I had my 96 Ram 1500 parked in the backyard for a month and hadn't driven it. I figured I'd have battery problems and sure enough it was dead. The problem is that now that the battery is recharged and starts the truck fine, another problem has come up.

The truck idles at about 800 RPM, and sometimes it drops right down to about 300 RPM and then stalls. I have to keep my foot lightly on the accelerator even when braking just to keep this from happening.

Could this problem be related to the drained battery, or just due to the truck not being driven for a while, or coincidental? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

I think i read on here some where that if your battery is not all that great the truck will run like poo

 

Yup if the battery is dead you can't just jump it like on most cars however since you say it's charged I don't see why that wouldn't work but maybe try a new battery.

 

I had charged it using a battery charger/tender after the initial jump-start. The instrument panel indicates about 14 volts power.

 

What does your hydrometer say?

 

ever thought about yer alternator. If its not puttin out the proper amps, then it wont be able to keep the battery charged for long, and the truck will try to run on the batt. which will kill it quickly.

 

How far have you driven it? If batteries go dead on newer vehicles, the PCM has to relearn all of the sensors and such. Sometimes it can take up to 40 miles for it to relearn itself. Just drive it for awhile and see if anything changes.

 

I say it's all related to the battery. I can tell you from experience... jump starting a dead battery will allow your truck to run... but as soon as you put it in gear and try to move... it will die. You need to keep the RPMs up to keep the engine from stalling. It's a PITA w/ an auto. I went like 20 feet before I gave up.

After I pulled my battery and threw it on the charger for several hours... it worked like a champ.

Good luck!
Cartman

 

Thanks for the replies. I had just gotten the battery this spring, so I figured recharging it would be enough. It doesn't have one of those green eyes to check its charge, but lifting the caps, it seemed to have enough juice inside.

I always thought the battery was just used in getting a car started, so I'm surprised to hear all the replies saying the battery could still be the culprit in all this. I guess the proof will come when I replace it again.

 

Whenever my battery dies (which has happened several times), it takes a long time to charge, and it's tough to jump start from another car. This truck takes a lot of juice to start. After I do get it running, it always runs like crap and won't idle, but it gets better eventually. Drive it for a while and it will get better if the battery is good. Pain in the butt, but probably fairly common with these trucks.