[Tom34711]

I have one of the first 2018 3.0L, Lariat trim. I’ve noticed in the past month or two that after the truck has sat overnight occasionally the dash display will default to Trip1 (I usually have it displaying the speedometer) and the clock time will be off by an hour (DST). This morning I got in the truck (garage and Florida so not cold) and everything was dead, no dome lights, dash or console lights, nothing. I released the hood latch to jump it and when raising the hood all the lights came on. Lowered the hood and the truck started fine. It seems like if the battery were going bad the opposite would have happened: accessories on but no starter. I usually get about three years of battery life so if that holds for this truck I’m living on borrowed time but it seems like odd behavior. The only explanation I can come up with is that there are two batteries, one for starting and one to keep accessories powered when not running but that seems remote. No warnings or notifications from the app.

 

[Dunrollin]

Also in Florida but that is probably a coincidence. Also a 2018. About 2 months ago I got a notice on the app that the system was shutting down to save the battery. I went out to the garage, started up and drove to town, but my settings (seat and such) were off and the battery struggled to start. Got back home and the truck wouldn't even crank.

Terminals look great so I just jumped it and drove to the dealer. They tested it and then took it out, gave it a 1 hour charge and tested it. it passed. They put it back in and it has been fine since. I still have no idea what happened.

 

[Dijit]

I also have a 2018 and after about a year It would hard start. Took it in after it wouldn’t start until I took a crescent wrench to it (just like you tap a flash light when it seems like it’s going to quit) and it started! Initially they said it tested OK but kept it over night and replaced it the next day. These batteries are high performance units, 700 amps plus?? I’d say it’s on the way out. I’d try what @Dunrollin suggested, recharge and see what happens.

 

[Tom34711]

I also have a 2018 and after about a year It would hard start. Took it in after it wouldn’t start until I took a crescent wrench to it (just like you tap a flash light when it seems like it’s going to quit) and it started! Initially they said it tested OK but kept it over night and replaced it the next day. These batteries are high performance units, 700 amps plus?? I’d say it’s on the way out. I’d try what @Dunrollin suggested, recharge and see what happens.

Thanks! Just as a test I put a voltmeter on it after driving about 40 minutes-12.36V. Let sit overnight and lost .25V. Both are a little odd to me, I would have thought after driving that long I would have seen 12.5V+ and a .25V loss over about 10 hours with the minimal draw seems excessive as well. No problems this morning but I’m going to get a new battery anyway.

Just seemed odd to me initially with the accessories not working but it cranking fine after the hood jostling. Probably the equivalent of hitting the terminals.

Thanks guys!

 

[jmperlik]

Weather is starting to get colder here in the Northeast... If you have a weak battery, now is the time where you begin to see starting issues along with other strange behavior. While I agree with your analysis, I'm betting you have a dying/dead cell that is starting-to-rear-its-head with the temps dropping at night and exhibiting weird symptoms in your electronics...

A lot of these early model trucks sat on dealers' lots for up to a year before dealers started blowing them out at a loss = we have had a few members who bought leftovers that ended up having the battery replaced due to sitting for a long time between starts...

 

[beaker]

I'd check your battery terminals for tightness or corrosion. It sounds a bit like there high resistance. When you engage the starter is is a bit like striking an arc on a welding electrode in that once current is established, it has enough amperage to arc across a gap or a bit of corrosion. I might be completely off base, but 3 years is a fairly short lifespan for a battery and it's a pretty quick check.

Note that corrosion and looseness can also exist at the other end of a negative battery terminal as well (i.e. where it is grounded to the frame/body/engine).

 

[Tom34711]

I'd check your battery terminals for tightness or corrosion. It sounds a bit like there high resistance. When you engage the starter is is a bit like striking an arc on a welding electrode in that once current is established, it has enough amperage to arc across a gap or a bit of corrosion. I might be completely off base, but 3 years is a fairly short lifespan for a battery and it's a pretty quick check.

Note that corrosion and looseness can also exist at the other end of a negative battery terminal as well (i.e. where it is grounded to the frame/body/engine).

Good call! I had time to investigate a little more in depth this morning. Battery tester read good battery and charging system. When I remove the negative alligator clamp sure enough I noticed the cable move. Tightened it up and hopefully that solves the problem. I’m going to blame this on the second EGR recall repair!

Thanks!