving light even though the problem showed up prior to installation and continued after the light was removed. In my opinion you will be wasting your time until a complete failure happens UNLESS you have a dealer with a good tech that can figure it out........my dealer doesn't have one of those.

 

[Newsa]

"Any ideas what the problem is?"

Short answer, No. No idea.

Long answer, dealers often times have no clue and Star doesn't seem to be of much help. My 2010 went through PCM, alternator and wiring changes. In the end, they felt it necessary to blame my auxiliary driving light even though the problem showed up prior to installation and continued after the light was removed. In my opinion you will be wasting your time until a complete failure happens UNLESS you have a dealer with a good tech that can figure it out........my dealer doesn't have one of those.

Fitz, are you saying you have the same message?

 

[gsbrockman]

I tested the batteries with the motor running and measured a voltage of a little more than 14V and the batteries tested at 12.6V with the motor off for several hours. I have traveled about 400 miles with this condition with no problems. The warning has shown up with the trailer disconnected.

Did you test the batteries individually???

 

[Newsa]

I was told by a tow truck driver with a Ram 5500 never to jump someone's vehicle with my batteries in the truck comnected. It screws up the electronics

 

[jhenderson]

That's why I bought and carry a jump box.

 

[Newsa]

Is 500 amps enough?

 

[Rob5]

Now I have driven the truck for two days with no warnings except for the first time or two after unhooking the trailer. Do stored codes show up in the message center?

Maybe there is some interaction with the electronics in the truck and the trailer. I towed the trailer for thousands of miles with my Suburban with no battery problems.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[jhenderson]

Is 500 amps enough?

I bought a Jump n Carry JNC 660. I'm sure the published specs are bs but it's the one most shops keepin their service trucks. I've used it on my buddys backhoe and it worked fine.

 

[14ram]

I just returned from a trip where I towed a travel trailer with my 2016 Ram 2500. At the end of the trip I began to get intermittent low battery voltage warnings accompanied by a red battery icon. The warnings would come and go.

I tested the batteries with the motor running and measured a voltage of a little more than 14V and the batteries tested at 12.6V with the motor off for several hours. I have traveled about 400 miles with this condition with no problems. The warning has shown up with the trailer disconnected.

I have searched this site and others and found other people with this problem but none later than 2013 and no solutions, even from trucks taken to dealers. I will take the truck to the dealer but want to be better informed about this problem.

Any ideas what the problem is?

A few weeks back while pulling our 5th wheel I had a "battery saver mode" popup I know your message is different but thought it may help somehow.

It caused all kinds of issues no eb no trailer brakes (scary) getting pushed by 12000 lbs.
The end result was a dead trailer battery less than a year old and correctly maintained.

 

[TCDiesel]

Yep.. and when things electronicly fail on 4GEN don't let anyone investigate why other than a qualified expert. I rarely will work on electronic but I had 1 customer beg me By means $$$ to fix his intermediate CEL and massages, the problem turn out to be the Cable / bridge to operate his XXX devices connected to the ADL port. What was interesting it also effected the 8.4 and at times the wipers would come on by themselves and the horn would honk and when you hit the door looks the turn signals would work. NO BULL....all this happen intermediately.

 

[DonFitzwater]

Fitz, are you saying you have the same message?

I did with my 2010........new truck is ok.

 

[JGraham]

I have been having the same issues on my 2016 Ram 3500. It has happened 4 times since I bought it 5 months ago. I have a little of 4K miles on it so far. This afternoon it happened again and stayed on. Took it immediately to my local dealer. I'll let you know what the outcome is.

 

[Rob5]

I took my truck to the dealer and they found a loose connection at the battery on the fuse there. Tightened it and the warning went away. I had checked the connection to the battery but had not looked at the fuse holder connections

 

[Flash1034]

I'm confused. Were your battery connections loose or the connections to one of the power distribution centers (fuse box or what you are calling a "fuse holder")?

 

[Newsa]

Weird. I didn’t get the low battery voltage message even though my batteties tested low voltage on my charger. I probably should have tested them Individually.

But I really just wanted to replace them (at the same time) so I don't get stranded.

 

[Rob5]

After a year my memory is a little fuzzy but here goes.

The truck went to the dealer three times for this problem. The first time they tightened the connections at the battery terminals. There is a large fuse there (maybe 400 amps) in a holder. I don't know what it does and neither did the service writer. Since the problem was intermittent the truck passed the short drive by the mechanic. The message came back on the way home.

The second visit was much the same. Some tightening and then the declaration that all was good and the problem came back.

By the third visit they were taking this more seriously. I had found a published flow chart to attack this problem and gave it to the service writer. He opened a star case, whatever that is. The mechanic followed the flow chart and found a poorly fastened connection. I think it was under the alternator. He soldered it and I have had no problems since.

The fuses at the batteries are odd. I don't know why such a large fuse is necessary. It appears that the way they are connected allows for current to bypass the fuse. As I said the service writer didn't understand them any better than I did. Since I was taking it to the dealer to be fixed I did not investigate any further.

 

[Flash1034]

Thanks Rob. I got the message once in 9500 miles and it hasn't come back.