< 1 yr old Motorcraft replacement battery already starting to die

[drolds1]

2 hours ago, rubyinla said:

 

I watched his videos.  He had a couple, mostly relating to Fords.  His 5 flash routine is what I did.

I also added his link in my post, which, for some unknown reason, is not available anymore according to youtube.

 

Most of these service advisors have no clue what's going on.  Every day is brand new and just more paper.  Unfortunately they guard the gate to the mechanics, so there's little choice.

 

Just trying to pass on what I have been told and seen.  Obviously, ymmv  ?

Yup.  Back in the day, a SA told my friend that his car pulling to the right was a safety feature; that if he fell asleep while driving, the car would go off the road instead of crossing into the incoming lane.

[17MKZ3.0TT]

On 9/27/2022 at 11:39 PM, rubyinla said:

 

I think you may have missed my comment that this battery is for the HYBRID, not a 3.0 V6.  It's a whole different deal electrical system.  There is no alternator for starters (pardon the pun).  This is the Ford battery from the Ford dealer.  It is the only one that fits the space.  760 CCA just aren't needed for it.

Also, the substandard battery lasted 6 years and 53,000 miles, so it did ok.  As above, ymmv :)

Oops, you are correct on all points. mea culpa x2 ?

[rubyinla]

On 3/19/2022 at 7:07 AM, scn101 said:

One thing to keep in mind if you're going to charge the battery.  The BMS, battery management system, keeps track of the amount of charge going in and out of the battery and does this via a current probe on the negative battery clamp.  So when you attach a battery charger you attach the positive clamp to the battery's + terminal and the negative clamp to a ground point (on my hybrid the battery is in the trunk and there are several ground straps I can attach to).  This way the BMS sees the charge entering the battery and won't try to overcharge it later.

 

I know this has been a while, but I'm trying to figure out if the owner's manual, that shows a Positive and Negative connection under the hood can be used for charging.

My manual, on page 257 & 258 show how to jump the vehicle.

Is there a difference between connecting the charger or jumper cables to the battery vs the battery prongs under the hood?

 

 

[bbf2530]

8 hours ago, rubyinla said:

 

I know this has been a while, but I'm trying to figure out if the owner's manual, that shows a Positive and Negative connection under the hood can be used for charging.

My manual, on page 257 & 258 show how to jump the vehicle.

Is there a difference between connecting the charger or jumper cables to the battery vs the battery prongs under the hood?

 

 

 

Hi rubyinla. Yes, you use those same points to attach a battery charger, jumper cables etc.

 

Good luck.

[rubyinla]

On 10/10/2022 at 5:17 AM, bbf2530 said:

 

Hi rubyinla. Yes, you use those same points to attach a battery charger, jumper cables etc.

 

Good luck.

 

Thanks...   That's what I was thinking.  Earlier comment about connecting to they hybrid battery in the trunk didn't seem right.

 

That's where I connected my charger while I had the battery out during the battery swap to the new one.  Figured it would probably keep any computer setting so the whole thing didn't have to start re-learning.

[rubyinla]

Went out to the car (hybrid) yesterday and it was dark.  As in 3.75 volts. 

On the 24th I put in the brand new battery and did the flash the headlights to reset the BMS.  Last drove it around on 10-23 and it's been sitting since then.  Four days.  It has sat for longer periods of time previously so I'm not worried about some dark current.

 

Had my Genius 750 charger on it for 18 hours and it's still not charged.  Reading around 5 volts charging from the engine bay jumper points.

Hopefully the CPO warranty covers some of this.

[rubyinla]

Took it to the dealer for an "exam".    They ended up resetting the BMS after finding "a lot of low battery codes stored in the computers which were cleared out and didn't come back."

 

One thing that I noticed driving around town and on the freeway is the hybrid battery is being used more often now.  Previously, never really saw it come on when climbing onto the freeway or helping out / taking over at freeway speeds.  This might be part of the reason I had noticed a decrease in MPG.  We'll see how it goes.

[rubyinla]

Curious observation...  So I've been coming back to the car, after not having started it for a few days, and finding the battery at 11.9 / 11.8.  Trying to figure out if this is "normal" in the hybrid.  A few days ago I got the "System Off to Save Battery" sign on the sync screen. 

The trunk works normal, trunk light isn't on and nothing is in the accessory plug.

[bbf2530]

On 11/21/2022 at 12:34 PM, rubyinla said:

Curious observation...  So I've been coming back to the car, after not having started it for a few days, and finding the battery at 11.9 / 11.8.  Trying to figure out if this is "normal" in the hybrid.  A few days ago I got the "System Off to Save Battery" sign on the sync screen. 

The trunk works normal, trunk light isn't on and nothing is in the accessory plug.

 

Hi ruby. Well, it is a simple yet complicated question. ?

 

It can be normal, according to how often and far you drive. Or it could be a sign of a problem.

 

If you do not drive for days at a time and take only very short trips when you do drive, the battery will not have enough drive time to  properly/fully and it will eventually dip to a low charge state, which will trigger the "System Off to Save Battery"/Battery Saver Mode in order to save charge as long as possible for starts.

Or if you do not drive for 14 days (no matter how long the last trips were or how healthy the battery is), it will also trigger "System Off to Save Battery"/Battery Saver Mode for the same reason. And that is with a healthy battery. A slightly weaker battery, very cold weather and other factors can trigger Battery Saver Mode even quicker.

 

On the other hand, if your driving habits and environment fit none of those contingencies (or similar ones), then it is possible you have a weak/failing battery, or some type of parasitic draw in the electrical system.

 

It is just too difficult to know in a blind Internet diagnosis.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

Edited December 4, 2022 by bbf2530

[rubyinla]

On 11/21/2022 at 10:49 AM, bbf2530 said:

 

Hi ruby. Well, it is a simple yet complicated question. ?

 

hehe... yup, to say the least.  Ignorance of a system and a lack of resources, leads to all sorts of internet ideas.  And, the service writers are probably some of the worst sources of information on the planet.

For the last week voltages seem to slide between 12.2v and 11.9v while it's waiting in the stable.  ?  Probably about time to stop worrying about it.

 

We've now got 3 cars and drive, maybe, 12k a year.  Somethings gotta leave the barn and it isn't "our" new toy.  Just added a 2005 Thunderbird.  Sort of blows mpg out the window ?  but the V8 rumble is worth it !!

[drolds1]

My 2017 was cranking slowly.  It read 12.0V on my DMM.  I took it in, they told me there was no problem.  A week later, it was dead. I jumped it and drove back. I drove home with a new battery a half-hour later.  I guess I had a point after all.

[rubyinla]

On 12/5/2022 at 2:38 PM, drolds1 said:

My 2017 was cranking slowly.  It read 12.0V on my DMM.  I took it in, they told me there was no problem.  A week later, it was dead. I jumped it and drove back. I drove home with a new battery a half-hour later.  I guess I had a point after all.

 

With the hybrid I've got a really tiny battery.  A little over 2 months old now.

Drove it yesterday.  This morning it's sitting at 12.03 volts.

[drolds1]

 

2 hours ago, rubyinla said:

 

With the hybrid I've got a really tiny battery.  A little over 2 months old now.

Drove it yesterday.  This morning it's sitting at 12.03 volts.

Yes, the 12V battery isn't used to start the car in the Hybrid, so it's consequently smaller than a conventional one.  In your case, 12.03 might be adequate, since it's just used to power accessories, but IDK.

[jmcgliss]

On 10/26/2022 at 10:49 AM, rubyinla said:

Went out to the car (hybrid) yesterday and it was dark.  As in 3.75 volts. 

On the 24th I put in the brand new battery and did the flash the headlights to reset the BMS.  Last drove it around on 10-23 and it's been sitting since then.  Four days.  It has sat for longer periods of time previously so I'm not worried about some dark current.

 

Had my Genius 750 charger on it for 18 hours and it's still not charged.  Reading around 5 volts charging from the engine bay jumper points.

Hopefully the CPO warranty covers some of this.

 

One thought to consider. What is a "new" battery? I decided to bypass the dealer's BS and install an aftermarket battery in our 2015 2.0L. Autozone had three in my size with old date labels. They tested out at 20% capacity (the one they were going to sell me even after asking if they were fully charged), 45% capacity, and 68% capacity. I walked out. BatteriesPlus! down the street had a Duracell at 78% capacity so I bought it. The smart charger brought it up to full charge, and I attached an extension plug to connect a battery maintainer without opening the hood every time. 

 

Takeaway: Don't assume a new battery is fully charged.