Getting the cold snap again in Minneapolis area. Starting up for work today, I started and let it warm up for about 3-5 mins. Go to put it in gear and it stalls. Start again and nothing. All classic symptoms of dead battery. I check light switches and dont find anything abnormal but dead as a doornail. Call work and get my supervisor to borrow jumper cable from a maintenance controller and come over to jump me. He shows up about 15-20 minutes later jump start no issues. Let it warm up for about 5 minutes then off to work.

Parameters: 1. Battery R/R OCT09 with 800 CCA Duralast Gold.
2. Once it did start, voltage was about 14-15 volts so Alternator is charging.
3. Courtesy lamp from door worked fine.

My question is 1. How could battery have enough juice to start but not stay started once Alternator took over load?

Do you think this was just a fluke? Again I couldnt find switches in abnormal position or could something be going? I have no reason to suspect battery or alternator since 1. Battery is still new and Alternator was charging the battery when driving.

Any ideas??

 

check all of your battery and alternator connections. pay special attention to the grounds. otherwise it's kind of a stumper.

 

Cold weather is really bad on batterys. Try wrapping cardboard around the battery and try to keep it warm. And don't forget the two ground wire at the engine block.

 

I found corrosion inside the negative/ground/black cable, under the sheath for the entire length of the cable. It may be time to replace the cable.

Good luck

 

Very wise find. +1


I too have found corrosion under the wire sheathing right after the terminal. Double check the connections off the battery and also don't forget to clean the block were the grounding lug attaches. To answer your question, if a bad connection is somewhere the diode bridge cannot be powered as the power it's self comes through those very connections. Although, take your truck over to AZ and have them load test the battery and check your alternator. They can do this for free out at your truck without pulling any parts.

 

More info:

Alternators
Alternators and Alternating Current.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen-durango/159153-battery-or-alternator-questions.html

 

Yep. All the time. Low idle stumble after startup is nearly always a bad battery. It is just the way the voltage send the signals to the PCM. New batt and all should be good. Make sure you have no slow drains of juice, especially in super cold weather.

IndyD

 

Follow up. Started yesterday after work no issues. I will take it to A/Z for load test of battery and alternator. Since the Battery was r/r in October it better not be that. I concurr with thermal blanket idea and possibly r/r neg cable though. I did notice some build up of corrrosion starting, I applied corrosion coating before I left VA in October, I thought it would last through the winter but apparently not. Sounds like I will have to re- apply soon. To be honest I didnt do a lot of troubleshooting last night, I just got it jumped and went to work, that combined with it being 6 degrees F might have been a factor. I just wanted it to get going, it sounds like a fluke and hopefully that but I will take it to A/Z after work today to check out the terminals and cables.

 

If the battery is new, it may simply be a poor connection with the terminals. If there is corrosion on there when you look at it, that was likely all it was. Having it tested under load is still a good idea.

IndyD

 

Thats what I am figuring. I am off for a few days so when I come back hopefully it will be a warm spell (By MSP standards) and I can reapply the protective compound. Got tied up in other errands after work yesterday so no go on the load test. It started up after that little fluke like a champ so I got that going for me.