Charging System: Service Now

[seasprite]

You can spend all the time and aggravation you desire, but at that battery's age, I would replace it, and go from there.

Different lines of thought going on I guess. We know the battery is going to be replaced sometime or multiple times depending on how long you own your vehicle. I usually wait until I have an issue like a no start. My last Ford battery lasted 7 years before we stuck it in the wife's van before we traded it in.
Seems the other line of thought is replace after a certain amount of time before trouble starts. The question is how much time?

In this case we have an error code telling us something is wrong with the charging system with a batt. that is 4.5 years old. We don't know where the issue is in the system. Do we dump $200.00 to $300.00 on a batt. that we don't know the condition and could lead to several hundred more being spent if its something else in the charging system is at fault.
Me personally I would want to run a diag on the charging system to see what is wrong and address the issue that way instead of firing the parts cannon with my fingers crossed.
Hope OP lets us know what the problem was

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[got3fords]

Different lines of thought going on I guess. We know the battery is going to be replaced sometime or multiple times depending on how long you own your vehicle. I usually wait until I have an issue like a no start. My last Ford battery lasted 7 years before we stuck it in the wife's van before we traded it in.
Seems the other line of thought is replace after a certain amount of time before trouble starts. The question is how much time?

I suppose with today's compact, inexpensive jump packs, the risk of being stranded by battery failure is minimized, so I can see this logic.

 

[Walkman]

I have a 2020 Ford Ranger and for the past few days, this warning light frequently turns on: "Charging System: Service Now"

This happened 3-4 times. Each time, I checked the battery voltage with the engine off, and it was between 12.3 volts and 12.5 volts. I connected the battery charger and that brought the battery up to 13.1 volts. Then during the next trip, the same warning light comes on. Could it be the charging system is bad?

I then checked the voltage at the battery with the engine running and it read 14.1 volts. Does that mean the charging system is fine?

The vehicle is 4.5 years old and it still has the original battery.

What should I do? Replace the battery?

Just had same problem with my 2021 XLT. It’s the cheap ass battery Ford uses. Go to Walmart & get the platinum H6 series. 4 year warranty & $100 cheaper than the auto stores.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Just had same problem with my 2021 XLT. It’s the cheap ass battery Ford uses. Go to Walmart & get the platinum H6 series. 4 year warranty & $100 cheaper than the auto stores.

Have a cheap Walmart battery in my wife's Outback that is over 5 years old so replaced my 2019 OEM H7 with a Walmart battery last month. Hope to get 5 years out of it too.

Did I mention free installation too.

 

[UserHCC]

What is the battery voltage with the lights and HVAC blower motor running on high? Reading the battery voltage with a load on it will give a better picture of the charging system. There is a 225 amp fuse mounted on the positive battery post buss-work that goes to the alternator and others have had this fuse bad causing the symptoms that you are having.

I'm the OP: Thanks all for the help. With the engine running, and the headlights on, and the heater blower motor running at full, the voltage at the battery terminals was 15.0 volts. What does that tell you?

I looked at the 225 amp fuse and it did not appear blown. However, I did not remove the fuse and test it.

I just replaced the battery with a new one. I tried the 5x high-beams 3x brake pedal thing to reset the BMS, but that did not appear to do anything. There were no warning lights before I did that procedure and there are no warning lights now.

I will take the vehicle out on a 1-2 hour drive later this evening. That will be the real test. With the old battery, the warning would flash several times during an hour. I'll let you know what happens with the new battery.

 

[REDWM]

I would rule out the charging system by testing it, before replacing the battery. The battery can be tested also. So many throw parts at an issue without doing proper troubleshooting. My 2019 Ranger still has the original battery in it (about 5 1/2 years) and still going strong.

So does my 2019 battery. I use a battery maintainer to keep it going.

 

[RangerBill]

I'm the OP: Thanks all for the help. With the engine running, and the headlights on, and the heater blower motor running at full, the voltage at the battery terminals was 15.0 volts. What does that tell you?

I looked at the 225 amp fuse and it did not appear blown. However, I did not remove the fuse and test it.

Battery voltage under a heavy load with the engine running at 15 volts is a good indicator the alternator is ok, unless there is an intermittent connection, or the fuse is intermittent or partially blown. How did you make out with your test drive?

Can you scan for any DTC codes?

 

[cfhgarza]

I had this same message when I had a loose battery terminal.

 

[RangerBill]

I'm the OP: Thanks all for the help. With the engine running, and the headlights on, and the heater blower motor running at full, the voltage at the battery terminals was 15.0 volts. What does that tell you?

I looked at the 225 amp fuse and it did not appear blown. However, I did not remove the fuse and test it.

I just replaced the battery with a new one. I tried the 5x high-beams 3x brake pedal thing to reset the BMS, but that did not appear to do anything. There were no warning lights before I did that procedure and there are no warning lights now.

I will take the vehicle out on a 1-2 hour drive later this evening. That will be the real test. With the old battery, the warning would flash several times during an hour. I'll let you know what happens with the new battery.

Were the battery terminals on tight and clean with the old battery?

 

[UserHCC]

I drove the Ranger for about three hours last night and the warning message never appeared. So, hopefully this issue has been resolved. Thanks again for the help.

 

[Grandaccess]

I have a 2020 Ford Ranger and for the past few days, this warning light frequently turns on: "Charging System: Service Now"

This happened 3-4 times. Each time, I checked the battery voltage with the engine off, and it was between 12.3 volts and 12.5 volts. I connected the battery charger and that brought the battery up to 13.1 volts. Then during the next trip, the same warning light comes on. Could it be the charging system is bad?

I then checked the voltage at the battery with the engine running and it read 14.1 volts. Does that mean the charging system is fine?

The vehicle is 4.5 years old and it still has the original battery.

What should I do? Replace the battery?

charging system is probably fine, I like my AGMs at 13.5v Float (Accumulation) my smart charger brings a battery up to 15.7 at first then turns off and watches the drop, then goes to 13.5v and just keeps it there, but since your battery is most likely going bad the system is trying to compensate, my last truck almost always stayed at 14.1v, I have been running AGM and Deep Cycles way before it was cool maybe 35 years, I am a Ham Radio Op and a heavy user of batteries, in my Jeep Grand I had Two 100 AH

 

[Grandaccess]

I drove the Ranger for about three hours last night and the warning message never appeared. So, hopefully this issue has been resolved. Thanks again for the help.

It might be getting low or just a little weak because of your driving habits, put a Battery Tender or trickle charger on it at least once a week over the winter, you can also go into Forscan and up the SOC state of Charge to 90% or 95% I think stock is 80% thats way to low in MHO

 

[got3fords]

My Solar battery health tester has confusing abbreviations for the type of battery being tested. Per directions:
"Press Arrow Keys to select type of battery to be tested: SLI, AGMF, AGMS or GEL. SLI refers to standard Starting/Lighting/Ignition flooded batteries, AGMF refers specifically to traditionally shaped AGM batteries, AGMS refers specifically to AGM-designated Spiral Wound batteries and GEL specifically refers to Gel Cell batteries."
SLI should be SLA - standard lead acid
AGMF should be AGM - absorbed glass matt
AGMS is perfect - absorbed glass matt, spiral
GEL - I guess this is also just gel

 

[Jimbo7]

I have a 2020 Ford Ranger and for the past few days, this warning light frequently turns on: "Charging System: Service Now"

This happened 3-4 times. Each time, I checked the battery voltage with the engine off, and it was between 12.3 volts and 12.5 volts. I connected the battery charger and that brought the battery up to 13.1 volts. Then during the next trip, the same warning light comes on. Could it be the charging system is bad?

I then checked the voltage at the battery with the engine running and it read 14.1 volts. Does that mean the charging system is fine
The vehicle is 4.5 years old and it still has the original battery.

What should I do? Replace the battery?

Guys, I've figured this out. This happened to both my and my neighbors 2021 Ranger. Kept getting an intermittent light. No rhyme or reason as to how and when. Once it came on, it stayed on until I turned it off. Restart and it's no longer on. Drive 3 miles and it's back on. Dealer says that it's the alternator and they'll replace it for $1300.00. Truck is 2500 miles out of warranty. Something didn't add up. I got my multimeter and my alternator was putting out a healthy 14.9 volts. Turned the AC on full and the brights on. Dropped to 14.8. Battery at rest was 13.6V, so we know that the alternator is fully charging the battery. So, I looked on YouTube, found the same stuff that you probably did. 225 amp alternator fuse and another fuse as well. They were perfect. In digging around I found a crappy wire, about the gauge of an old landline telephone wire going to the underside of the positive battery terminal. With a cheesy plastic white connector like something on a $15.00 RC toy. I wiggled it, it was loose, pushed it up and drove it. Light never came on. Came home, wrapped the wire and the connector with electrical tape and haven't had a problem in 1500 miles. Neighbor had the same issue. Took it to the dealer and the tech told him that he had the same truck with the same problem and he replaced the alternator and it fixed it. I wrapped his little wire and no problem any longer. Guys, they know that it's the connector that goes to the sensor that gives you the light. They want to sell you an alternator replacement. Follow the alternator cable to the terminal, make sure it's a tight connection. Then, find the crappy wire that runs under or near the 225 fuse. Wiggle that, push in the connector and drive it. If the light doesn't come on, wrap it with electrical tape. It's not your alternator, it's not your battery. It's the crappy sensor connector. They don't call them Stealerships for nothing. Hope this helps.

 

[Frenchy]

Guys, I've figured this out. This happened to both my and my neighbors 2021 Ranger. Kept getting an intermittent light. No rhyme or reason as to how and when. Once it came on, it stayed on until I turned it off. Restart and it's no longer on. Drive 3 miles and it's back on. Dealer says that it's the alternator and they'll replace it for $1300.00. Truck is 2500 miles out of warranty. Something didn't add up. I got my multimeter and my alternator was putting out a healthy 14.9 volts. Turned the AC on full and the brights on. Dropped to 14.8. Battery at rest was 13.6V. So, I looked on YouTube, found the same stuff that you probably did. 225 amp alternator fuse and another fuse as well. Perfect. In digging around I found a crappy wire, about the gauge of an old landline telephone wire going to the underside of the positive battery terminal. With a cheesy plastic white connector like something on a $15.00 RC toy. I wiggled it, it was loose, and drove it. Light never came on. Came home, wrapped the wire and the connector with electrical tape and haven't had a problem in 500 miles. Neighbor had the same issue. Took it to the dealer and the tech told him that he had the same truck with the same problem and he replaced the alternator and it fixed it. I wrapped his little wire and no problem any longer. Guys, they know that it's the connector that goes to the sensor that gives you the light. They want to sell you an alternator replacement. Follow the alternator cable to the terminal, make sure it's a tight connection. Then, find the crappy wire that runs under or near the 225 fuse. Wiggle that, push in the connector and drive it. If the light doesn't come on, wrap it with electrical tape. It's not your alternator, it's not your battery. It's the crappy sensor connector. They don't call them Stealerships for nothing. Hope this helps.

Pictures of said wire would be helpful

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