Tools you need for battery on a 2009-2018 Ram 1500

On the 2009-2018 Ram 1500 the battery lives in the driver's-side front corner of the engine bay under a plastic shroud. Electrically it is a 15 minute job - two 10 mm terminal bolts - but the hold-down clamp bolt sits low against the inner fender and almost always needs a 13 mm socket on a 10-12 inch extension, sometimes with a swivel. That one bolt is the whole difficulty of the job, and it is usually rusty.

What varies is the battery itself. Early trucks (2009-2012, 4.7 and 5.7) typically used a group 65 flooded battery; from about 2013 on, the 3.6 Pentastar and 5.7 Hemi shipped with a group 94R/H7 AGM. The mistake people make is dropping a cheap flooded battery into an AGM truck - the charging strategy is tuned for AGM and the flooded unit lives a short, unhappy life. EcoDiesel owners: you have two batteries, and replacing only one is the other classic error.

Complete tool and parts list

Differences within the 2009-2018 generation

Socket sizes are the same across all DS engines: 10 mm terminals, 13 mm (occasionally 10 mm) hold-down. The difference is battery count and type - 3.0 EcoDiesel trucks have two batteries that should be replaced as a matched pair, 2013-2018 3.6 Pentastar and 5.7 Hemi trucks generally use a group 94R/H7 AGM, and 2009-2012 4.7/5.7 trucks usually use a group 65 flooded battery.

Torque specs

How the job goes

1. Park on level ground, engine off, key out, hood open. Note the radio and seat presets you care about.
2. If you want to keep settings, plug a memory saver into the OBD-II port under the dash or the 12V outlet (outlet must be live with key off).
3. Unclip and lift off the plastic battery cover/shroud on the driver's-side front corner of the engine bay.
4. Loosen the negative (black, marked -) terminal clamp bolt with a 10 mm socket and lift the clamp off the post. Tuck it aside so it cannot spring back onto the post.
5. Loosen the positive (red, marked +) terminal clamp bolt with the 10 mm socket, fold back the red cover, and lift the clamp off.
6. Find the hold-down clamp bolt at the base of the battery, usually on the inboard side. Use a 13 mm socket with a 10-12 in extension (a swivel helps) and remove the bolt and clamp. Some trucks use 10 mm here - try both.
7. Lift the battery straight up and out with a carry strap. Keep it upright; it is heavy and sits in a tight corner.
8. Clean the tray with baking soda and water, dry it, then wire-brush the cable clamps and hold-down hardware.
9. Set the new battery in with the posts oriented the same way as the old one. Confirm the group size and terminal layout match before dropping it in.
10. Reinstall the hold-down clamp and bolt. Snug it so the battery cannot move, but do not crank on it - the plastic case will crack.
11. Connect the positive cable first, then the negative. Tighten both clamp bolts to about 70-90 in-lb; they should not twist on the post by hand.
12. Spray terminal protectant, refit the red positive cover and the plastic shroud.
13. Disconnect the memory saver, start the engine and let it idle a few minutes so the PCM relearns idle. Reset the clock, radio presets and, if needed, the power window auto-up and TPMS light.
14. Check charging voltage at the battery: roughly 13.5-14.7 V at idle with accessories off.
15. Take the old battery to the parts store for your core refund.

Watch out

10 mm terminal bolts and a 13 mm hold-down are correct for the great majority of 2009-2018 DS Ram 1500s, but a few use 10 mm at the hold-down as well, so have both sockets ready and verify your battery group size (65 vs 94R/H7) and AGM vs flooded against the label on your old battery.

Other jobs on the 2009-2018 Ram 1500

Battery Replacement on other vehicles