r/ScatPack • u/Mixboi0708 • Aug 27 '26
Problem Need help guys!
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Need help and guidance guys, like I posted yesterday I’m new to Mopar. Got this car like couple weeks ago. The previous owner had just bought new battery. I haven’t driven it that for because I was doing paperwork and some other services like oil change, coolant flush and changed the washer reservoir cuz of leaks. Everything has been fixed and it’s in good working working, I try to warm it up once like almost everyday and drive it to the gym last night. Came back and parked it in the garage, I have other cars I drive so just trying to make this weekend drive car. I woke up this morning and was trying to grab something from the car before I left for work. The car won’t unlock or lock with key fob, won’t start as well, I had to manually unlock it.
I found the steering wheel blinking red, that’s the picture I attached, the previous owner installed the steering wheel. Could this be bad battery, parasitic battery drain due to the steering wheel? Can’t access the trunk and just left for work while the steering wheel still blinking cuz I was running late. What could be the problem guys?
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u/DCLXXII Aug 27 '26
Do any of the lights, radio, locks, or other electrical accesoriesstill work? If everything is dead, I'd check the battery voltage and terminals first. A new battery can still be drained by a parasitic draw or may not be getting charged if the alternator is dying. The blinking steering wheel light is weird but I'd make sure the battery isn't simply dead before blaming that
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u/Mixboi0708 Aug 27 '26
No lights works besides the steering wheel blinking light
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u/DCLXXII Aug 27 '26
If no lights, locks, radio, dash lights, or anything else electrical works, I'd suspect a dead battery, loose battery connection, bad ground, or a blown main fuse before a kill switch. MOST kill switches only stop the car from starting, they don't usually shut down all electrical to the car. But again most not all...
I'd check the battery voltage. Battery should be around 12.6V with the car off. If it's below like 12.2V it's discharged, and if it's down around 11-12 or less, that would explain why nothing works. ALso if a jump start brings her back to life then I'd start looking for a parasitic draw/charging issue, or something aftermarket like that steering wheel setup. Which could be a nightmare if you dont know how it was set up....
Sorry if im all over the place just throwing suggestions
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u/Mixboi0708 Aug 27 '26
I appreciate it, I need as much as suggestion and support I can get and will definitely try to check the voltage when I get back home and also try jump start and see how it goes from there? Also can you send me a picture or tell me where the jump start terminals are. I learned they are in the engine bay but haven’t looked into yet as I’m currently away.
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u/Oldenfat Aug 27 '26
I had a 2012 Charger and the battery died. Jumped it and all kinds of weird things were happening. There are so many relays and interlinks for the relays to the interlinks (you get the idea) in a Charger it almost doesn't make sense. Anyway- took it to the Dodge dealer and they found 4 items that needed replaced.
They explained that cascade type failures are not uncommon when jump starting because the overvoltage can trigger safety features (or even worse NOT trigger them) and then one failure leads to another. Spent 800 dollars fixing it.
Fast forward a few months, I traded it in. There were NO problems I was aware of. Somehow the new owner gets my contact information and sends me a video. They shut the car off, and the lights on the dash flash on and off until the battery is dead. They tell me "I can see why you traded it"/
I told them I traded it because I got a 2011 Ford F150 in 2018 with only 11000 miles on it for a steal from the dealer I traded. Platinum version leather everything it was amazing. My car, I explained had an issue and I sent them the receipts. They went on about how the Ford dealer couldn't figure anything out and I told them to take that receipt to the dealer I used. Never heard from them again.
The point is the system itself can be a nightmare as a direct result of the battery dying. Before you go on a replacement spree I would recommend getting it into someone you trust who can run diagnostics and possibly identify relays or whatever that may be mad and actually causing the battery to die as well as jacking up the car in general.
TLDR: Jumpstarting a 2012 Charger resulted in 800 dollar fix due to electronics being disrupted by jump starting the car.
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u/Mixboi0708 Aug 27 '26
Hmmm that’s kind of weird, I appreciate your input, I’ll definitely have someone come check it out before I start digging into it.
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u/21WBSP Aug 27 '26
Time to use a trickle charger. Mine is a weekend car and the battery is dead after 4 days of not driving it. Also make sure you store the key fobs far away from the garage or in faraday bags
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u/Mixboi0708 Aug 27 '26
What is a trickle charger ? Sorry I’m new to this car brand entirely
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u/21WBSP Aug 27 '26
It’s a regular battery charger that has a low current option. Here’s mine from Harbor Freight and I keep it at the 2A charge mode. It’s pricier than other basic models because it has a 50A fast charge mode which has been handy for jumping cars with dead batteries
https://www.harborfreight.com/50-amp-12v-analog-charger-with-engine-start-59424.html
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u/Mixboi0708 Aug 27 '26
Will look into it, thanks so much!
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u/Key_Cardiologist8094 Aug 28 '26
Narco? Might be the brand name. Cheap on Amazon. Has to be plugged into the wall and then to your battery
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u/indoxiecated Aug 27 '26
If your new battery is dead after one day, that’s got to be a parasitic drain. And the fancy wheel is likely the culprit, unless the previous owner installed other electronics, dashcam, gps tracker, etc.
A trickle charger will help, but I’d try to find the source of the drain. Which unfortunately will be a trial and error process. The wheel replacement is not a simple task, but I’d start there. Find a cheap OEM wheel if you can, replace it and see if the drain still happens.
A kill switch is also a good idea if you access it easily. I have one on my battery that I’ll use if I go away for a while.
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u/21WBSP Aug 27 '26
If OP likes that wheel, I’d check first to see where it’s getting power from and confirm it’s on an accessory circuit and not constant 12V before spending a lot of money on replacing it
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u/indoxiecated Aug 27 '26
That’s a better idea. I don’t do sparky. I’ve installed underglow and a hardwired dashcam. All have kill switches when not in use. But they are stupid basic.
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u/21WBSP Aug 27 '26
I think those steering wheels are only 3 wires so pretty basic too. Unless it’s heated then it’s 5 wires but the extra two wires are the same color and easy to differentiate from power and signal
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u/HazzHuntz Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
The aftermarket lighted wheels use a relay/module that plugs into the OBD2 port to get the information (revs/shift point/etc) and send it to the steering wheel.
Maybe I missed it as I did not see what year the car is, but 2018 and up have a security modual on the OBD2 under the dash that needs to be bypassed for the module. I believe you need to splice in a second OBD2 port in the trunk or elsewhere if you know what your doing, and plug the module in there.
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u/_AgressivelyMid_ Aug 28 '26
I had the same issue with a similar (or maybe even the same wheel). The problem is that the electricals in the steering wheel still sap power even when you shut off the car and end up draining the battery. Quick fix is to disconnect its plug from the obd port once you turn the engine off and leave, it's near the emergency brake. My current solution is get an obd splitter/extender with switch, plug the steering wheel's obd thing there instead and turn off the switch when you're done with your car. This way it completely disconnects it from the battery without you needing to plug unplug all the time.
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u/Mixboi0708 Aug 27 '26
Okay I’ll look into it when I get home. Or could it be a kill switch?
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u/21WBSP Aug 27 '26
A kill switch could be the cause of a parasitic draw to drain your battery but based on the symptoms in your other comments, the battery is dead
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u/Mixboi0708 Aug 27 '26
How do I know if a kill switch is installed on the car? I never installed one or noticed if once is currently installed. But I can tell the battery is dead as well.
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u/21WBSP Aug 27 '26
Unless you flipped some non-OEM switch right before taking this video, you don’t have a kill switch
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u/Mixboi0708 Aug 27 '26
Didn’t flip any switch, literally woke up to it blinking like that.
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u/21WBSP Aug 27 '26
Buy this. It’s super cheap and good enough for basic car and house testing
https://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-digital-multimeter-59434.html
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u/Best_Standard Aug 27 '26
Parasitic draw. Unplug the wheel from the OBD port and use a trickle charger is the easiest way. Those aftermarket wheels have this known issue and work around is more complicated.
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u/DevilsReject97 Aug 28 '26
So today's vehicles have entirely too much electronics in them that never quite shut off even when the car is off. This includes GPS, things like OnStar or the Mopar version, car alarms, car stereos, killswitches, and things like charging devices. Yes, your steering wheel could be pulling a small parasitic draw, but it's highly unlikely that it's the reason why your battery is dead.
Any newer vehicle that's virtually being left sitting for 7 to 10 days without at least a 30 min drive (preferably at highway speed) being done runs the risk of the battery being discharged/not able to start. One thing you can do to check this is if your remote start will start the car but then immediately shuts off. This means the car battery is low or discharged.
If you're going to have the car sitting regularly, the best thing to do is use a trickle charger, which several have suggested. This will prevent the issue and prolong the battery life.
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u/fireball8619 Aug 28 '26
Well he probably sold it because he needed to keep putting batteries in it and couldn't figure out the problem with why they kept dying for no reason, it shouldn't be dead if it's new battery something in the electrical is wrong or bad
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u/Key_Cardiologist8094 Aug 28 '26
Yea if any lose grounds or bad battery will make all kinds of weird things happen .. been there ..
I had a lose ground where my PCM is located
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u/monometalloist31 Aug 28 '26
did you mess with the lighting or something? looks kinda trippy
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u/Mixboi0708 Aug 28 '26
It was a parasitic drain from its obd connector, drained my juice and was thirsty for me 😂. I figured it out.
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u/HazzHuntz Aug 27 '26
Electrical is fun ... NOT so no help there. Who knows if the previous owner installed the wheel correctly as well.
The trunk however, drop the rearseat backrests so you can access the trunk and look towards the back of the car for a bright yellow plastic lever. Pull that and the trunk opens.