Maximizing Battery Life

[RangerBill]

Don't you have to reset the BMS each time you charge with an external battery charger?
Mark

No, you should only reset the BMS when changing out the battery. BMS keeps track of age and other factors that change over time, and the system makes adjustments to the charging as the battery ages. Others will disagree, but the Ford shop manual states this.

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[airline tech]

No, you should only reset the BMS when changing out the battery. BMS keeps track of age and other factors that change over time, and the system makes adjustments to the charging as the battery ages. Others will disagree, but the Ford shop manual states this.

Although - The statement is true, the manuals state to not perform a BMS Reset unless you are replacing the battery.

They also have this (SSM) which contradicts that statement

Once you fully understand that the BMS and its (Inferred) battery health (IR) and that the Ford manuals are not accounting for periodic battery maintenance, then the battery aging algorithm set by the BCM is thrown out the window.

It assumes that the battery has (increased) IR due to normal battery aging, when you perform battery maintenance you are greatly influencing that (aging algorithm) and maintaining a low IR in the battery.

The KEY factor is the IR of the battery, if left untouched the system assumes as the battery ages the IR will increase - which is true, but however if you are regularly performing battery maintenance the IR will remain in the (as new) range and a low IR and a yearly reset as long as you are maintaining the battery and have a low IR then the reset is beneficial vs detrimental

Bottom Line is - The Aging Battery Algorythm - does not take into account any regular battery maintenance (external charging or de-sulphation of the battery) it assumes that as the battery ages the IR will increase and the system must adjust how it charges

Some 2017-2022 Ford/Lincoln customers may experience a notification in the FordPass®/LincolnWay® app indicating Vehicle Has Entered Deep Sleep Mode. This occurs when the vehicle has not been started for 14 consecutive days, battery voltage is at/below 9.5 volts or the body control module (BCM) 12 volt battery state of charge (SOC) drops below 50%. A warning may also set if the telematic control unit (TCU) has received an over the air update. The TCU powers down all communication when in this mode and app features are disabled. Manually start the vehicle to wake if from mode. More information is located in the app under: Account > Help > search 'Deep Sleep' in the entry box. If the condition remains, check the BCM 12v SOC. If the SOC does not change after charging the battery or after BMS reset is performed, continue with normal battery and/or BMS sensor diagnostics.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Although - The statement is true, the manuals state to not perform a BMS Reset unless you are replacing the battery.

They also have this (SSM) which contradicts that statement

Once you fully understand that the BMS and its (Inferred) battery health (IR) and that the Ford manuals are not accounting for periodic battery maintenance, then the battery aging algorithm set by the BCM is thrown out the window.

It assumes that the battery has (increased) IR due to normal battery aging, when you perform battery maintenance you are greatly influencing that (aging algorithm) and maintaining a low IR in the battery.

The KEY factor is the IR of the battery, if left untouched the system assumes as the battery ages the IR will increase - which is true, but however if you are regularly performing battery maintenance the IR will remain in the (as new) range and a low IR and a yearly reset as long as you are maintaining the battery and have a low IR then the reset is beneficial vs detrimental

Bottom Line is - The Aging Battery Algorythm - does not take into account any regular battery maintenance (external charging or de-sulphation of the battery) it assumes that as the battery ages the IR will increase and the system must adjust how it charges

Some 2017-2022 Ford/Lincoln customers may experience a notification in the FordPass®/LincolnWay® app indicating Vehicle Has Entered Deep Sleep Mode. This occurs when the vehicle has not been started for 14 consecutive days, battery voltage is at/below 9.5 volts or the body control module (BCM) 12 volt battery state of charge (SOC) drops below 50%. A warning may also set if the telematic control unit (TCU) has received an over the air update. The TCU powers down all communication when in this mode and app features are disabled. Manually start the vehicle to wake if from mode. More information is located in the app under: Account > Help > search 'Deep Sleep' in the entry box. If the condition remains, check the BCM 12v SOC. If the SOC does not change after charging the battery or after BMS reset is performed, continue with normal battery and/or BMS sensor diagnostics.

Thanks for that info. I've reset the BMS several times as I maintain the battery and want it charged just as a new one.

 

[airline tech]

Probably a better way to explain it is:

A new battery will have a lower IR and can accept the charge easily - the reason for the BMS reset.

A maintained battery can have the same as new battery IR and accept the charge the same as a new battery.

The algorithm does not factor in (maintenance) it only looks at battery age.

The learned (Estimated SOC) is the true live data that is learned over time and if consistently not being able to reach full charge it causes the SOC to drift , combine the drift and battery age charging shifts produces the issues of the IPC messages etc.

The most important is if the battery has a high IR then a BMS reset will make the battery issues worse, that is the reasoning for the statement- Do Not Reset unless a new battery is installed
It’s assuming you have a new battery and Low IR , but fails to account for maintenance of the battery that can produce the same Low IR as a new battery.

 

[TJC]

Thanks, this is good info. 8 - 10 years sounds very good to me. Actually, my battery wasn't acting up, I just didn't want to have to replace it on a 7,000 mile trip.

I have a Victron Blue Smart IP65 Charger which can charge at either 15 amp or 4 amp. It has a Reconditioning Mode and they caution: "Reconditioning should be applied only occasionally to flat plate VRLA (gel and AGM) batteries because the resulting gassing will dry out the electrolyte." Would this be a good charger to use? What about reconditioning? This always sounded a bit scary to me ...

Don't you have to reset the BMS each time you charge with an external battery charger?

Yes, today's cars are insane with all the computers squeaking out every bit of gas mileage they can ... actually kind of annoying to me. I loved my '64 Nova with 283 and 4 spd; nothing under the hood that wasn't needed to run the engine!

Oh well, many thanks!

Mark

I've just read the manual on The Vivtron Blue Smart IP65, and it does not appear to have a true desulfation mode. Typical desulfation modes send various high frequency signals into the battery that break down sulfur crystals that accumulate on the lead plates.

The reconditioning in the statement below implies a high voltage low current charging state which will result in boiling the water in the battery and outgasing.

"Reconditioning should be applied only occasionally to flat plate VRLA (gel and AGM)
batteries because the resulting gassing will dry out the electrolyte."

A desultration mode doesn't do either, it is a low current moderate voltage with a high frequency component. Some chargers use a single high frequency, while others use multiple high frequency ranges to break up the crystal more effectively. But desulfation modes will not outgas the battery.

The short of it is this - desulfation works by:

• sending high-frequency pulses when in "float or Storage Trickle charge" mode.
• These pulses help break down hardened sulfate crystals.
• It aims to restore lost capacity and improve performance.

Desulfation mode is used to maintain a healthy battery, or to try to recover a battery that has sat and discharged over time and poorly holds a charge.

Recovery Mode is used to bring a deeply discharged battery back to a chargeable state. Your charger has the ability to charge a near dead battery. Many modern chargers don't have that ability. The voltage cutoffs vary among chargers, some don't try at <10V, others go lower down to 2V or 3V, Your tries even at 0v. That's Recovery mode and is is used when the

• Battery voltage is extremely low (often below 10V on a 12V battery).
• Charger normally would not recognize the battery.
• Battery may have been drained to near zero.

Recovery Mode

• Applies a very low, controlled current to a battery that is below normal charging voltage.
• Slowly raises voltage to a level where normal charging can begin.
• Prevents overheating and plate damage.

Your charger is a 3 stage charger - Bulk, Absorption, and Float. It appears to have Storage mode, but it does not mention a Desulfation Mode (integrated into the charging cycle or manually activated). This keeps you from managing the internal resistance of the battery due to sulfur crystal buildup on the battery lead plates.

You might want to contact the manufacturer to verify my understanding. But that is how I read the manual.

 

[RangerBill]

Although - The statement is true, the manuals state to not perform a BMS Reset unless you are replacing the battery.

They also have this (SSM) which contradicts that statement

Once you fully understand that the BMS and its (Inferred) battery health (IR) and that the Ford manuals are not accounting for periodic battery maintenance, then the battery aging algorithm set by the BCM is thrown out the window.

It assumes that the battery has (increased) IR due to normal battery aging, when you perform battery maintenance you are greatly influencing that (aging algorithm) and maintaining a low IR in the battery.

The KEY factor is the IR of the battery, if left untouched the system assumes as the battery ages the IR will increase - which is true, but however if you are regularly performing battery maintenance the IR will remain in the (as new) range and a low IR and a yearly reset as long as you are maintaining the battery and have a low IR then the reset is beneficial vs detrimental

Bottom Line is - The Aging Battery Algorythm - does not take into account any regular battery maintenance (external charging or de-sulphation of the battery) it assumes that as the battery ages the IR will increase and the system must adjust how it charges

Some 2017-2022 Ford/Lincoln customers may experience a notification in the FordPass®/LincolnWay® app indicating Vehicle Has Entered Deep Sleep Mode. This occurs when the vehicle has not been started for 14 consecutive days, battery voltage is at/below 9.5 volts or the body control module (BCM) 12 volt battery state of charge (SOC) drops below 50%. A warning may also set if the telematic control unit (TCU) has received an over the air update. The TCU powers down all communication when in this mode and app features are disabled. Manually start the vehicle to wake if from mode. More information is located in the app under: Account > Help > search 'Deep Sleep' in the entry box. If the condition remains, check the BCM 12v SOC. If the SOC does not change after charging the battery or after BMS reset is performed, continue with normal battery and/or BMS sensor diagnostics.

I correctly answered the question of @emesel by stating that you should not reset the BSM after every battery charge event by saying that the answer is no.

 

[got3fords]

I supplement battery maintenance with a NOCO battery jump pack, Inexpensive and good piece of mind. Modern jump packs are incredibly powerful.

 

[2021Ranger]

With all that said just when is it a good time to do a BMS reset? Possibly should it be coded out or unplugged?

 

[TJC]

Tested my battery after resetting the BMS over a month ago. I'm still on my original battery, but for the first 20 months I let the Ford default BMS manage the battery. And it was getting very weak. So I began researching the BMS and with the help of several members of this forum, I've fine tuned the system from my unique needs. The last piece ot the puzzle is finally clear to me. I live by the 80/20 rule, achieve 80% of the objective for 20% of cost. To acheve the last 20% takes for 80% of teh effort/cost.. So i aim for that 80% threshold and believe that I achieved that goal.

I now own 3 different Battery Testers. And have used all 3 to test my battery's health. My battery is now as healthy as it can be, and it is at least 6 years old now.

The last nut to crack was the BMS SOC setting drifting lower over time. AirlineTech covered the issue very well earlier in this discussion.

The SOC level drifted lower over time without the BMS parameters being changed.

I personally observed the BMS lower the SOC threshold from 100% (the setting I changed using Forscan) to 84%. The charging system actually stopped charging the battery when it hit 84% SOC. I observed this happen in real time monitoring over several weeks.

So I reset the BMS over a month ago, then recharged / desulfated the battery. The table below shows the result. The test was performed 48 hours after the charge cycle, and 24 hours after starting and moving the truck to a different garage. The nbattery had plenty of time to settle.

The Viking and Ancel testers operated without issue. The TopDon has proven to be picky, erroring on me several time before I finally get a testing screen. I think it may be related to the corrosion coating on the battery terminal. This would also affect the Internal Resistance reading being higher. Iended up having to use the negative terminal stub before the BMS sensor. The other 2 testers measurements were taken directly on the Negative terminal.

The good news is that the SOC has stayed at 100%. If it starts to drift, I'll reset the BMS again when it breaches the 90% SOC threshold.

I believe I now have enough knowledge to keep my Ranger battery healthy enough to be comparable to that of my other autos.

 

[Nellieg]

One observation is if the BMS objective is to improve battery life it doesnt, if it is to improve performance, it doesn't... A weakened battery state results in 20% loss in fuel performance... Just drove 4 days ... Battery is 6.5y old, while driving for the first day, mpg around 23/24 .. alternator at max ... After a full 600 mile drive, battery no longer demanding a recharge, rest of the trip 28 to 31mpg with the vehicle showing 12.7 to 13v on my plug in volt meter...will look at my topdon readings tomorrow after the battery settles tonight...yes to tjc, the topdon is a bugger to clamp solid on the terminals....you really have to work them in to grab a solid reading

 

[got3fords]

Question about the testers people are using, do they have different settings for battery type? I have a Solar brand and question its accuracy. It has about 6 or 7 different battery types to choose from. I think our batteries are glass mat flat plate, but it also has a dedicated gel start-stop battery option that can give me different readings.
Also, I get different readings every time I connect it, even just seconds between measurements. I usually take multiple readings and go by the best one.
When I press the battery status button on my on-board desulfator, it always says Good. Even if my Solar tester says battery needs charged.
Bottom line I question my choice of tester.

 

[TJC]

Question about the testers people are using, do they have different settings for battery type? I have a Solar brand and question its accuracy. It has about 6 or 7 different battery types to choose from. I think our batteries are glass mat flat plate, but it also has a dedicated gel start-stop battery option that can give me different readings.

All three of the battery testers that I own report the same on multiple sequential readings. The TopDon B200 is the most finicky, but once I get a good connection it reads reliably. Our batteries are AGM Flat plate.

The Ancel is pretty reliable and is ~$30 from Amazon. It scored very high from Project Farm testing on Y**tube. It doesn't accept CCA so you'll need to calculate to get Amp Hours (it's 105 - 110 for the XLT battery).

 

[got3fords]

All three of the battery testers that I own report the same on multiple sequential readings. The TopDon B200 is the most finicky, but once I get a good connection it reads reliably. Our batteries are AGM Flat plate.

The Ancel is pretty reliable and is ~$30 from Amazon. It scored very high from Project Farm testing on Y**tube. It doesn't accept CCA so you'll need to calculate to get Amp Hours (it's 105 - 110 for the XLT battery).

Thanks. I don't know what kind of variables my Solar uses when testing in the AGM flate plate, dedicated start-stop mode. But I do like my local gas station fried chicken.

 

[2021Ranger]

I didn’t use my truck for 4 days so I hooked up my charger/desulfator And set my SOC at 95% And removed start/stop. So after 4 days of that my battery is at 96% and 12.7 volts and 3.43 Resistance After I removed the surface charge and let it sit for 4 hrs..
went for a 40 mile drive and stoped 2 times and shut it off and my plug in charger is charging at 13.5 (always seemed to be at 14.7)when i got back home.
So should I or can I remove the BMS with forscan or leave it alone? If so where is it in forscan?
other thing is my on board desulfator will not work under 14 volts.

 

[TJC]

I didn’t use my truck for 4 days so I hooked up my charger/desulfator And set my SOC at 95% And removed start/stop. So after 4 days of that my battery is at 96% and 12.7 volts and 3.43 Resistance After I removed the surface charge and let it sit for 4 hrs..
went for a 40 mile drive and stoped 2 times and shut it off and my plug in charger is charging at 13.5 (always seemed to be at 14.7)when i got back home.
So should I or can I remove the BMS with forscan or leave it alone? If so where is it in forscan?
other thing is my on board desulfator will not work under 14 volts.

The Onboard BatteryMinder Desulfator is activated at 13.5V. It can be had for ~$90 (prices appear to have jumped in the last couple of years) . I have ASS turned off through a forscan setting. I have SOC at 100%, but 95% may be better long term choice.

Just keep an eye on the SOC to see if it strays from where you set it (it does over time). Even when set at 100% in Forscan I found my SOC dropped to 84% after several months. I reset the BMS, and it magically moved back to 100%.

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