Stock 08 2500 Dual Battery Failure!!

[archer2500]

I was driving from 29 Palms, CA to IL along I-70. I stopped just inside Kansas for the night. I checked into my hotel, and then drove down the road for some quick McDonalds. I shut the truck off to order, and when I went to restart..... I got a partial turn out of the engine, not even 1 complete revolution. No start! I had 12v showing on the gage, and no other indications something was wrong.

I didnt have a multimeter with me, but I was racking my brain as to the potential problem.

No vapor lock, no blown fuses, out of ideas. I went on TDR and found info on a TSB regarding to a potential static spark issue in dry/cold climates and it sounded possible.

I called Chryslers roadside service, but it was past 9pm local and nobody was open to look at the truck. I arranged to be towed to a local dealer the next morning.

After a few hours wait at the local Dodge dealer the technician came out to deliver the news..... DUAL BATTERY FAILURE!!



WTF??



The truck is a stock 2008 2500, with 31,000 miles on it at the time!! The tech said that he has seen it a few times now. Chrysler is using cheap, crap batteries now it seems. One of my batteries was producing 250Amps, the other 370Amps.

Not sure if anyone else has seen this or not, but I was rather upset! I have the cold weather kit (dual battery blankets, cold weather front in addition to the stock block heater) and she is plugged in every night the temp falls below 50deg as the manual suggests so its not like the batteries have ever had to handle repeated cold starts or any other unusual loads.

 

[meanmatt]

I have had this happen to a truck before with way less milage , battery was replaced under warranty . Dealer said the same thing. Consider the factory probably buys batteries by the train load . Then they sit till the truck gets build so my theory is your batteries sat stacked on a pallet at the back of a non climate controlled wherehouse through a cold snap before being put on the assembly line . The life of the batteries was shortened before your truck was even built. Good thing for warranty

 

[Prairie Dog]

I replaced my batts last month, got them at NAPA. I put them on the charger overnight before the day I was going to install them and found one them had a shorted cell!

Told NAPA I wanted 2 new batts (the first 2 were built 9 mos ago). After a brief battle with the owners wife, they finally got their battery rep to credit for both and I got two very fresh units. She was such a biatch that I don't know if I'll go back in there again. .

 

[rscurtis]

Consider yourself lucky. He has to deal with her every day.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Good point.

Poor slob.

 

[p-Bar]

maybe the smart thing to do is to "match" the batteries by load testing them before install

 

[archer2500]

what exactly is involved in 'matching' batteries? And my truck actually sat on a lot in New Mexico for a few months before the dealership I bought it at, in Wisconsin, took posession of her. Either way, I think you are probably close to one of the causes MeanMatt. Cheap crap batteries straight out of the factory just starts us out at a disadvantage too. I want to get some gel-cell's but not until the warranty is up. I paid for the warranty so Chrysler ought to pay for their cheapness rather than get away with it by me purchasing an after market battery on my own.

 

[p-Bar]

what exactly is involved in 'matching' batteries? .

Well I would think they have the same dynamic cranking amps (real world) and that charge rate would be the same . It's really what cooks batteries is that one battery is bad then it overcharges the good battery them you have two bad batteries.