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Sat 2 weeks, Electric dead, Won't run after jump.


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Concise version:

 

Car sits outdoors for 2 weeks.  Temps outside are 32F. No electric power, no unlock, no dome lights, obviously no cranking power. 
1) Ask for jump, successfully cranked the car. All systems running normal while connected to the jumper's car's power.

2) disconnect jumpers after about 30 seconds. 
3) 15 seconds of normal operation, then overhead lights pulse on-off-on-off twice a second, radio on off, some warning lights on-off (mainly traction control, tire pressure) then engine stalls- zero electric power (dome lights dead), and tachometer is stuck at last reading 1,500 RPM (What i was Reving-to hoping to keep the power flowing, stepper motors didn't have power to return the tach to zero).

4) jump again. instantly,  on jumper's power, gauges return to zero, and the car systems are restored to normal operation while on jumper. Crank engine, starts no issue. All systems normal.
5) removed jumpers, systems function properly for 15 seconds,  then same as before, pulsing overhead lights, some lights on dash, 15 more seconds the engine stalls, tach and fuel gauge frozen (steppers without power)

my troubleshooting:
voltage at the under-hood battery mains while connected to the car: 0.3v.

I disconnect the negative terminal here, and test the the neg-to-pos voltage: 3.4v.

 

Note, battery is 3 months old.


Hypothisis:
1) Terminals corroded (I'll freeze my butt off, but i'll check this next)

2) Bad battery temp sensor. No idea how to diagnose.

3) Bad Alternator (and dead/depleted batt.)


Coming home from my wonderful tropical vacation to see my Wife in Brazil, I get home and rush to get to work the same day...  only to call in an tell them my dodge wouldn't start. I work at GM, so they gave me a hard time, but understood that as I am driving a FCA product, there is an understanding that occasionally it won't work.

Any suggestions? (other than abandoning the car and flying back to Brazil permanently?)

I'll update when It's fixed

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well report back after doing thoes 3 items.... 1,3,2 is what id check first.. but first throw a charger on the battery, over nite so it will be fully charged then if it runs drive it down and have a load check done on it to see if its good , most places ( auto part stores) will check your alt. for free if you can take the car to them. have no idea on the battery temp sensor ,,,,,,,, last week seen a girl and old man working on her Honda or whatever it was ,they were trying to jump start it, but as soon as they disconnected the cables it would die. even more interesting was when it was off you couldn't even put the gear selector in neutral from park so we jumped it again and then before we disconnected the cables i had her put in neutral it did it with  no problem so then we took the cables off and it died again but at least we were able to push the car off the road to the side and then she put it back into park and then we couldn't move the shift lever again.told her about the battery sensor cable and then had to leave so never did find out what they did to it. ..........can you shift the gear selector as of right now in your journey?

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no, there is no power to disengage the parking gear lockout- or turn the wheel- (when it's jumped, I can turn it, change gears, ect.) I have towing included with my insurance, so i'm thinking of giving it to Dodge's service dept. to figure it out at my expense....

I've read about others having this problem on the road, and when the power dies, the steering lock engages... holy crap!, I hop that doesn't happen to me even.

Edited by NavalLacrosse
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I had a dead battery this past summer. The battery was the original one at 2 years old and 28000 miles. The diagnosis turned out to be a dead cell and it was replaced under warranty by the dealer.

 

In  the process of discovery, I had to call roadside assistance two days in a row. Before the vehicle was jumped, the battery had enough in it to cause the gauges and sensors to do all kinds of strange things but not enough to start the car. This is my first modern car and it was a real learning experience. Gone are the days of just "click, click, silence".

 

Have it towed if that is what you are most comfortable with. Definitely have the alternator AND battery tested. Even though new, the battery may well have failed already. You could certainly pull the battery and take it in to the seller to have it tested. You don't say who installed the new one but, whoever did, should test it and cover it if it is at fault.

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Update 1,

 

Took the car to Goodyear, outside of work. 

 

Guys tested the alternator and say it's good (holding 14 volts) they say the battery health was poor. They suspect parasite drain. $169 parts and labor I now have a new battery. Cars running and driving like it should.... 

... 

But, 

New developments: 

All systems function, but one warning "key battery low". This is a new development. I don't think it's actually low but I'll change it anyway. I read somewhere that this was another sign of trouble... 

Additionally (and this could be me being paranoid) when I leave and lock The car, the red round light on the dash (thieft light?) blinks. I've never seen/noticed this before, or at least seen it blink so predominantly during locking. Twice a second untill the headlight time out, and the reduce to one blink per two seconds.... 

 

Does anyone know what could be causing the low key battery warning, presuming Its not really a low key battery issue and is a false reading? 

 

Does anyone else no what the normal blinking pattern is for the red light in the dash when locking and leaving the car?

 

Side note, picked up a cheap jump pack from Walmart. Never again will I use an Uber... Who am I kidding; I own an FCA. My primary mode of transit is whatever my Uber drives... 

 

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Why do you suspect the key battery isn’t low?  I changed mine about every 2 years everything working perfectly or not.  Not worth it being dead.

 

i know the flashing red light is the security system, but never stuck around to watch it. Sorry not more helpful...

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1 week, and no issues. I suspect the root cause of the issue remains- but as I've not had any issues yet, I'll continue to live in a fool's bliss.


Fob transmits at a great range still... but I'll replace the battery anyway soon. I read in some outside forum that this was an indicator of a greater problem in the computer. I've not been able to dig up that forum post since reading it the first time.
 

I read the manual, and now obvious to me in retrospect, the red light is simply the security arming. Thanks for the reassurance anyway!

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