I need some advice on the issue i am having with my 08 Ram 3500 6.7l. I have a check gauges light on the dash and throwing the following codes...P061a p063d P2504 My battery post on the driver side is melting the + terminal. Looks like welding slag on top of my battery. I have a somewhat bastard tune from H&S(long story), the truck is deleted, and it has around 250,000 miles. I do have a sound system wired in by a pro audio shop years ago, but i dont think that is an issue. I think the voltage regulator is/has gone out and the alt is overcharging. My dilemma is, what route do i go? Do i replace the PCM, change my alternator, wire in an external VR, or is there another option? If anyone has experience with this, i would greatly appreciate the advice.

Thanks,
Cdover73
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What does your volt gauge have to say at idle? Should charge around 14-15 volts, if it goes over that, yeah, the PCM whines. (I didn't look up the codes.)

 

On the premise that the VR is in the pcm.... I'd use an external vreg if it runs good, pcm otherwise.

 

Have the alternator tested , check battery cables , they may be an issue all on there own

 

I changed the batteries, cleaned all the cables at both ends, and just teplaced the alt with a new one last night. Initially it was doing the same thing. Check gages, lightning bolt, etc. Then the guage got closer to 14 and all the lights went out. My voltage has been showing low, around 12.5 the whole time. Now its around 13.5, but still under 14 in the dash. The batteries check good.

This morning i crank it up and it is back to the same problem. After a 20 mile drive i notice i also have more fresh melted lead on top of my battery but the posts arent hot this time when i got to work.

Im thinking it HAS to be in the cables. I still have the original poured terminal type where the ends are made on the cables. Maybe there is corrosion inside them that isnt allowing me to get good ground? Im really hoping it isnt a VR or PCM problem....

 

PROBLEM NOT &#^!$@^$* SOLVED!

I am so damned aggravated at this tight now i could literally flip this truck over by hand!!!! I just had to delete my last post from about 30 minutes ago saying the problem was solved after changing all my battery cables and cleaning every mating surface.. Yeah...it was... until I drove the truck down the road. Yep...lightning bolt, voltage dropping, truck screaming at me from the overhead message center.
i guess the worst has come. ALWAYS my dam luck....'oh it cant be as si.ple as battery cables and the truck works fine'...noooo, instead its "oh! Ypu got one of THOSE!!!"!!!! Im seriously fed up with vehicle problems. I am a full time mechanic during the week restoring classics and building hot rods. To have to come home to this $#%& on top of it!!!!

Sorry for the ranting, but im sure everyone on here can relate from time to time. Why cant i ever catch a break and just be a GD fuse?.?!!! Guess im on the market for a new PCM now!! At least it will get rid of the bastard tune I cutrently have and allow me to install my EFILive from PPEI. Gotta think positive and laugh....or else i would cry. Oh well.....

(and sorry for any typos. I am on my phone and sick and tired of correcting spellcheck all the time!!!)

Thanks,
Cdover73

 

Have a close look at the cross over positive cable from one battery to the other. I’m pretty sure I read similar symptoms.

 

There isn't all that much to it, VR monitors and turns the alt field on so it charges. Might be a bad signal wire(s) or bad connection(s) in one of the harnesses between alternator and pcm. Could be bad vr circut in the computer. I'd get a diagram and unconnect the wiring, check it all for continuity and visual check on condition. Check those connectors for corosion too. If the signal and field excite wiring goes through the tipm, then you've got something else to check out before buying the pcm.

 

I think I may have fixed the problem finally. After the fiasco Friday with changing all the cables and the problem still being there, I turned to the tune. I had an older H&S tune in it for years. When I had the trans changed in 2017 I remembered we had to flash the PCM at a dealership so the new trans could be introduced to the learning cycle of the systrm. This left me with a bastard tune because the H&S showed 'corrupt file' and could not be returned to stock. After the flash from the dealer i still had certain priperties of the tune still active (low boost fueling, higher rpm range, trans tune still active, etc), but it also would now cut off at 97mph and seemed to be in an economy stage.

So, i installed the new EFILive i had from PPEI. It doesnt have the trans tune, but i was able to completely override the H&S. After a successful upload of the new tune the charging system shows over 14v at the gauge and everything seems like its good now. The only issue I have that wasnt there before is the trans has a slight shudder in reverse at idle. Not sure what thats about. Anyway, I think the problem was in my PCM and the new tune set things back to where they needed to be. So far so good. I will update if anything changes.

Thanks,
Cdover73