2010 Dodge Grand Caravan (Hot Battery Cables & Electrical Issues)

Hello,

I am working on a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan with major electrical issues. When I turn on several loads on the electrical system such as lights, blower motor, defrost, & move windows the entire vehicle voltage will drop momentary down to 10-12vdc. Also, the engine will idle down considerably.There is two battery cables that go the the positive battery terminal and when there are several loads on this cable gets extremely hot. I checked these two cables and they have no voltage drop and are not burnt.The positive battery post is not hot, but the cable is only hot for about 6 inches of its length. The alternator is working fine and the customer already put a new alternator in with the same issues. The codes from the ABS & door lock modules are low voltage codes. We always get a high voltage code first off of the ABS module though and the freeze frame shows almost 16 vdc. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Brian

My first suspicion is a bad battery cable/connection. Resistance causes heat.

I checked these two cables and they have no voltage drop

Did you do your voltage drop test while the system was under a load (when the cable is hot). One test lead on the Battery Post. The other test lead at the other end of the cable.

I'd have no problem replacing those connections if they're hot to the touch. Not the first time I've seen that on Caravans like that.

I've heard of guys just dropping a bit of solder into the cable crimp? :huh: Always seemed like a band-aid to me.

I would replace or try soldering the lead also. How successful soldering would be would probably depend on the solder you have available, the modern lead free stuff is pretty well useless for this kind of job.

The delay in the battery voltage coming back to normal is probably due to the voltage sending circuit not seeing the voltage drop due to the resistance in the cable.
However I would also suspect the battery may be on its last legs and this causing the high current demand after start up.I would want to check it for a dead cell to give the customer advance warning.

Thank you all for the information. I did notice a voltage drop of 1.5vdc while a load was applied and then I replaced the battery cable ends (the ones on the battery) and the voltage drop loaded went down to .800vdc. The van is still having the same issues along with the hot positive battery cables. I believe I now need to replace the actual cable ends that are crimped onto the cables.

0.8 volt is a still a huge voltage drop....but more important at what load exactly?? Was it at 200 amps current flow while starting or was it with a 5 amps test light.

You might want to consider to change the entire cable: once it gets corroded on the "inside" you can`t repair it anymore ; and this might have happened in your case.

The load is with all electrical accessories on. I will hook up a amp clamp to see what amps it is drawing while I check for a voltage drop. I believe that it may need a new cable like you stated. I still don't understand why the ABS module gets a high voltage code though.

I would suspect corrosion under the jacket of the cable. Corrosion can creep up where you can't see it. Try doing a voltage drop test from the positive cable terminal end to the fuse block where it connects. See what you get. You can also read ohms, I'm curious about that number. If you suspect corrosion, cut back the sheathing where it gets hot and have a peak. You can always close it back up and use wire loom to protect. Have you done a voltage drop on the negative side of the circuit?

I checked the voltage drop again from the positive battery cable to the fuse box while the circuit was loaded and I got a voltage drop of anywhere from .500vdc to 1.05vdc. I compared these readings to a good known van (same parameters) of the same type but a different year and the voltage drop was only .051vdc.

Chrysler vehicle. always suspect a bad ground for low voltage codes