[JCasey]

Has anyone found battery acid in the battery tray? My 2020 HCRE would not go into race cooldown mode because of the battery status. Turned out the battery had low CCAs and after the battery was replaced problem was solved. Shortly after the dealer replaced the battery I got to looking and found corrosion on the battery hold down bracket and in the tray. Removed the battery and found liquid, highly reactive to baking soda...battery acid! What a mess...vent tube was connected but the spare vent port on the dealer newly installed battery did not have a plug installed. Questioning of the dealership revealed that the battery acid was present at the time of the battery replacement and an unawareness of plugging the unused vent (no comments necessary). I suspect that the factory battery did not have the spare vent port plugged but can't say positively. So I looked into my HPTuners date logs and had recorded PID "Control Module Voltage" (thanks Brian of You Tube's B Mason). I used >14.5v as the Min Limits criteria in the Charts and found numerous instances when that voltage was exceeded. In every case it occurred during and immediately after a WOT pull to around 100mph and lasted 14 to 20 seconds comparatively long after WOT no longer existed. (RPMs in the 5200 to 5600 did not meet the criteria.) The max value was always <15v. From reading other battery/alternator posts in this forum and because the duration that my voltage was above my criteria was in my opinion short, I am moving away from a charging issue being the cause and suspecting a missing vent plug. I am not fully up to speed on the Dodge charging system or lead acid batteries so any insight would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Catless]

I don't think battery acid should be coming out the vent even if a plug is not there. All flooded type lead acid batteries are vented and you find acid leaking out. I suppose since you mention WOT pulls maybe the acid could be sloshing out the vent.
When charging voltage peaks to 14.5 volts would not be uncommon.

 

[JCasey]

Thanks Catless I appreciate your response...I concur the acid is probably coming out as liquid vs gases on hard accelerations that a missing plug should prevent from happening. The voltage is peaking up near 15v. I have read in two different sources that the alternator output is controlled by the PCM as a ground side switch for the field current instead of an internal voltage regulator that I am more familiar with. I also read that the output voltage could therefore be a function of other than battery voltage including WOT, etc. Unfortunately, the author wrote the statement as if it was a possibility instead of a fact. It does give me a lead to chase to ground. Thanks again,

 

[Dennis H]

Who is the Dealer?

 

[Himmelkat]

As a stopgap, just pour a thick layer of baking soda in the battery compartment, then place battery on it. Then, leakage will not matter until it gets fixed.

 

[JCasey]

thanks...that's what I did. Just got the car back and the spare vent port had a plug in it...imagine that.

 

[gmccall082]

Has anyone found battery acid in the battery tray? My 2020 HCRE would not go into race cooldown mode because of the battery status. Turned out the battery had low CCAs and after the battery was replaced problem was solved. Shortly after the dealer replaced the battery I got to looking and found corrosion on the battery hold down bracket and in the tray. Removed the battery and found liquid, highly reactive to baking soda...battery acid! What a mess...vent tube was connected but the spare vent port on the dealer newly installed battery did not have a plug installed. Questioning of the dealership revealed that the battery acid was present at the time of the battery replacement and an unawareness of plugging the unused vent (no comments necessary). I suspect that the factory battery did not have the spare vent port plugged but can't say positively. So I looked into my HPTuners date logs and had recorded PID "Control Module Voltage" (thanks Brian of You Tube's B Mason). I used >14.5v as the Min Limits criteria in the Charts and found numerous instances when that voltage was exceeded. In every case it occurred during and immediately after a WOT pull to around 100mph and lasted 14 to 20 seconds comparatively long after WOT no longer existed. (RPMs in the 5200 to 5600 did not meet the criteria.) The max value was always alternator posts in this forum and because the duration that my voltage was above my criteria was in my opinion short, I am moving away from a charging issue being the cause and suspecting a missing vent plug. I am not fully up to speed on the Dodge charging system or lead acid batteries so any insight would be appreciated. Thanks

Same to happened to me


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JCasey]

Hi gmccall082. Thanks for your reply. I see your a new member...lots of good info here. Did you get a new battery under warranty? If so did it come w/ the spare vent port plugged? FYI - I just got the car back after the tray was replaced and they put a plug in the spare vent port. I can't prove it but I think the factory battery did not have the vent plugged.

 

[DodgeCares]

Has anyone found battery acid in the battery tray? My 2020 HCRE would not go into race cooldown mode because of the battery status. Turned out the battery had low CCAs and after the battery was replaced problem was solved. Shortly after the dealer replaced the battery I got to looking and found corrosion on the battery hold down bracket and in the tray. Removed the battery and found liquid, highly reactive to baking soda...battery acid! What a mess...vent tube was connected but the spare vent port on the dealer newly installed battery did not have a plug installed. Questioning of the dealership revealed that the battery acid was present at the time of the battery replacement and an unawareness of plugging the unused vent (no comments necessary). I suspect that the factory battery did not have the spare vent port plugged but can't say positively. So I looked into my HPTuners date logs and had recorded PID "Control Module Voltage" (thanks Brian of You Tube's B Mason). I used >14.5v as the Min Limits criteria in the Charts and found numerous instances when that voltage was exceeded. In every case it occurred during and immediately after a WOT pull to around 100mph and lasted 14 to 20 seconds comparatively long after WOT no longer existed. (RPMs in the 5200 to 5600 did not meet the criteria.) The max value was always <15v. From reading other battery/alternator posts in this forum and because the duration that my voltage was above my criteria was in my opinion short, I am moving away from a charging issue being the cause and suspecting a missing vent plug. I am not fully up to speed on the Dodge charging system or lead acid batteries so any insight would be appreciated. Thanks

Hi JCasey,
Sorry to hear you are experiencing this. Please know that our team would be more than happy to provide an additional layer of assistance if you do end up connecting with your dealer again. What we can do is escalate a case on your behalf so that one of our Case Specialists could work alongside your dealer to find a potential solution to the concerns you’re currently experiencing. Feel free to follow up with us via private message if this would be of interest.

Rob
Dodge Cares

 

[Dennis H]

I STILL THINK THIS STELLAR DEALER DESERVES RECOGNITION.

 

[JCasey]

I STILL THINK THIS STELLAR DEALER DESERVES RECOGNITION.

I STILL THINK THIS STELLAR DEALER DESERVES RECOGNITION.

Hi Dennis H hey I appreciate your sentiments. There is a plug in the unused vent port now and the dealership concurred that this port should be plugged so anyone getting a battery at this dealership should be OK. The real problem was at the factory and that the Factory Service Manual had dropped the steps to install the plug. I have escalated those thru the SRT Customer Service.
I still need some insights/references to alternator output voltages and the inputs/outputs to the PCM controlling the voltages. The race cooldown feature which was working shortly after putting the new battery in is now back to not working due to battery status after that new battery was disconnected for a week getting the battery tray replaced.
Thanks