Battery and Charging

[airline tech]

I'm confused, why would the system voltage go up under coast down or braking? I have a 2022 Lariat, it's not a hybrid and I ordered it with start/stop deleted (I ordered it in California if that matters). The Ford performance handheld was also ordered and the dealer installed the tune prior to delivery. Am I missing something?

The Ranger charging system is different than an old school charging system, for the sake of fuel economy at factory settings it maintains the battery voltage at a 70 to 75 percent State Of Charge (SOC).
It incorporates Regenerative Charging - by using a OAD (Alternator) (Overdrive Coupling)
When in the right driving setting (daytime) no lighting loads the charging output from the alternator can be as low as 12.2 volts, with the help of FREE energy from the engine Touque when coasting to a stop, the charging system will jump up to as much as 15.1 Volts

I took a deep dive into how this system works, and TJC and others have devised a way to overcome the way the system operates to provide a more traditional way to charge the battery.
You will get many different opinions here on what to do.

For me upping the SOC to 90% - Works for me, I monitor it with every drive and have noted I never see any charging voltage below 13.7 now.

I suggest you read these threads (be prepared they are very long posts) with lots of info

Charging Sys-Full Description-Trigger Voltages-Test Results | 2019+ Ford Ranger and Raptor Forum (5th Generation) - Ranger5G.com



Maximizing Battery Life | 2019+ Ford Ranger and Raptor Forum (5th Generation) - Ranger5G.com

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[TJC]

I'm confused, why would the system voltage go up under coast down or braking?

The Battery Management System is designed to assist Ford to meet ever higher CAFE standards.

Ford keeps the battery at only a 75% charge. The last 25% is a cushion to allow regenerative charging when the truck is coasting or braking. IMO, this isn't optimal for battery life, as it allows the batteries to sulfate. I really don't think it makes that much difference in fuel economy.

 

[TJC]

For me upping the SOC to 90% - Works for me, I monitor it with every drive and have noted I never see any charging voltage below 13.7 now.

Do you see the coasting/braking spikes to >15V ? I am set to 95% SOC and have not seen them. But I have been testing in the evenings.

 

[fjwlobo]

I have a battery charging issue which may be twofold.
First, due to life and health challenges, I don't drive a lot. Typically about 10 miles a weekday and maybe 20 on the weekend.
My Ranger is a 2020 and I have less than 14,000 miles on it,

My challenge is I keep getting notifications that FordPass keeps telling me my "Remote Features Disabled to Preserve Battery life".
I get this notice shortly after I drive anywhere.
I occasionally take long drives on the freeway but it only delays the notice. Maybe for a day. Considering the price of gas in California, this is an expensive way to charge the battery.

Ford recently replace my battery under warranty as defective.

So now my questions are - Is the low charge due to my lack of driving the truck?
Is there possibly something wrong with my charging system?
(I have a Garmin Dashcam plugged into my OB2 port but it pulls barely any power and most parking options are disabled)

I have considered getting a trickle charger to charge the battery.
But since I live in a condo complex, my only option is at work.
Will charging 8 hours at a time make a significant difference?

This has been annoying for a while. I appreciate any guidance or feedback.

I have a 2020 Lariat that I purchased new and after 3 1/2 years only have around 15,500 miles on it. I also live close to work and normally only put about 10 miles a day on my truck. My drive consists mostly of 30 mph with a short 40 mph stretch near work. I have the tow package and turn it on whenever I drive below 45 mph. This disables the ASS and keeps the transmission around 5th or 6th gear. I get on the highway about once a month to go to a doctor appointment (about 30 mile round trip) and usually once a year I've done a 200-400 mile round trip.

I set the charging to 90 percent with Forscan and so far have not gotten this message. I haven't put the battery on any maintainer or charger (YET!!!). I know that I'm probably on borrowed time and should use the one I have (NOCO GENPRO10X1) sitting in the box in my shed that it came in.

I keep a NOCO GB70 in the truck just in case. I take it out about every 6 months and put it on charge to keep it ready to go.

So far so good ? ?

 

[airline tech]

Do you see the coasting/braking spikes to >15V ? I am set to 95% SOC and have not seen them. But I have been testing in the evenings.

No - stays steady

 

[TJC]

I keep a NOCO GB70 in the truck just in case. I take it out about every 6 months and put it on charge to keep it ready to go.

So far so good ? ?

I keep an Andeman Audew Car Jump Starter in each of my cars. These things have been rock solid for over 2 years now. They The Andeman replacements are down to $65 now! I have not had any experience with the newly renamed product (Audew vs Andeman).

I charged them once initially and I check them every other month. They hold their change almost indefinitely. All are still at 100%. I recently jump started my tractor with one. It fired right up. It took only 2% of the power. I charged it back to 100%, and put it back in the car.

UPDATE
I have 3 Audew jump packs, one in each of my vehicles.

A year so ago the named changed from Audew to Andeman. The units look identical, but it is possible that the product changed as well, as reviews of the Andeman are not as good. Several reviewers specifically state that the quality of the Andeman units are no where near that of the Audew units.

 

[airline tech]

I keep the Audew - jump pack in the truck - works great and it has been used a few times for a Flight Attendant and Gate Agent and Daughters car.

 

[scrubaducky]

I might be a complete idiot, so I'm gonna ask you folks if I'm doing this right or not.

My 22 XLT has been complaining about low battery with it's auto stop-start (I do use and intend to keep using it), so I bought a NOCO battery charger as recommended on this forum.

Connected it to battery, set it to AGM mode, and let it go. It charged very very fast, like 2 hours so either the battery wasn't that empty to begin with or something is wrong.

Took it for a short drive today and ASS again complained about low battery. So I hooked it up again when I got home and charger says a full charge??

What am I doing wrong here?

Pics attached for how I have it connected in case I'm a complete f'ing idiot. Negative is attached to chassis ground as I've seen others do on here.

 

[Tom_C]

I have a 2020 Oct build lariat, with around 19K on it. It was purchased new in April 2021 so was on the lot for around 4 months before I bought it. I work from home so it sits a lot and then I drive it every few months on a 100 mile trip to our other property.

I've never adjusted the charging in forscan and the battery still tests good. Sometimes when it sits for a while the ASS won't come on and says it's disabled for charging, but then it soon comes back on it and works as normal.

I'll just leave it like it is, seems to be doing it's thing.

 

[got3fords]

I might be a complete idiot, so I'm gonna ask you folks if I'm doing this right or not.

My 22 XLT has been complaining about low battery with it's auto stop-start (I do use and intend to keep using it), so I bought a NOCO battery charger as recommended on this forum.

Connected it to battery, set it to AGM mode, and let it go. It charged very very fast, like 2 hours so either the battery wasn't that empty to begin with or something is wrong.

Took it for a short drive today and ASS again complained about low battery. So I hooked it up again when I got home and charger says a full charge??

What am I doing wrong here?

Pics attached for how I have it connected in case I'm a complete f'ing idiot. Negative is attached to chassis ground as I've seen others do on here.

Not entirely clear in the pic, but you should put the clamp on the other side of the BMS sensor when charging.

 

[EJH]

Not entirely clear in the pic, but you should put the clamp on the other side of the BMS sensor when charging.

I disagree. The BMS sensor is on the negative/ground terminal. The pic shows the negative clamp connected to a chassis ground. This should be ok. The error would be connecting the negative direct to the battery and bypassing th BMS sensor. The BMS should know that charge is entering the battery.


FWIW, when I use my small BatteryTender, it takes from 4-12 hours to fully charge my battery. I have my charging limit set at 80% via Forscan.

 

[got3fords]

I disagree. The BMS sensor is on the negative/ground terminal. The pic shows the negative clamp connected to a chassis ground. This should be ok. The error would be connecting the negative direct to the battery and bypassing th BMS sensor. The BMS should know that charge is entering the battery.

Ah, I stand corrected.

 

[mtbikernate]

Here is how mine is installed.

It's a permanent mount charger, so it's lived this way for however long it's been since I put it there.

Circles indicate the terminals for the charger.

The length of time it takes to charge will be determined by how much juice the charger can pump out. Mine is a lowly 2A charger, so on a good day it's going to take awhile. When it's doing extra battery maintenance, it takes longer. If you're pushing a 10A or larger charger, it'll be able to do the work a good bit faster.

 

[scrubaducky]

Thank you folks, looks like I might just take it for a decent drive sometime during the week and see if it just needs to shake some dust off in order to get back to normal.

 

[airline tech]

The BMS system just needs time to recalibrate during (sleep mode) 6-8 hours
Sleep Mode = Untouched Truck with (ZERO) electrical influence

The ASS - Disabled for Battery Voltage is 11.3 Volts
So, it will trigger that message from either of 2 ways

1. During Sleep - at the BMS Recalibration Cycle, if it sees that that battery voltage is below 11.3 volts it will disable the system - until it sees a voltage above 11.3 volts at its next recalibration cycle
The recalibration cycle - occurs when the truck is shut off and modules are in sleep mode and left undisturbed for 6-8 hours
Some owners have reported that they get an immediate response after a battery charge and they are having issues with ASS & That Message, however by description this is how it is intended to work.

2. Live Monitor - If driving and the BMS sensor, registers that the battery voltage is below 11.3 volts it will disable the ASS, battery voltage near a minimum required to restart the truck.
Once voltage rises above the 11.3 volts, the system will reenable.

From what I have seen it may be a battery that has a High IR & sulphated and not taking the low truck (SOC) especially if you are only driving short trips and daytime driving

You can run a test using a (Harbor Freight-Viking) or a Topdon tester to at least get an idea on where the battery is at health wise.

Ref: This Lengthy Thread:

Maximizing Battery Life | 2019+ Ford Ranger and Raptor Forum (5th Generation) - Ranger5G.com

and This One:

Charging Sys-Full Description-Trigger Voltages-Test Results | 2019+ Ford Ranger and Raptor Forum (5th Generation) - Ranger5G.com

For a reference voltage - normal average

Wake-Up voltage , this is the battery voltage at the battery after 8-12 hours of rest and before a engine start - hovers roughly around 12.2 volts, the voltage drops from 12.8 due to the modules staying awake for a brief period after shutdown plus the BMS recalibration. Then you also have some modules that never sleep (KAM) Keep Alive Power.

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