Newb here without the tiniest inkling of dodge engines, wouldnt call myself a mechanic on any engine either, but I could fix my chevys if somebody else did the troubleshooting. That being said, this is a very very basic question to probably everybody here. Recently, I went out to my truck to get something out of it... went to lock the doors after.... battery is dead. Fine. Been having problems with my radio for about a year now, seems to work again when I disconnect the battery, clean the terminals, and reconnect it. It only works again until the next rain (leakage under my hood seems to me?) so I stopped bothering. Lost my engine a week and a half ago due to the screen in the oil pump getting clogged ( guage never showed pressure since I bought it, salesperson who was a "friend" said it was the guage that was broken, if he wasn't dead now I'd have killed him myself by now), had it replaced at a really low price with a used engine with no warranty since I seem to have a black cloud over my head and I've been losing money everywhere possible in life and I'm close to bankruptcy at this point. So, when I get the truck back, I enjoy my radio for the couple of days until the next rain, then this time it does something different... it doesnt work, but the display doesnt shut off even when I turn off the engine and walk away. Now, I assume the battery died because the display on the radio was running for a whole weekend without me starting the engine up. Frustrated and lazy from depression at this point in my life, I decide to wait until last minute before I go to work to jump it from my wifes truck. Go to jump it, it wont turn over. The battery is charged from the jump because my lights are on, but its not getting enough juice to turn it over. So, I disconnect the battery and procede with my ritual of cleaning the terminals that rust in a week from the water that is apparently getting to the top side of my engine and reconnect the battery, and jump it again. Vroom. Nice right? Got it to start. However, now I notice the push button lights in the cab that I know I've never used are on. Look in my back seat, tools missing, about $1200 more down the drain. Someone spent a lot of time in my driveway next to my bed squeezing their way through the back windows. And the beat goes on. Anyway, whatever, who needs to pay their mortgage anyway. I'll replace the tools on my way in to work so I can finish the job I'm losing money on. Oops, guess not. Driving down the street and the voltage guage is going down. Alternator is finished. Another day not working and spending money and losing money. Fine. So, now that I'm done venting about my miserable life, my question is this; my know-it-all father seems to think that another part of my problem is a solenoid switch that seems to have been installed in a mickey mouse fashion by the guy I paid $800 labor to install a plow that constantly broke and cost me money during my winter months, so what exactly does a solenoid switch do? Is there any validity to this possibility, or is he full of you know what again? BTW, I hear many great things about Dodges so its not the truck, it's me. I apparently pissed of a voodoo witch at some point in my life. Wish I knew who it was so I could take it back!

 

A solenoid switch is a fancy name for a relay. What year is your truck?

 

its a 96 ram 1500

 

it could be the relay/solenoid is draining the battery, i'd unplug it if you can and see if that makes a difference. really though i think it was your alternator wasn't charging your battery so it didn't have the crank strength.

the terminals rusting... that's a new one on me. could try wrapping the individual terminals in plastic wrap to cover them........ do each seperatly so you don't even have the chance of the plastic conducting. then see what happens after it rains.

 

it could be the relay/solenoid is draining the battery, i'd unplug it if you can and see if that makes a difference. really though i think it was your alternator wasn't charging your battery so it didn't have the crank strength.

the terminals rusting... that's a new one on me. could try wrapping the individual terminals in plastic wrap to cover them........ do each seperatly so you don't even have the chance of the plastic conducting. then see what happens after it rains.

 

sounds like my dad may be right as happens sometimes in a blue moon. Let me elaborate now that I've fiddled with it again. I drove it into my driveway. the battery was almost fully charged. I shut it off for about two hours and it was nearly drained when I tried to restart it. The other problem I may have now is that good old dad who probably worked on cars when they still had points etc. unhooked the battery while the engine was still running to test it, and sure enough after about 5 seconds it went kaput. I usually go to Pep Boys to have the battery and alternator tested, or I just replace the whole starting system and be done with it. Now I check on a site entitled "alternators 101" and it says that this is an outdated method that could actually damage the vehicle nowadays. So, as I dont have the funds to replace the whole starting system as I typically do, is it possible that the solenoid could drain the battery even while the car is not running so I can start with this inexpensive option and work my way up? Chevys, BTW, have the solenoid built into the starter and that is why I'm not familiar with it.

 

Don't get confused ... there are "solenoids" all over that truck (Chevys, too). Your plow installer put one on to control something associated with the plow (lights?). It is possible it is contributing to a drian on the battery but it is far more likely that your alternator is shot (did you look in the power disribution box to check the 140 amp fuse?).

 

something is still draining the battery even after the truck is shut off. means something is shorting, or something isn't switched off. do you have the plow on the truck now?

well once you disconnect the battery while the engine is running it's going to die. with out the battery connected there is no circuit to power the spark for the engine. the alternator goes straight from off the block to the battery to the rest of the truck. that's why it probably would hurt the truck. yes it is very possible for a solenoid to drain the truck's battery. if it's not on a switch it is VERY likely that is what is happening. but i would've imagined this happening a lot sooner than now.

hey i've got an easy thing to try for ya... swap your truck battery into your wife's truck and see if you can get it charged and keep a charge. or jump it first what not, just don't drain both battery's unless you have a charger or another one to spare. could just be you have a done battery. might just need to get a new one. just a thought. rather than having to replace the whole thing, i'd swap the batteries and see what happens.

 

let me reword some of what I said earlier. I did get it started and got the battery to a full charge... I was driving around. However, it would only keep the full charge while the idle was high. When I came to a stop at a light it would start losing its charge... if I used the blinker, forget about it. My first thought when I couldn't get it started this morning by jumping it was that maybe the guy pinched a wire while he was putting in the engine and caused a short. Please don't let it be a short. It took me a week of tracing wires one by one to find a short before. It was about a week after he installed the engine that it died...

 

Hate to **** in your Post Toasties but there's really only two kinds of wiring problems ... opens and shorts.

Opens don't cause battery drains. [:@]

If it IS a short ... it is one HELL of a short. I can't believe you're not smelling smoke.

How tight is your belt?