I wanted to solicit a few opinions on batteries. My 2015 Ram is on it's original set of batteries, so about three and a half years of use and a little under 50,000 miles. I haven't had any failures to start yet but I've noticed a couple of times after running the grid heater on cold mornings the last week or two I've had a click before I turn the key back off and then it has fired up on the second try. I assume running the heater immediately prior to starting has run the batteries down enough they are tight on having enough juice for cranking the engine,Am I at the point I need to replace the batteries? I'm a little on the early end of what I generally consider the replacement cycle for batteries in the other vehicles I've owned. I wondered with two batteries if I'd actually get a little extra life, but on the other hand it is cranking a bigger engine and running the grid heater. Opinions?

My batteries on my Ford lasted 5 1/2 years, that doesn't mean yours will tho.

I'm also watching for the first signs of a weak battery on my 2014. I'm never in real high heat areas which is hard on batteries. I may just replace them next summer.

???? Why throw out good batteries? I've had batteries last 12+ years.Why not have them load tested? A good load test with modern test equipment will tell you what you need to know.

Opinions?I have been told by several techs that the glow plug/grid heaters draw more amperage than cranking the engine. I believe that you might try servicing the battery terminals and using dielectric grease might help in the short term. The final answer would be, have the batteries tested and they will either pass or fail.The couple of times that it clicked before starting is a warning.

#1 check and clean battery terminals! They may look fine remove and clean with steel wool.I replaced the Les Schwab batteries in my 2001 Ram in 2012 with MOPAR OEM batteries and still cranking strong.

Batteries - Diesel Trucks | Good Sam Community

agesilaus
Explorer III
Nov 27, 2018
My batteries on my Ford lasted 5 1/2 years, that doesn't mean yours will tho.
azrving
Explorer
Nov 27, 2018
I'm also watching for the first signs of a weak battery on my 2014. I'm never in real high heat areas which is hard on batteries. I may just replace them next summer.
Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Nov 27, 2018
???? Why throw out good batteries? I've had batteries last 12+ years.

Why not have them load tested? A good load test with modern test equipment will tell you what you need to know.
DustyR
Explorer
Nov 27, 2018
Opinions?

I have been told by several techs that the glow plug/grid heaters draw more amperage than cranking the engine. I believe that you might try servicing the battery terminals and using dielectric grease might help in the short term. The final answer would be, have the batteries tested and they will either pass or fail.

The couple of times that it clicked before starting is a warning.
rhagfo
Explorer III
Nov 27, 2018
#1 check and clean battery terminals! They may look fine remove and clean with steel wool.
I replaced the Les Schwab batteries in my 2001 Ram in 2012 with MOPAR OEM batteries and still cranking strong.
BarryG20
Explorer
Nov 27, 2018
Seems the 4th gen Ram batteries are all over the board as far as longevity. I read about early 4th gens still on originals and some 16's already replacing. Getting them load tested would be a good idea. I have a 17 Ram with 70k and just a couple weeks shy of 2 years old and my batteries at least so far are still doing well, as they should be. My old 01 Ram CTD the originals lasted well over 7 years but the older trucks had a lot less electronic stuff on them too.
BobKrogstie
Explorer
Nov 27, 2018
My 2009 CTD batteries lasted 6 years / 120,000 miles but were always in a mild climate (full-time sun seeker).
ChuckSteed
Explorer
Nov 27, 2018
Normally I replace both my batteries at 4 year point..Any good auto service center can test both those batteries on the vehicle and give you an overall health status .... that’s wha5 I’d do... the older style batteries with caps were nice because you could check specific gravity and know their charge state..
donn0128
Explorer II
Nov 27, 2018
Cold weather can kill a battery really fast. While yours might be OK if you were d9wn south, in ID with temps dropping your going to get stuck some morning. Go get a pair of NAPA batteries and be done with it.
randygk
Explorer
Nov 27, 2018
If memory serves me, you tow occasionally. My '14 has a whopping 23,000 on it and when changing the fuel filters last month the batteries died while purging. I was also starting to get a few random error warnings at start.
I think sitting is probably hard on the batteries.
I went with Interstate AGM.

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