redtomatoman Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 Went out to start my DJ and found everything completely dead. Nothing. I'm guessing its the battery. I got no idea. Don't have a vehicle to jump it until tomorrow. Just thought I'd throw this out there. Anyone else have a problem like this? Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted June 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 **update** Tried to jump start me DJ. Nope. Dash lights come on when hooked up to other vehicle, but the brake pedal is hard to push and it won't start. After unhooking the cables its dead again. Really weird. Washed it two weeks ago, pulled it into the garage, and there its been. My Dakota is my daily driver. I keep the fob in the house. This seems like something more than just a bad battery. Nearest dealer is 135 miles. I hope Chrysler takes care of me on this. . . Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 Likely the reason the pedal is hard to push is that the vacume has bled off. What comes on when you boost the vehicle? Does it operate as though it would start if it detected the FOB? Maybe the vehicle needs 10 or more minutes to fully boot up? There was an update to deal with battery rundown - of course your problem could be different. If you leave the vehicle undriven, you might want to invest a few bucks in a maintenance charger such as the Opti-mate. Software operated vehicles draw power, especially if you have features like FOB readers and remote starters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted June 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 What comes on when you boost the vehicle? Does it operate as though it would start if it detected the FOB? Maybe the vehicle needs 10 or more minutes to fully boot up? There was an update to deal with battery rundown - of course your problem could be different. If you leave the vehicle undriven, you might want to invest a few bucks in a maintenance charger such as the Opti-mate. Software operated vehicles draw power, especially if you have features like FOB readers and remote starters. When hooked up to the cables, it detected the fob and showed the brake pedal and start button in the EVIC like normal. It just wouldn't start. When I pushed the start button, it just clicked and remained on run. The engine never budged. I think this is more than a battery problem, but I hope I'm wrong. I usually drive the vehicle at least once or twice a month on long trips. I'd be surprised if that was not enough to keep things powered up. Journeys, after all, sit on dealer lots without needing anything and start up fine. I've got no idea what the problem is. I'm calling the dealer today. I am hoping the service folks there will have something useful to contribute. Maybe having my DJ towed the 135 miles to the dealer. Dunno. Any insights are welcome. Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 Did you actually manage to depress the pedal when trying the start button? Or did you simply push it until you met resistance - the brake lights need to be on for the starter to engage with a button push. Could it be that simple? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lebowski Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 Most probably it's just a dead battery, the brake is hard to push because with the engine off the servo doesn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstralRT Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 I agree, 99% sure its the battery. I've had many dead batteries on many vehicles and each one behaved just a little bit different but resulted in the same problem. You might want to leave the booster cables on for 15-20 mins to help charge the battery before trying to start or get a proper battery charger hooked up to it. In some of my older vehicles that had dead batteries that wouldn't take a boost I had to remove a working battery from one vehicle and put it in the one with the dead battery, once started I then put the dead one back in and drove the vehicle up the highway for a bit to allow the alternator to charge it up. I don't recommend doing this as it can be a little dangerous swapping a battery while the engine is running, but thought I would share incase you do feel comfortable enough around batteries and have a spare that would fit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted June 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 Yep, looks you were right Leb and Astral. Battery. With the help of DodgeCares and my dealer, I figured out the I already had the BCM flash. So I kept at the battery and it finally took a charge. So far so good. I'll post if anything changes. My theory is this: about a week ago I updated my maps ( I did purchase the update), but since my Dakota is my daily driver, I didn't go to drive my DJ until a week later. I think doing the update left something awake without a driving/ignition shutdown so that completely depleted my battery. Time will tell if my theory is correct. Thanks to all for the input. And thank you DodgeCares for the BCM flash info. Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted June 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 FYI. Started my DJ today. No problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 Out of curiousity do you leave the headlights on AUTO? When your not using the DJ how far away do you keep your fobs? Could it have been the electronics sensing and initiating over and over thet did the battery in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psyke Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 (edited) When your not using the DJ how far away do you keep your fobs? Could it have been the electronics sensing and initiating over and over thet did the battery in? The fobs being close to the car shouldn't be an issue as they should be passive unless a button is pressed on them (at that, the fob's range for the keyless entry system is a pretty small bubble on both the drivers side, passenger side, and rear hatch). The handles on the DJ on the other hand are another story in that they can be incredibly sensitive, and, even without the fob around, will activate with slight touches. I was going to ask him about that too if I hadn't noticed that he was parked in a garage; If he had been outside, it's very possible that rain could activate the DJ's systems pretty regularly, as I have done with a hose while washing it. cheers! Steph S. Edited June 30, 2012 by Psyke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 Yes I noted the sensitity while washing it just hosing it down with the fob in my pocket or sitting on the driveway guard wall trips the system. There was an owner who had developed the habit of leaving the keyfob in previous vehicle (locked garage) so her kids could use it,she could not figure out why the DJs dash lights would flash randomly. Turned out removing fob to a hook on wall resolved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lebowski Posted July 1, 2012 Report Share Posted July 1, 2012 Touching the handle will light up the dashboard even with no fob near. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted July 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2012 Headlights are on AUTO but I keep the fob in the house. My understanding is that the fob has to be at a distance of 5 feet or less in order to be detected by the car. I am pretty sure that the issue with my battery was updating the maps and then not driving the vehicle for the next week; that left the computer(s) awake. If it was a daily driver, I feel certain this situation would never have arisen. Drove the DJ yesterday, no problems. Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lebowski Posted July 1, 2012 Report Share Posted July 1, 2012 In theory the car should try to detect the fob only when you grab the handle, so, even with the fob nearby it shouldn't discharge the battery. In theory.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabeez Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 It could be a security lock! try to read the security section of the manual. I had an Alero and I thought the car is dead when it happened to me the first time. It turned out I need to turn the key halfway and wait for 10 minutes and then turn it off and then turn on again! Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcgusto82 Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 I have a tip. Get bigger gauge jumper cables. Likely the set you have, can't handle the cranking amps. My wife's previous car had a cheap battery (im a cheap guy). If she didn't drive it for 4 days straight in winter, it wouldn't start. Couldn't figure out why jumping it took 20plus minutes. Tried better jumper cables, car would start in less than 2 minutes. Eventually got a better battery. Problem solved all together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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