(Car in question is a 2010 Dodge Challenger w/ the 3.5L)
A couple of months back I was surprised when the battery light on the dash lit up after starting car one night. It had never done that, so I immediately turned off engine and restarted it. The light was gone, so I went on about my business. Only later did I check for DTCs just in case (CEL never illuminated) and found one - P0622, which basically indicates a fault in the charging system has been detected and the end result is no alternator charge delivered to battery (while battery light lit up on dash) and the DTC set in memory.
Since that initial occurrence, it has happened 4-5 more times, each time a little less time elapses between events than previously (started out 14 days between them, then a week, now last 2 events within 3 days of each other). So things are coming to a head it would appear.
But unfortunately I have been unable to identify what the problem actually is.
Each time the fault occurs, I have been able to resolve it (restart alternator output) by either stopping and restarting the engine or removing and re-tightening battery cables on battery posts. They didn't require cleaning, and all I did was loosen the bolts and pull off posts for inspection, and then replace on posts and tighten down. That worked the last 2 times when restarting engine wouldn't.
I have been able to verify the battery is good, and it's only a year or 18 months old anyway, so wouldn't expect problems from it yet. The alternator is even younger (maybe a year old), so wouldn't expect it to be acting up either. Car itself has 100K miles on it, but I take care of the vehicle and do regular maintenance for all service intervals, and I've never found anything amiss that would lead me to believe things are just falling apart.
So it's down to the point of everything works great, until it doesn't, at which point the alternator is no longer charging the battery and I have to somehow make it charge again. Once I do that, by whatever means, everything is fine again...until next time.
Internet searches have mostly yielded posts and threads related to this DTC on GM vehicles, but even then I have tried to rule out the issues mentioned in those as culprits, just in case. The wiring on the back of the alternator was a big one in most of those threads, but I cannot get mine to act up by any manipulation of those wires. It's as if they are good, and they are connected securely, so I am assuming they are.
Alternator itself? Well, it would have to be tested while "in fault" wouldn't it? That's what I'm guessing, and haven't had the guts to pull it off yet while in fault since it's always happened while out about in town. If it would happen at home, I guess I could pull it and have it tested thoroughly. But from what I've read, the alternator doesn't sound like the likely suspect for this issue, it's usually somewhere else in the charging system, so I'm reticent to start dismantling things just yet (not to mention the alternator's a witch to get off/on and this is our only vehicle at the moment).
Any ideas anyone has on troubleshooting further or personal stories of dealing with this nasty little DTC would be much appreciated, as I'm about at my wits end trying to get past this particular issue!
thanks,
nuke
A couple of months back I was surprised when the battery light on the dash lit up after starting car one night. It had never done that, so I immediately turned off engine and restarted it. The light was gone, so I went on about my business. Only later did I check for DTCs just in case (CEL never illuminated) and found one - P0622, which basically indicates a fault in the charging system has been detected and the end result is no alternator charge delivered to battery (while battery light lit up on dash) and the DTC set in memory.
Since that initial occurrence, it has happened 4-5 more times, each time a little less time elapses between events than previously (started out 14 days between them, then a week, now last 2 events within 3 days of each other). So things are coming to a head it would appear.
But unfortunately I have been unable to identify what the problem actually is.
Each time the fault occurs, I have been able to resolve it (restart alternator output) by either stopping and restarting the engine or removing and re-tightening battery cables on battery posts. They didn't require cleaning, and all I did was loosen the bolts and pull off posts for inspection, and then replace on posts and tighten down. That worked the last 2 times when restarting engine wouldn't.
I have been able to verify the battery is good, and it's only a year or 18 months old anyway, so wouldn't expect problems from it yet. The alternator is even younger (maybe a year old), so wouldn't expect it to be acting up either. Car itself has 100K miles on it, but I take care of the vehicle and do regular maintenance for all service intervals, and I've never found anything amiss that would lead me to believe things are just falling apart.
So it's down to the point of everything works great, until it doesn't, at which point the alternator is no longer charging the battery and I have to somehow make it charge again. Once I do that, by whatever means, everything is fine again...until next time.
Internet searches have mostly yielded posts and threads related to this DTC on GM vehicles, but even then I have tried to rule out the issues mentioned in those as culprits, just in case. The wiring on the back of the alternator was a big one in most of those threads, but I cannot get mine to act up by any manipulation of those wires. It's as if they are good, and they are connected securely, so I am assuming they are.
Alternator itself? Well, it would have to be tested while "in fault" wouldn't it? That's what I'm guessing, and haven't had the guts to pull it off yet while in fault since it's always happened while out about in town. If it would happen at home, I guess I could pull it and have it tested thoroughly. But from what I've read, the alternator doesn't sound like the likely suspect for this issue, it's usually somewhere else in the charging system, so I'm reticent to start dismantling things just yet (not to mention the alternator's a witch to get off/on and this is our only vehicle at the moment).
Any ideas anyone has on troubleshooting further or personal stories of dealing with this nasty little DTC would be much appreciated, as I'm about at my wits end trying to get past this particular issue!
thanks,
nuke