Battery drain in cold weather

15

Asked by FrustratedColdWeathe... Nov 16, 2018 at 01:31 PM about the 2002 Dodge RAM 1500 SLT 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Whenever the weather gets below freezing, my truck's battery begins to
drain rapidly.  The colder it gets, the faster it drains.  In warm weather the
battery is fine.  The other morning it was starting to get pretty cold, I started
the truck and let it idle for an hour.  I noticed that the temperature was
dropping into the teens, so I went out about ten hours later to start it again
and the battery was already dead.  Does anyone have any ideas or
suggestions?

4 Answers

22,650

Corrosion on terminals is worse in winter. Follow all wires and clean and ensure tight connections. Baking soda and water will take off battery acid. Also do voltage drop tests and parasitic drain tests. YouTube these topics for help. Lightly sand all ground connections and reconnect.

2 people found this helpful.
65,510

Suggest buying another battery any battery will start in the summer if not starting when it’s cold time for a new battery.

1 people found this helpful.
15

Thank you for answering my question. Unfortunately, I have changed the battery about a month ago and it is still happening. I have cleaned the battery terminal connectors when I put in the new battery, but I didn't trace out the cables completely to check for corrosion. I will do that. However, I think that the parasitic battery drain may be exactly what is happening. One thing that comes to mind is a wiring connection for a trailer that I got from U-Haul. It clips onto the taillight wires with connectors that penetrate the insulation. Is it possible that this is causing the problem? I'm not much of a mechanic, so any help is sincerely appreciated!

1 people found this helpful.
22,650

Yes that was the exact issue a friend of mine had when he first bought his Chevy truck. Watch the parasitic drain videos and this will narrow your circuit down for you. You will see. Happy youtubing.

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

RAM 1500

Looking for a Used RAM 1500 in your area?

CarGurus has 73 nationwide RAM 1500 listings starting at $4,000.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Dan Connell
    Reputation
    20,270
  • #2
    dandyoun
    Reputation
    15,290
  • #3
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    11,760
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Ford F-150
321 Great Deals out of 15,103 listings starting at $1,712
Used Chevrolet Silverado 1500
195 Great Deals out of 5,967 listings starting at $2,975
Used GMC Sierra 1500
143 Great Deals out of 7,206 listings starting at $3,950
Used Dodge RAM 2500
24 listings starting at $9,975
Used Toyota Tundra
34 Great Deals out of 1,190 listings starting at $8,500
Used Toyota Tacoma
57 Great Deals out of 1,080 listings starting at $8,708
Used Dodge Durango
41 Great Deals out of 2,265 listings starting at $5,500
Used Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
18 Great Deals out of 1,279 listings starting at $9,990
Used Ford F-250 Super Duty
24 Great Deals out of 1,201 listings starting at $8,995
Used Jeep Grand Cherokee
122 Great Deals out of 3,221 listings starting at $4,995
Used Chevrolet Tahoe
20 Great Deals out of 904 listings starting at $11,900

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.