Question about my dead battery

I really doubt it... I leave my cell phone plugged in to my accessory outlet (always powered) all the time, and never have a problem. The draw from a charger is VERY low. It soulds like your battery died from 'old age' - but your cell phone didn't have anything to do with it. Of course, if the charger malfunctioned, it could draw enough out of your battery to run it down, but then your cell phone would be a puddle of goo on the seat, as well.

Yep - it's dead. Usually, if a battery drops below 10V at no load, it's gone.

Absolutely.

Nope... if that were the case, it wouldn't run at all - regardless of how much throttle you give it.

I have a Ram 1999 4x4 1500 quad cab.

Two days ago the battery went dead because we left the cell phone plugged in to the power outlet (I'm assuming that's how it died).

I went out last night and charged it up enough for it to start. But as soon as I would take my foot off the gas, the truck would instantly die.

It would start back up just fine but would not stay running unless I had my foot on the gas.

A friend of mine came over and tested the battery and found that it was only up to 7 volts. I had charged it for about an hour and 30 minutes.

Is the battery dead dead? As in, something happened to it where it can't be charged back up to 12 volts?

And if it is dead, would that be the reason the truck dies when I take my foot off the gas?

The friend also said something about a fuel pressure fuse that may have been blown and that's why it dies, but I couldn't find anything like that.

I'm asking because I was gonna go buy a new battery today.

Thansk for any help. Steve

Steve, It is a 99% chance your battery is bad. If you have a good battery, 5 years is the expected life and less if you started with a discount special. On the idle thing, the computer lost its spark and fuel map position when the battery failed, so it is now running on the default settings. The computer will have to relearn the correct spark and mixture settings. This is best done by a long trip of about 3 hours in a city setting. Otherwise it can take a week or more of short trips. Steve

I think I found the answer: From the dodge archives..

approximately 10 volts or lower. This means that the computer has lost track of the position that the idle air control motor is in.  It no longer knows if the motor is open - closed - or anywhere in between.  This is why the vehicle dies as soon as the throttle is let off.  It no longer has the ability to control the idle.  It would eventually relearn the value if the vehicle was operated through a variety of acceleration and deceleration scenarios, however it is easier to replace the faulty battery and reset all sensor minimum values with the DRBII.     Someone might comment on the fact that they can reconnect their battery after it has been disconnected and that it will start and idle fine.  Why is that so if the memory has been lost?  My only answer is from experience only, not technical knowledge.  Low voltage is by far worse for a computer than no voltage.  It is my belief that the low voltage will cause the processors to develop false values which will result in a variety of problems when trying to start the vehicle.      Remember that the crankshaft and camshaft hall-effect sensors have a power up wire of 9 volts.  Even if the engine cranks and the fuel pump could develop enough fuel pressure under 9 volts, the vehicle will never start.

No puddle of goo on the seat, thankfully.

Thanks for the info.

I've had batteries where I would start the vehicle, drive to the store, park, go in, come back out, and be greeted with a completely dead battery. It happens. It could very well have 'died' during your drive home... plates loosening up and shorting out... the truck would still run from the output of the alternator.

My experience with Mopar batteries is: if it is anywhere near 18-24 months old, get ready to replace it. Any time over 18-24 months is a "gift". And yes, they just die out of the blue. My last Mopar battery died exactly 5 minutes after I got home from work. I went out, literally 5 mintues after I arrived home, to go to the grocery store and it wouldn't start.

Oh, and the green "eye" on top of the battery that supposedly tells you that it's in good shape doesn't mean a damn thing ...

;) Craig C.

Thanks.

So my next question would be, is it normal for a battery that has been

100% reliable for 18 months (length of time I've owned the truck) to just completely die out of the blue?

If it didn't die from the cell phone being plugged in, what was it?

Just old age?

Thanks again everyone

Steve

Just being curious .. have you put a meter on the battery posts while the engine runs to assure that your alternator is putting out about 15 volts? Clean the battery posts/terminals to assure that corrosion isn't preventing your battery from taking a charge?

That green eye goes by the specific gravity of the electrolyte and does not react to defective plates or buss bars which seems to be the problem with these batteries.

I'm happy with my Mopar batteries. The factory installed batteries in my '99

2500 are 6 full years/64,000 miles old. I know they will need replacement soon but I'm holding out just to see how long they last. Maybe they send all of the good batteries down to Mexico for the diesels.

The "eye" just means the SG of THAT cell is in the useable range, and the liquid level is not below the recommended minimum.

Let's see - '99 truck and this is 2005 = 6 years old minus a 60 month battery = 12 x 5 years = dead battery. You got a bargin! Replace the battery every five years and you probably won't get stranded by it. And no the cell phone won't drain it.

beekeep

It's just like anything else I suppose, some good units, some bad. I replaced the battery twice in my 2002 Ram 1500 before it hit 50k. A good friend of mine has a 2002 Dakota and has replaced the battery 3 times. He just turned 32k. His wife has a 2002 Durango with 60k and they have had the battery replaced once. Oh, and the green "eye" was still green in every instance. ;)

Perhaps it's the Texas heat that kills them.

BTW, I haven't had to replace the battery in my 2004 Ram CTD yet. 17k and counting ...

Craig C.

Yep - it's a hit or miss thing. One of my stock batteries in my '03 exploded with about 16K on the clock... what a mess. The truck now has dual Optima red-tops, so I don't expect a repeat performance.

I hope not. I live in Fort Worth.

IMHO extreme heat is harder on batterys than extreme cold.

Be careful ............. seems when they get ready to die there is little or no warning. Could happen at the most inconvenient time, like

100 miles from no where.

Jerry

Good point.