Battery and Charging

[mtbikernate]

I've definitely noticed when coasting that the Ranger has more resistance. Makes sense that it's using that for sending a charge boost to the electrical system. I've noticed that on milder descents near where I live, it'll hold its speed and not require braking to keep from accelerating. It'll still do that on steeper descents, but not as aggressively as previous vehicles I've owned. And of course that engine braking gets even more aggressive when tow/haul mode is enabled.

The more I read about what the Ranger is doing with its electrical system, the more tech I see that the Ranger is using from the Mild Hybrid concept without being an actual Mild Hybrid.

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[TJC]

I've definitely noticed when coasting that the Ranger has more resistance. Makes sense that it's using that for sending a charge boost to the electrical system. I've noticed that on milder descents near where I live, it'll hold its speed and not require braking to keep from accelerating. It'll still do that on steeper descents, but not as aggressively as previous vehicles I've owned. And of course that engine braking gets even more aggressive when tow/haul mode is enabled.

The more I read about what the Ranger is doing with its electrical system, the more tech I see that the Ranger is using from the Mild Hybrid concept without being an actual Mild Hybrid.

Since disconnecting the BMS sensor it does not do it as aggressively. I don't noticed it now except in the very low gears when it downshifts from 4th to 3rd, and then to 1st. I've learned to ease off the brake in 1st to come to a smooth stop.

The charge pattern is holding with the BMS sensor disconnected. First start I see 14v, and as I drive it slowly drops to 13.8v over 10 miles. I suspect that it would drop even further if I drove the truck longer distances. This is with a healthy fully charged battery that has sat overnight.

I like definable repeatable results.

 

[IdahoRanger]

I still have the BMS connected. I have not driven the Ranger much the last few weeks so gave it a charge and ran the repair mode using the Noco5. Super happy with the results. Finally got the CCA number above the rated number and IR looks good.

 

[TJC]

Excellent numbers!

Is the battery original or new?

I still believe it is optimal to have the ASS off and the BMS sensor disconnected, but I can't argue with your results. Those are very good numbers.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Excellent numbers!

Is the battery original or new?

I still believe it is optimal to have the ASS off and the BMS sensor disconnected, but I can't argue with your results. Those are very good numbers.

2019 original.

If it wasn't for you and a couple other battery experts I probably wouldn't have an original. I have learned a bunch about batteries here.

 

[Nellieg]

I just wonder for all our efforts in extending the life of a battery..how much are we spending in tools, electric, time and effort to gain an extra year maybe two on a battery whose annualized cost assuming it lasts 5 y is around 40 a year. Other than the bragging rights and the not wasting the battery unnecessarily are we really accomplishing something of value. No question I am in it just to see if I can do better than average and have fun doing it... But I ask myself as the battery light goes on again... How much is it worth to keep it going?

 

[TJC]

$150 every 18 months to 36 months vs once every 10 years.
If you avg 3 years that's $450 vs still having a year or two of life in your original battery.

Many aren't getting that much life out of their batteries.
I started adding a battery desulfator to my vehicles back in the early 2000s.

I'm on my 3rd battery in my 2005 Ranger, and the second battery was sacrificed on a road trip when the alternator failed 150 miles from my destination on the Christmas Eve evening. It got me that 150 miles where a new alternator was waiting for me, but my 2nd battery life was shortened to only 9 years.

Gave a 2003 Maxima to my nephew in 2023 that was on battery #2. I am getting at least 10 years out of my batteries for the one time cost of a $50 desulfator (now $65 + shipping if you look around)

I still have my 1993 Mazda Miata.

I install the desulfators and forget about them.

The 2020 Ranger threw a curve ball at me with the poor BMS features that shorten battery life considerably. Unplugging the BMS sensor defaulted the charging system very close to the charging system in my 2005 Ranger. It too is now set and forget.

I add a desulfator to every new car that I purchase.

The one from the Maxima is now on my 2023 Mazda CX-5.

I own 4 autos, that's $1800 over 10 years - minimum.

 

[Nellieg]

So... 3y 150 or 50 per year or 10 at 10y takes you 5 y to recover the cost of the desulferator and you save what then amounts to 5 bucks a year to get to 10y. Sorry to minimize your efforts but my point being if I want to save 5 bucks a year... That's less than half a dollar a month. We are not doing this to save money ... Not sure with recycling we are saving the planet... Just doing it because we can.

 

[dtech]

So... 3y 150 or 50 per year or 10 at 10y takes you 5 y to recover the cost of the desulferator and you save what then amounts to 5 bucks a year to get to 10y. Sorry to minimize your efforts but my point being if I want to save 5 bucks a year... That's less than half a dollar a month. We are not doing this to save money ... Not sure with recycling we are saving the planet... Just doing it because we can.

" because it's there " was George Mallory response when asked why he wanted to climb everest. So if asked why did I disconnect the bms " because it sucks" , no experimentation needed to find the holy grail of the ideal bms soc setting, just a 5 min job to disco and be done with it. And yes it makes the battery last longer.

 

[TJC]

...So if asked why did I disconnect the bms? "Because it sucks" , no experimentation needed to find the holy grail of the ideal bms soc setting, just a 5 min job to disco and be done with it. And yes it makes the battery last longer.

And you were correct!

I spent a lot of time and energy doing that analysis. I don't think that there is an ideal setting to be found (I tried a great deal of ranges), except to simply unplugged the BMS sensor.

So I have unplugged the sensor and this time it won't be plugged back in again. I applied heat shrink to the plug and connector to keep dirt and corrosion at bay.

 

[TJC]

So... 3y 150 or 50 per year or 10 at 10y takes you 5 y to recover the cost of the desulferator and you save what then amounts to 5 bucks a year to get to 10y. Sorry to minimize your efforts but my point being if I want to save 5 bucks a year... That's less than half a dollar a month. We are not doing this to save money ... Not sure with recycling we are saving the planet... Just doing it because we can.

Your logic is incorrect. At the time a new battery is required with your active BMS and no desulfator protecting your battery, you lose $150 and I just had a cost avoidance of $150, or $85 if I deduct the purchase price of the desulfator. On your next battery buying round I avoid another $150, then again on your 3rd buying round. You've now spent $450 to my $65 My worse case is that I am $385 ahead in 12 years. That's if batteries are still selling for $150 the next two times around.

Now if you are the type that goes through new vehicles every 2-3 years you win, but you lose on a grander scale as my truck is paid for the day it left the lot and I drive them for as long as possible to achieve the best ROI. The longer I keep it, the lower the cost / year to own it. If I can make it last 20 years, I'm well below $2K / year. My 2005 Ranger is well below $1K / year when I rebuilt it for $10K. Another 20 years and I'll be at $500 / year on it.

I don't purchase anything on credit. I save until I have the $$ to buy the product. The only exception to that rule was our home, and we paid in off in 5 years!

How?

We didn't buy anything, no furniture, the home was empty except for a WalMart folding Card table with 4 folding chairs that we ate off of, and a mattress on the floor in the bedroom. We hung sheets over the windows for 5 years. We kept our clothing packed in the shipping boxes, and ate beans and rice. All expenses were cut to the bone. And every spare nickel went to pay off the home.

Was it hard? Yes!

Was it worth it? Yes!

We saved $300K in interest over that 30 year mortgage. Once the home was paid off, we furnished it.

Both my wife and I grew up with modest means. She on a 250 acres farm in a 100 year old home without heat or running water (the well was in the kitchen under a concrete slab, and they had a bucket.

My father had a 7th grade education and worked 3 jobs to feed 5 kids. Mom made it to 10th grade.

Poverty is not fun. You don't realize you are poor when you are young, it's just the way it is. But looking back you know.... and you don't ever want to find youself in that situation again. So we live well below our means, and we are happier for it.

 

[got3fords]

Your logic is incorrect. At the time a new battery is required with your active BMS and no desulfator protecting your battery, you lose $150 and I just had a cost avoidance of $150, or $85 if I deduct the purchase price of the desulfator. On your next battery buying round I avoid another $150, then again on your 3rd buying round. You've now spent $450 to my $65 My worse case is that I am $385 ahead in 12 years. That's if batteries are still selling for $150 the next two times around.

Now if you are the type that goes through new vehicles every 2-3 years you win, but you lose on a grander scale as my truck is paid for the day it left the lot and I drive them for as long as possible to achieve the best ROI. The longer I keep it, the lower the cost / year to own it. If I can make it last 20 years, I'm well below $2K / year. My 2005 Ranger is well below $1K / year when I rebuilt it for $10K. Another 20 years and I'll be at $500 / year on it.

I don't purchase anything on credit. I save until I have the $$ to buy the product. The only exception to that rule was our home, and we paid in off in 5 years!

How?

We didn't buy anything, no furniture, the home was empty except for a WalMart folding Card table with 4 folding chairs that we ate off of, and a mattress on the floor in the bedroom. We hung sheets over the windows for 5 years. We kept our clothing packed in the shipping boxes, and ate beans and rice. All expenses were cut to the bone. And every spare nickel went to pay off the home.

Was it hard? Yes!

Was it worth it? Yes!

We saved $300K in interest over that 30 year mortgage. Once the home was paid off, we furnished it.

Both my wife and I grew up with modest means. She on a 250 acres farm in a 100 year old home without heat or running water (the well was in the kitchen under a concrete slab, and they had a bucket.

My father had a 7th grade education and worked 3 jobs to feed 5 kids. Mom made it to 10th grade.

Poverty is not fun. You don't realize you are poor when you are young, it's just the way it is. But looking back you know.... and you don't ever want to find youself in that situation again. So we live well below our means, and we are happier for it.

Wow! This took a turn. I thought we were talking about batteries.
Personally I want a battery that lasts longer than 3 or 4 years (going on 4), but I also learned how to keep an eye on it's health, so maybe I can tell when it needs replaced before it flat out dies. I think the on-board desulfator was a minimal investment. And if it does die, I now have a Noco jump starter to get me home. Learned about this stuff on this forum.

 

[scrubaducky]

My ASS issues seem to be continuining.

So I ran the repair mode on the noco genius 5, took about 4 hours. Next 4-5 days the ASS was working good as gold, exactly as expected on several short but not tiny drives around town. But today, (6th day since repair) the ASS has stopped working, with the dash saying that vehicle is charging once again.

Is my battery absolutely cooked? It's going to be 2 years old from factory next month so its not like its ancient. My only guess is that its capacity is so reduced (for whatever reason?) that it can't hold enough charge to have the ASS running for a week....

Can I get Ford to test and warranty if its dead?

I don't have access to a battery tester and not sure I want to shell out for one.

 

[dtech]

My ASS issues seem to be continuining.

So I ran the repair mode on the noco genius 5, took about 4 hours. Next 4-5 days the ASS was working good as gold, exactly as expected on several short but not tiny drives around town. But today, (6th day since repair) the ASS has stopped working, with the dash saying that vehicle is charging once again.

Is my battery absolutely cooked? It's going to be 2 years old from factory next month so its not like its ancient. My only guess is that its capacity is so reduced (for whatever reason?) that it can't hold enough charge to have the ASS running for a week....

Can I get Ford to test and warranty if its dead?

I don't have access to a battery tester and not sure I want to shell out for one.

Two recommendations :

run the repair mode for longer, a sulfated battery can takes days in repair mode
disconnect the bms

 

[IdahoRanger]

My ASS issues seem to be continuining.

So I ran the repair mode on the noco genius 5, took about 4 hours. Next 4-5 days the ASS was working good as gold, exactly as expected on several short but not tiny drives around town. But today, (6th day since repair) the ASS has stopped working, with the dash saying that vehicle is charging once again.

Is my battery absolutely cooked? It's going to be 2 years old from factory next month so its not like its ancient. My only guess is that its capacity is so reduced (for whatever reason?) that it can't hold enough charge to have the ASS running for a week....

Can I get Ford to test and warranty if its dead?

I don't have access to a battery tester and not sure I want to shell out for one.

Like dtech said, I would run the repair mode more times. I agree on spending more on tools but I caved and got a reasonable priced Topdon BT-100 battery tester for about 60 bucks.

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