Truck Died Last Night on a Main Thoroughfare, replacing batteries in 2 hrs or so, what may be needed? (Details in thread)

[tjk]

So I drove to and from Richmond VA from Frederick Maryland over the weekend with no issues, and last night when I got to a stop light my start/stop worked for the first time in months. I thought, "Huh, I guess my long drive finally charged the aux battery." Took my foot off the break, and the truck tried to auto start and failed. Tons of warnings, can't remember any of them because I was scrambling to get the truck to a side road. Luckily I wasn't far. A big guy having a drink at an outdoor patio pushed me, but not before I had to figure out how to shift it to neutral. The shifter release cable behind the shifter didn't do anything for the shifter, but I was able to get the SelecTrac shifter to neutral and we got it to the side of the road.

I had previously replaced the Aux battery in Sep 2024. I wasn't aware I should've replaced both at the same time. Couldn't get the truck jumped, so I called my dad to help out. We got the main battery out of the truck. At this point, the windshield wipes had started to slowly move (is this normal?) and all the lights on the shifter were lit up, not just the park position.

Got the main battery to advanced auto, they ran a test and reported it was deader then hell. So, bought a new battery, brought it back to the truck, and there's absolutely nothing going on with the truck. Doesn't act like it has any source of power at all. By this point it was near 8 PM, so I removed valuables, locked everything up, and headed home.

I'm heading back around 9 AM because I suspect it's the Aux Battery causing issues too, and the 40 minute time between swapping the old and new battery just completely drained it. I did leave the new battery connected over night.

I'm been reading through the forums this AM (wasn't able to last night with kiddo duties) but figured I should post now and then keep reading. Is there anything I should know about reset procedures I may need to do? Is there an order of importance for connecting the batteries? For now I'm keeping the Aux just because I need to get the truck home, but may do the delete later. And when I take the old Aux out, because it's so new, gonna do a warranty exchange and both batteries will be the same age.

Thanks for any/all help you can offer!

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[LouisvEarlleJT]

Check your fuse box and make sure there aren't any blown fuses on something that would prevent starting (PCM, starter, etc.).

I have gotten a new battery before and had it actually be bad, it's rare, but it happens.

 

[Deleted member 57233]

Make sure you charge both new batteries fully before installing. They sit on the shelf for a while at the parts store, mine were at 70% when I bought them.

 

[tjk]

Make sure you charge both new batteries fully before installing. They sit on the shelf for a while at the parts store, mine were at 70% when I bought them.

Would something like this suffice?

https://www.harborfreight.com/4-amp...ntrolled-battery-chargermaintainer-63350.html

 

[Deleted member 57233]

Would something like this suffice?

https://www.harborfreight.com/4-amp...ntrolled-battery-chargermaintainer-63350.html

4 amp is more of a maintainer than a charger. You probably want at least 10 amps for charging or it will take all day. Mine has 2/10/20 amp settings.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Make sure you charge both new batteries fully before installing. They sit on the shelf for a while at the parts store, mine were at 70% when I bought them.

I make parts stores check voltage before I accept the battery. If it’s under 12, I won’t take it. I also won’t take one that’s months old. It’s always served me well.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Would something like this suffice?

https://www.harborfreight.com/4-amp...ntrolled-battery-chargermaintainer-63350.html

Agree with others. Multi amp charger for charging. Maintainers do a good job with 11.5-13v, but lower and they’ll struggle.

 

[MudderNuker]

Next time that happens, disconnect the N1 cable from the fuse box (ignore the red cable running across to a fuse tap), to let it reset and all the warning lights and stuck transmission shifter will go away. Then you should be able to start the truck.

 

[tjk]

Next time that happens, disconnect the N1 cable from the fuse box (ignore the red cable running across to a fuse tap), to let it reset and all the warning lights and stuck transmission shifter will go away. Then you should be able to start the truck.

Right now, the truck has been without both batteries for a couple hours, should I still disconnect this cable after I reinstall the batteries and then reconnect it a few seconds later?

 

[Stan H]

So I drove to and from Richmond VA from Frederick Maryland over the weekend with no issues, and last night when I got to a stop light my start/stop worked for the first time in months. I thought, "Huh, I guess my long drive finally charged the aux battery." Took my foot off the break, and the truck tried to auto start and failed. Tons of warnings, can't remember any of them because I was scrambling to get the truck to a side road. Luckily I wasn't far. A big guy having a drink at an outdoor patio pushed me, but not before I had to figure out how to shift it to neutral. The shifter release cable behind the shifter didn't do anything for the shifter, but I was able to get the SelecTrac shifter to neutral and we got it to the side of the road.

I had previously replaced the Aux battery in Sep 2024. I wasn't aware I should've replaced both at the same time. Couldn't get the truck jumped, so I called my dad to help out. We got the main battery out of the truck. At this point, the windshield wipes had started to slowly move (is this normal?) and all the lights on the shifter were lit up, not just the park position.

Got the main battery to advanced auto, they ran a test and reported it was deader then hell. So, bought a new battery, brought it back to the truck, and there's absolutely nothing going on with the truck. Doesn't act like it has any source of power at all. By this point it was near 8 PM, so I removed valuables, locked everything up, and headed home.

I'm heading back around 9 AM because I suspect it's the Aux Battery causing issues too, and the 40 minute time between swapping the old and new battery just completely drained it. I did leave the new battery connected over night.

I'm been reading through the forums this AM (wasn't able to last night with kiddo duties) but figured I should post now and then keep reading. Is there anything I should know about reset procedures I may need to do? Is there an order of importance for connecting the batteries? For now I'm keeping the Aux just because I need to get the truck home, but may do the delete later. And when I take the old Aux out, because it's so new, gonna do a warranty exchange and both batteries will be the same age.

Thanks for any/all help you can offer!

Was the truck unharmed?

 

[Lost1wing]

Right now, the truck has been without both batteries for a couple hours, should I still disconnect this cable after I reinstall the batteries and then reconnect it a few seconds later?

Make sure your fender ground is disconnected, your IBS connector is disconnected, and all other disconnected ends are isolated from each other and ground. Install fully charged batteries. Reconnect the battery cables on the batteries. Reconnect the fender ground . Reconnect the IBS connector.

 

[tjk]

Make sure your fender ground is disconnected, your IBS connector is disconnected, and all other disconnected ends are isolated from each other and ground. Install fully charged batteries. Reconnect the battery cables on the batteries. Reconnect the fender ground . Reconnect the IBS connector.

wish I had read this earlier, I did the AUX battery first (positive, the neutral) then the N1 connector on the fuse block, then the main battery (positive, IBS, neutral). The truck started, about to drive it about 2 miles home. Still some lights on the dash, but I’m hoping they resolve as the truck adjusts to its new batteries.

 

[tjk]

I made it two blocks down the road

 

[MudderNuker]

My truck wouldn't start at the auto parts store when the batteries were bad. All lights started flashing, transmission warning etc., it would even jump start with the NOCO. The only solution was to disconnect the N1 for 30 seconds and then it started right up with the NOCO. When I replaced the batteries, I only disconnected the battery terminals. Nothing else and it worked without any warning lights or any other problems.

 

[tjk]

The truck starts up no problem, but it’s reporting only 11.8v on the on-board system. Both batteries are brand new, I only had time to charge the big battery as high as 80%+ using the following:

https://www.harborfreight.com/autom...ocessor-controlled-battery-charger-56796.html

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