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Looking for Solutions - Truck Won’t Start

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Don1958

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2019 Laramie with over 118,000 miles from crisscrossing the country 9 times (so far) towing our home on wheels, a 27’ Airstream Globetrotter since June, 2020. Was led here by a search for solution to suddenly dead batteries (replaced in Aug. 2023). This is the third time this has happened. Truck runs absolutely fine one day, the next day it won’t start. First time, the dealership nearest at the time replaced the driver side battery. Last time, resulted in replacing both batteries. It makes me wonder if there something that’s killing the batteries. A parasitic draw? Bad charging system? I’m no mechanic, but I can basic maintenance.
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Are you leaving the trailer plugged into the truck overnight?
 
Don1958 said:
2019 Laramie with over 118,000 miles from crisscrossing the country 9 times (so far) towing our home on wheels, a 27’ Airstream Globetrotter since June, 2020. Was led here by a search for solution to suddenly dead batteries (replaced in Aug. 2023). This is the third time this has happened. Truck runs absolutely fine one day, the next day it won’t start. First time, the dealership nearest at the time replaced the driver side battery. Last time, resulted in replacing both batteries. It makes me wonder if there something that’s killing the batteries. A parasitic draw? Bad charging system? I’m no mechanic, but I can basic maintenance.
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Get one of these:
Or, even better, one of these: https://a.co/d/3VVUFLi

With one of the clamp-on ammeters, you can check your batteries for parasitic loads and start tracing any problems. There will always be a tiny bit of parasitic load (which these will measure) but it shouldn’t be very large and shouldn’t cause any problems. I occasionally don’t drive our 2022 3500 for over a month and, so far (with the orginal batteries), I haven't had any problems.

If you don’t find any significant parasitic loads, you’ve at least eliminated the easiest problem and the issue may be in the charging system.
 
AH64ID said:
Are you leaving the trailer plugged into the truck overnight?
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No, we are detached from the trailer and always unplug the 7-pin when we stopped longer than an hour when towing. We made that mistake when we first started towing and drained, but didn’t kill, our primary battery. Will never do that again.
 
As full as you full timers have your trucks, be sure your seat controls are staying in neutral when the door is being closed they also can get stickied up and not go to park creating a parasitic draw. I hate gremlin electric issues. Advice above will get you started.
Good luck
 
Gear box said:
As full as you full timers have your trucks, be sure your seat controls are staying in neutral when the door is being closed they also can get stickied up and not go to park creating a parasitic draw. I hate gremlin electric issues. Advice above will get you started.
Good luck
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Would the seats move if the controls get “stickied up”? We have not had any issues of stuff touching seat controls. We do, indeed, fill our truck with stuff. Folding e-bikes in rear passenger area, the bed is full of stuff, too. But nothing between the seats and doors.
 
Don1958 said:
Would the seats move if the controls get “stickied up”? We have not had any issues of stuff touching seat controls. We do, indeed, fill our truck with stuff. Folding e-bikes in rear passenger area, the bed is full of stuff, too. But nothing between the seats and doors.
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Had a worn seat switch on a Charger drained battery intermittently pulled fuses till we found the culprit circuit, switch was just not centering/parking seat never moved. Took a couple days to figure it out.
 
I installed an aftermarket security system in a car a long time ago. That sucker would drain the battery in a week.

As a side thought, does having the hood open to put a clamp-on ammeter on the battery cables create any electrical load?
 
Dodgeman said:
I installed an aftermarket security system in a car a long time ago. That sucker would drain the battery in a week.

As a side thought, does having the hood open to put a clamp-on ammeter on the battery cables create any electrical load?
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Opening the hood would wake one or more modules. Should go back to sleep in a half hour or so. Also there are videos on YouTube that demonstrate using a voltage drop to check draw across fuses. A circuit that shows a voltage drop is a circuit that is drawing power. This method prevents waking modules. Pulling and reinserting fuses will wake modules. See this video.
 
CdnHO said:
Opening the hood would wake one or more modules. Should go back to sleep in a half hour or so. Also there are videos on YouTube that demonstrate using a voltage drop to check draw across fuses. A circuit that shows a voltage drop is a circuit that is drawing power. This method prevents waking modules. Pulling and reinserting fuses will wake modules. See this video.
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That is a great video. I have a EE degree and have been DIYing electrical stuff for 63+ years, including vehicles. I even designed, built and installed an intermittent windshield wiper circuit for a 1961 Plymouth Savoy in school. I added a remote truck release for the same car. But, I never know about this method for tracing down parasitic current draw. I always assumed there would be no voltage drop across a good fuse. I will have to test this.

My grandparents had a poster on their refrigerator many decades ago. It said, “How fast we grow old, how slow we grow smart!”
 
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