Welcome to the club. BTW The only reason I am having this problem is because I got the urge to test drive a new one, and am considering buying an '11 (which obviously mad my rig very mad), PLUS I just turned over 100k exactly 3 weeks ago (NO MORE WARRANTY)!

Truck is in the shop now. I will tell them about the ground connections to the cables and ecm connections.

 

HA ha ha! You NEVER wanna go test drive a new truck IN the truck you intend on trading in!


My findings are this:

The passenger side battery feeds 2 large relays. Those relays have wires that feed other things, one is the ecm. One of thhese wires was broken on mine. I found if i left it off, my charging voltage to the passenger battery was 17-18 volts! If i hooked it back up, my charging voltage dropped to 14.6.

I could even notice my Air Dog start SCREAMING with the extra juice!
The cure is a new battery cable. Which dodge stopped making for some reason
PLus it costs almost an arm and a leg

Anyways.... just figured id let you know. Apparently you need those two wires hooked up



edit: Apparently the above post isnt the only problem
Further problems i guess. I had the truck running, unhooked the positive battery cable from the passenger battery. My Air Dog staarted screaking!! I tested voltage on the cable and found 36 VOLTS!!!!!! HOLY CRAP!!!!

 

Okay folks. I had some corrosion on the cable that connects the two batteries. I completly removed all the wires off the main cable on the drivers side cleaned with battery terminal cleaner then coated in WD40. Put it all back together and all seems to be fine now.

Anyone know what this light is on my dash? just to the left of the temp gauge?
When the truck cut power to everything (Litterally EVERYTHING! No lights, no horn, no hazards, NOTHING)
This light would be on solid with the key on, with the key off it would flash consistantly for a period of time (20 minutes or so) untill it slowly stopped completly and stayed off.

Ive never seen it before and have never heard of it from anyone.

 

That red light is your security system indicator. Check your owners manual for more information as to what it means when it is on constantly. I would say that your batteries were bad. I have replaced two Die Hard Gold Batteries in the last year twice. One was under a week old too.

Shawn

 

I have a security system?! Hum. I bought the truck used and wanted keyless entry. I took the truck to the dealer to have them research my vin and they said my truck had everything available for an 03 except keyless entry.
Now I'm gonna have to rip the dash apart to find a little black box

 

Any luck GOLD GUS?
Mine seems to be working properly now that i dissassembled every connection on both batteries and cleaned then then coated in WD40.
Im sure i can atrribute my problem to corrision on the drivers side battery positive terminal that connects the two batteries.

 

Well, the trucks been at the shop for two days now. Mechanic says he found that the grid heater relay is stuck open (always hot) and causing a constant draw (which was one of the codes I'd read off my Smarty; Help section). He hooked up a battery to the passenger side (which I'd left out for now) and today the system is over charging to around 17 volts. The grid heater draw doesn't explain the over charging I wouldn't think. He said he'd go over the ECM connections and all grounds, and then take off the intake horn to see if the grid heaters are burned.

He also said he'd heard of a TSB for voltage regulation at the ECM. This is what I'd found doing some research as well. In fact, I'm looking it up now as I write this. Wanted to avoid the dealer at all cost, but they are the only ones that could do the reflash.

What's the deal with the back order (or not making) the battery cables anymore?

Just found the TSB 18-001-07.

 

I remember my 98's grid heater literally shorted out one summer. I don't remember how i found out but i know when i opened the hood, the heavy gauge wire was smoldering and melted! Luckily i drive all day long and catch these things before they become a fire.

i don't know what the deal is with the cables. When i went to replace the batteries a couple months ago, my cables were on their last leg so i called the dealer to get pricing and availability only to find that their expensive and not available
A few dealers i talk to said dodge had them on back order and wasn't planning on starting making them till April and they wont make it out till may. Hopefully something between then and now has changed and they have some for the guys that need em. I find it hard to understand why dodge would stop production of these things especially when there are so many trucks still on the road today. If it was a 1950's part sure, but not this new.

 

Got the truck back today. Guy told me he put in a good relay off an 07 (for a test) and the hot draw did quit, so it was the relay stuck open. He said the grid heaters are still fine. Truck now runs at 14.7 volts which is spot on. He just taped up the wire to the relay and left it disconnected. Don't need any grid heaters now as we just hit 90 degrees the past two days already .

So, looks like I'll pick up a new relay and put that in myself. I'll also put in my other (new) battery and see how it does. No fires! And, since I cleared the P2503 code I got when the gage lights came on, I'll stay away from the dealer for the reflash for the TSB for now too.

Hopefully this is good enough to make it til trade-in time (shhhh).

 

Glad you got it figgered out...

I should be a long time from needing to trade in, but the dealership has a gorgeous longhorn dually in dark red with the 800 ft/lbs motor that is really tempting.

 

Thanks for now..... But, I put the other battery in today and after looking, it seems to me the voltage needle is a little higher than it was before (don't have a volt meter). Also, the Tach is acting crazy going from 750 up to 1000, but was only around 300 on start up before the needle jumped up. The motor doesn't change rpms, just the readout. I'm wondering if it might be the fuel pump or CP3 acting up. Is this a symptom? Say it ain't so.

And I know what you mean, that new one is looking real tempting now.

 

If the motor RPM isn't changing, just the tach reading, I would think you have an issue with the tach, or ECM?

 

Yeah. Kinda figured it to be more of an electrical issue for sure. Just wondering if I do in fact after all need the TSB reflash for the P2503 code I got initially. Gonna take it for a drive today and see how its running.

 

Right here it would be. PM me if you want step by step instructions for removal or need it re-programmed without paying the dealer price.

 

Update: Truck threw the P2609 code again today (code reads NO VOLTAGE DROP SEEN FROM GRID HEATERS); but this time the check engine light came on. Last time it was just the low voltage gauge light and not the check engine light. The grid heater relay wire has been disconnected and is not hot. I'm hoping the ECM doesn't still think the voltage is too low and sends a "supercharge" message to the alternator like last time (even though I'm maintaining 14+ volts right now).

I originally thought that the code should have read LOW not NO voltage drop. I'm now thinking it says NO because the relay was stuck open and constantly causing a draw; and it should have seen a drop after charging the heaters. I cleared the code hoping it will keep from over charging just in case. Hopefully a new relay makes this whole thing go away.