Charger Hellcat slow engine start when heat soaked

[Av8ing1]

Looking for suggestions:
Background: New Charger Hellcat, less than a thousand miles, purchased new from dealer a month ago, don't know build date or how long it sat on dealers lot (need to look into that but I doubt it was for long - high volume dealer).

The car has been perfect so far except I have had several incidents now of a slow start. Each occurrence has been when the car is started after it had been previously driven for awhile shut down and sat for 10-20 minutes. By slow start I mean slow engine rotation with the starter motor. It has successfully started all but once. The one occurrence in which it did not start, I pressed and released the starter button, the engine turned over slowly and almost caught but died. I pressed the start button again and it successfully started and ran.

After sitting for longer periods of time there is no issue, starter turns engine at a good speed and light off is achieved, so car starts up with normal gusto.

My first thought is battery isn't healthy but the car starts fine most of the time even after sitting for days. (I have not yet checked resting voltage)
On that thought, I can see how batteries take a beating in transport from manufacturing to dealer lots and on the lots themselves. Quite possible its been taken too far down more than once. However, starts fine after sitting for a few days...

Second thought is that is seems like a heat issue. Maybe a poor connection somewhere that is worse when the car is heat soaked?
I swear I have read that others had this issue as well but my search here didn't bring up anything.

Anyone experienced this and if so was a solution found?

I'm not considering this a real issue yet but it could become one and just doesn't seem quite right. I'd much prefer an easy fix I can do than take it to the dealer.

 

[Blkout]

My bet is defective battery

 

[SunnyS]

Looking for suggestions:
Background: New Charger Hellcat, less than a thousand miles, purchased new from dealer a month ago, don't know build date or how long it sat on dealers lot (need to look into that but I doubt it was for long - high volume dealer).

The car has been perfect so far except I have had several incidents now of a slow start. Each occurrence has been when the car is started after it had been previously driven for awhile shut down and sat for 10-20 minutes. By slow start I mean slow engine rotation with the starter motor. It has successfully started all but once. The one occurrence in which it did not start, I pressed and released the starter button, the engine turned over slowly and almost caught but died. I pressed the start button again and it successfully started and ran.

After sitting for longer periods of time there is no issue, starter turns engine at a good speed and light off is achieved, so car starts up with normal gusto.

My first thought is battery isn't healthy but the car starts fine most of the time even after sitting for days. (I have not yet checked resting voltage)
On that thought, I can see how batteries take a beating in transport from manufacturing to dealer lots and on the lots themselves. Quite possible its been taken too far down more than once. However, starts fine after sitting for a few days...

Second thought is that is seems like a heat issue. Maybe a poor connection somewhere that is worse when the car is heat soaked?
I swear I have read that others had this issue as well but my search here didn't bring up anything.

Anyone experienced this and if so was a solution found?

I'm not considering this a real issue yet but it could become one and just doesn't seem quite right. I'd much prefer an easy fix I can do than take it to the dealer.

Battery take it back to the dealer and have them do a load test on it. Fixed mine that was doing the same thing.

 

[Hellcatcfp]

Have been hearing about this problem lately...was battery even though it passed load tests. Never had this happen on mine...now at 11,000 miles. Let us know what you find out.

 

[Av8ing1]

Thanks for the input guys. I did find some posts on this issue at that other site with all the geico adds...
There was a surprising number of people reporting similar issues. Several said issue was resolved with a new battery. One with a new starter and one by securing a loose connection in a under hood power distribution box of some kind. There were several stories of dealer service departments that could not duplicate the issue and did nothing.

I have not tried my local dealer out for service yet. I did go to them when looking for my car, they did not please me so I found one elsewhere. Hopefully that wont be an issue. Probably will not be, I just have trust issues I guess when it comes to equipment that I like.

I'm thinking I'd rather just buy a battery and change it myself even if I'm loosing out potentially on a warrantied battery replacement. Perhaps this would be a good time to try out one of the Arc Angle lithium battery's as discussed here
https://www.hellcatforum.org/threads/lightweight-lithium-battery-thoughts.3514/#post-12463

I'll have a look around for loose connections first and take some battery voltage readings then likely get a new battery.

 

[SunnyS]

Thanks for the input guys. I did find some posts on this issue at that other site with all the geico adds...
There was a surprising number of people reporting similar issues. Several said issue was resolved with a new battery. One with a new starter and one by securing a loose connection in a under hood power distribution box of some kind. There were several stories of dealer service departments that could not duplicate the issue and did nothing.

I have not tried my local dealer out for service yet. I did go to them when looking for my car, they did not please me so I found one elsewhere. Hopefully that wont be an issue. Probably will not be, I just have trust issues I guess when it comes to equipment that I like.

I'm thinking I'd rather just buy a battery and change it myself even if I'm loosing out potentially on a warrantied battery replacement. Perhaps this would be a good time to try out one of the Arc Angle lithium battery's as discussed here
https://www.hellcatforum.org/threads/lightweight-lithium-battery-thoughts.3514/#post-13896

I'll have a look around for loose connections first and take some battery voltage readings then likely get a new battery.

Yes the dealer is really like are government with a bunch of dysfunctional people trying to get something done.They had put the new battery in my car but forgot to tighten the cable bolts and the same problem was there till I got home and saw the problem.The warranted battery was nice to have but the time out of my day and having to go over somebody else's work was PIA. I also had the now famous spinning starter with no start issue and the slow cranking was not there for that problem and that is the only reason I went to the dealer. The new battery did fix that n my car but some people say that it did not fix there car.Really the only advantage to the Arc Angel is if you want to lighten your car up for the drag strip. But that is a pricey battery and you could buy almost three batteries for that price.Keep us posted on how it works out.

 

[Av8ing1]

I have an update on my slow start issue. I decided to go ahead and get a new battery and avoid the dealer. I was tempted to get a lithium battery but decided just to go with an AGM. I wound up with an Odyssey 94R-850 from Amazon. It was plug and play with no issues. I had weird screens on my cluster and infotainment screen at the first start but all was back to normal on the second start after walking away for awhile. No loss of settings or radio favorites. I don't have enough time on the new battery to be sure yet that the slow start issues is resolved but so far it is much better. The few incidents of driving for awhile, parking and starting back up after 10-15 minutes resulted in normal turnover speeds and strong starts.

 

[Camsdad]

I just got my 2019 Hellcat 2 weeks ago. It didn’t sit at a dealer more than a day after it came in from the factory. Probably one of the last 2019 new builds. I’m having slow starts. Not even 500 miles. Battery is charged. Seems to be only when driving for a bit, shutting down and restarting less than 15 minutes after shut down. I wonder if it has anything to do with the chiller? My 2018 Hellcat never had a problem.

 

[Av8ing1]

The after run chiller doesn't automatically run on shutdown. You would have to initiate it yourself. Are you? If not then I doubt it could be a factor.

 

[Camsdad]

The after run chiller doesn't automatically run on shutdown. You would have to initiate it yourself. Are you? If not then I doubt it could be a factor.

Good question, I had thought it was automatic. I guess I should have read the book 😁

 

[Av8ing1]

I'm still curious about this issue. Replacing my factory battery helped a lot in my car. However, hot starts still sound like the engine is not turning as fast via the starter motor as it is on a cold start. Is a hot engine take more torque to spin? Is there some electrical component that performs poorly when hot? Are the long battery supply cables susceptible to increased resistance due to heat? I also sometimes get a little stumble as the engine starts to run. Makes me wonder if fuel has boiled in the fuel rails or supply lines and takes a bit to clear? Anyway, random thoughts I ponder. With the new battery things have improved and I am no longer worried about a dying battery or a car that will not start.

 

[Camsdad]

The after run chiller doesn't automatically run on shutdown. You would have to initiate it yourself. Are you? If not then I doubt it could be a factor.

Good question, I had thought it was automatic. I guess I should have read the book

I'm still curious about this issue. Replacing my factory battery helped a lot in my car. However, hot starts still sound like the engine is not turning as fast via the starter motor as it is on a cold start. Is a hot engine take more torque to spin? Is there some electrical component that performs poorly when hot? Are the long battery supply cables susceptible to increased resistance due to heat? I also sometimes get a little stumble as the engine starts to run. Makes me wonder if fuel has boiled in the fuel rails or supply lines and takes a bit to clear? Anyway, random thoughts I ponder. With the new battery things have improved and I am no longer worried about a dying battery or a car that will not start.

My 2018 never had the issue. My 2019 does. Does it seem to be isolated to all 2019 models? My 19 didn’t sit on a lot more than a day. I wonder if battery vendor or starter vendor changed this model year?

 

[Hellcatcfp]

Interesting...sure someone on here can shed some light. I honestly don't notice any issues on hot starts myself. If anything is seems to start easier as engine is warm vs a cold start. Maybe next time take a video of the start to show the delay/struggle you speak of? Curious to know as well

 

[DodgeCares]

I just got my 2019 Hellcat 2 weeks ago. It didn’t sit at a dealer more than a day after it came in from the factory. Probably one of the last 2019 new builds. I’m having slow starts. Not even 500 miles. Battery is charged. Seems to be only when driving for a bit, shutting down and restarting less than 15 minutes after shut down. I wonder if it has anything to do with the chiller? My 2018 Hellcat never had a problem.

HI Camsdad,
Sorry to hear you are experiencing this concern, we certainly understand why this would be concerning. If you end up addressing this with your local Dodge dealer, please let us know via PM. We'd be more than happy to provide you with an additional layer of assistance for that process.
Rob
DodgeCares

 

[HTX Hellcat]

Mine is doing the same thing. Has since day one. 3200 miles now. Very slow crank like it does not want to start then it does. Appears to be only after driving for a bit then shutting down and restarting anytime less than 30 minutes. I have also had the car die if I start it and turn the wheel within a split second after starting the car. It has done this twice. Car starts after a slow crank I then immediately turned the wheel and the car died. Starts right back up normally after it dies. No slow start after the car shutting off.

 

[Camsdad]

HI Camsdad,
Sorry to hear you are experiencing this concern, we certainly understand why this would be concerning. If you end up addressing this with your local Dodge dealer, please let us know via PM. We'd be more than happy to provide you with an additional layer of assistance for that process.
Rob
DodgeCares

Hi Rob,

I haven’t driven her much. I’ll check this week sometime. I appreciate the response. The car is awesome and starts right up cold.

Jeff

 

[Av8ing1]

If you want to do some reading over on the other site:
https://www.hellcat.org/threads/anyone-have-starting-issues.228127/
Seems this issue is an issue for more than a few. Looks like mostly 2018 and 19 cars. One post said something to the effect that FCA-SRT knows about this problem. However, no solution seems to be found on the forums. I can't help but think its something simple like a batch of crap starters, loose electrical connection, fuel pressure leak off or leaking injectors.... Maybe a weak battery makes the issue more apparent? I'm really not buying the battery being the prime culprit. Who knows though.

 

[NYCSRTATE]

This sounds like the battery isn't charging while driving around or something is hindering the charging from the alternator.

 

[Camsdad]

This sounds like the battery isn't charging while driving around or something is hindering the charging from the alternator.[/QUOTE
There would be cold start issues if it was an alternator. I’m leaning more towards starter or relay.

 

[BULL]

I hate to say this out loud...

But this has just a hint of pistons that are too tight in their bores...



See? Now that I've said it out loud, doesn't it sound dumb...?

Battery/starter/alternator sounds MUCH better...