Original battery dying or a charging problem?

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lindenengineering

Well-known member
A sticky post I think here.
The lady owner who has been bugging me turned up with DPF issues and yes battery cable fried!

And other one bites the dust!

I have changed out 5 cables in 5 days plus two alternators. Plus I have found sources for alternator repair parts for the 200 Amp model.
The specialist shop I use recons about $375 for an overhauled unit. Makes a change from the outright $600 for a new Valeo unit!

So I urge all owners of 2007 models onward to either get under the truck and do an extensive look see on that battery feed cable or get a dealer/shop to check this cable out.
Serious issue!Read expensive potential failure.
Dennis
 
OrioN

OrioN

2008 2500 170" EXT
lindenengineering said:
A sticky post I think here.
The lady owner who has been bugging me turned up with DPF issues and yes battery cable fried!

And other one bites the dust!

I have changed out 5 cables in 5 days plus two alternators. Plus I have found sources for alternator repair parts for the 200 Amp model.
The specialist shop I use recons about $375 for an overhauled unit. Makes a change from the outright $600 for a new Valeo unit!

So I urge all owners of 2007 models onward to either get under the truck and do an extensive look see on that battery feed cable or get a dealer/shop to check this cable out.
Serious issue!Read expensive potential failure.
Dennis
Click to expand...
I didn't know there was a 200A model... :thinking:
 
Mrdi

Mrdi

Active member
Dennis
Would you please post a list of symptoms that would be obvious to an owner who is not
able to climb under the vehicle?
For example:
Could one put a multimeter on the main battery while the vehicle is running?
Would the OEM aux battery give the same reading?
What reading would be good?
Are there some indications on the dash read out before or during failure?
ETC?

Thanks
Mrdi
 
G

Graphite Dave

Dave Orton
They should at least redesign the cables so owners with older vehicles could replace the marginal design. Wonder if the new 4 cylinder uses the same "Y" cable?
 
L

lindenengineering

Well-known member
Mrdi said:
Thanks Dennis,
Your continued support on this forum is most appreciated!
Can you give us a ballpark figure of the labor cost for the replacement?
Click to expand...
Yes
The cable by itself is $86 retail from Dodge (about $250 from MB source) and it takes 0.5 hours to install and test for current drop/charge etc with a professional machine spitting out all the data and a pass showing ripple current, voltage etc.

I have now taken a policy of recommending a new cable every time the alternator is replaced.

The other day I went over to my Dodge supplier who is behind my shop on Golden's Motor Row. I know the general manager over there and we often share service info "gems' like this one!
I dropped off a sample cable for him to show his techs since he had never heard of this problem.
Seemingly he is going to take it up with someone at MB since he considers this is a fire hazard (which it is!!)

This is not the first time I have seen this cable "build" on MB's, the C class 200 compressor has something similar and is hidden on top of the flywheel housing. When it "goes" it takes out the alternator control module on the fire wall. BMW employs the same sort of engineering "thinking" by stuffing a fusible link in the main feed line.

Anglo /American builds have by and large yet to adopt this philosophy having a direct uninterrupted feed from battery to main system components.

As an off topic comment I used to work closely with a Landrover/ Mil truck sales guy who was ex British Army Cavalry officer (Royal Houshold Cavalry)
Selling a fleet of LR's to the Iraqi Army I made a comment about the Steyr Pinzaguer of Austria and it meeting the FIMBRA Test.
His rebuke was "Huup--lah'!--(typical US and UK Cavalry remark)
We and the Americans have our own tests and standards. They are far superior!
Our stuff is combat proven theirs isn't!

Maybe this has some relevance to commercial vehicles in real world conditions--Food for thought!
Dennis
 
L

lindenengineering

Well-known member
Mrdi said:
Dennis
Would you please post a list of symptoms that would be obvious to an owner who is not
able to climb under the vehicle?
For example:
Could one put a multimeter on the main battery while the vehicle is running?
Would the OEM aux battery give the same reading?
What reading would be good?
Are there some indications on the dash read out before or during failure?
ETC?

Thanks
Mrdi
Click to expand...
Yes here are some indications.
You might at first start getting some limp mode conditions and sluggish starting. The faults I have seen stored are DPF-DEF faults, glow plug performance faults, transmission shifting issues and body control module faults etc. Catalizer issues start being paramount. You might see a check engine light on as first indication followed by sluggish cranking and poor starting.
This might also follow a bout of headlamps flashing on and off & engine surge as the battery runs down!

Taking a DVOM (volt meter) across the battery expect to see 13.9 to 14.2 volts when the cable, alternator, and battery are in good shape. You could get under the engine and measure the voltage OUT of the B +VE pillar alternator to ground with the meter and then do the same at the starter B+ve to ground . Check the voltage and compare. Since the fuse link is situated in the Y between the alternator and starter any drop will be seen by comparing outputs and readings.

If you don't want to do all this then ask Advanced Auto to do a full charging/starting test--they wiill do it FOC--but have your battery exposed as a courtesy .
Now take care because their tester is a good generic tester and will flag everything as "good" if it sees more than 12.6 volts! Its up to you to interpret the figures based upon the 14.1 maxim.

If all that fails simply go to good vehicle electrician and have them run some test for you mentioning the link/cable issue.
Hope that helps
Dennis
 
OrioN

OrioN

2008 2500 170" EXT
lindenengineering said:
Yes I and others think its a potential fire hazard!
Dennis
Click to expand...
MB knows abooot the cable issue since 2007, when they began replacing them under warranty. There have been numerous product REV's. So far, as witnessed here & discussed with two of my dealers, there haven't been any fires.

Curious... twice today you've said MB wants $250 for the cable. I paid $106 CDN last week at MB Vancouver. My Phoenix MB dealer and my SLC Freightliner (MB) quoted similar prices, when I went 'confirmation' shopping. What gives??




.
 
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Mrdi

Mrdi

Active member
OrioN said:
MB knows abooot the cable issue since 2007, when they began replacing them under warranty. There have been numerous product REV's. So far, as witnessed here & discussed with two of my dealers, there haven't been any fires.

Quote:
Curious... twice today you've said MB wants $250 for the cable. I paid $106 CDN last week at MB Vancouver. My Phoenix MB dealer and my SLC Freightliner (MB) quoted similar prices, when I went 'confirmation' shopping. What gives??



Interesting
Does that mean the cables we get from Dodge will not be the upgraded version?
Click to expand...
 
OrioN

OrioN

2008 2500 170" EXT
Mrdi said:
Interesting
Does that mean the cables we get from Dodge will not be the upgraded version?
Click to expand...
Dodge Canada/Dealer had old rev when I called.
The Berry Dodge(online) box posted in the other thread yesterday, showed the latest MB number under the dodge sticker.
 
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