Battery Voltage is questionable - What is yours?

[SemperVee]

Since I have not been driving much, like everyone else I have noticed that the battery will drop down to 50% charge or just 11.98 - 12.2 Volts. When I discussed this with the service manager when I had it in for a heating smell coming from the heating he po pooed it say it was fine and in compliance according to Ford. I came home and put it on 2 volts charger and it came back to 12.9 volts in 1 hour and when I checked with the vehicle running I did notice it was making 14.6 volts on fast idle.
I Googled vehicle resting voltage for him what I believe and have lived by for my 60 + years it should be 12.9 - 13.4. without engine running under no load. Since I have not suffered a no start condition and his own service dept said it was low at 12.2 I had no complaint to replace it under warranty yet.

I'm keeping a watch on it and now carry a small jump start gadget that works very well only the size of a small box 3x4 but very powerful. Just in case. PS. I have Start/Stop permanently turned off via a led night light in the passenger 12V plug.

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[DHare]

My battery did have to be replaced after just a few months, but it was down to 4 volts.

 

[Fjsteven]

The whole management system they have is a joke.

under normal operation conditions, it keeps the battery low enough to disable auto start stop.
ive put a trickle charger on mine. If I plug it in auto SS works or gives the message disabled due to outside air temp. If I don’t plug it in, after a couple days it is disabled due to vehicle charging.
I find it weird they would have auto SS but then program the battery management system to keep it low enough that the Auto SS is concerned enough to not engage.

 

[AzScorpion]

Since I have not been driving much, like everyone else I have noticed that the battery will drop down to 50% charge or just 11.98 - 12.2 Volts. When I discussed this with the service manager when I had it in for a heating smell coming from the heating he po pooed it say it was fine and in compliance according to Ford. I came home and put it on 2 volts charger and it came back to 12.9 volts in 1 hour and when I checked with the vehicle running I did notice it was making 14.6 volts on fast idle.
I Googled vehicle resting voltage for him what I believe and have lived by for my 60 + years it should be 12.9 - 13.4. without engine running under no load. Since I have not suffered a no start condition and his own service dept said it was low at 12.2 I had no complaint to replace it under warranty yet.

I'm keeping a watch on it and now carry a small jump start gadget that works very well only the size of a small box 3x4 but very powerful. Just in case.

That's why I went out and got a Smart Charger with my ForPass Points. I've still been driving regularly lately but there are times I'll let it sit for days and over Christmas it came over 2 weeks when I'm away. There's more info in these links.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/thre...e-mail-today-for-your-ranger.1866/post-126750

https://accessories.ford.com/catalo...art-battery-charger-maintainer/category/3115/

 

[JaysOnTheEDGE]

Will Ford cover battery replacement under the 3 /36 warranty if it fails? when i had my Subaru they covered it under the 3/36 warranty

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Will Ford cover battery replacement under the 3 /36 warranty if it fails? when i had my Subaru they covered it under the 3/36 warranty

Hi Jay,

3/36 should be bumper to bumper and last time I looked the battery was between the bumpers, so should be covered.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[SemperVee]

Just took an hour ride about 60 miles round trip and got home and tested the voltage at the battery and it was ONLY reading 12.5? Huh?
so I turned on the high beams, inside fan to high and took the reading again. THis time at idle with accessories on it was reading only 13.5 not 14.6? Is something going on with my Alternator or Battery? Have not had a fail to start yet and I keep the stop start off all the time..

 

[Racerdave6]

Just took an hour ride about 60 miles round trip and got home and tested the voltage at the battery and it was ONLY reading 12.5? Huh?
so I turned on the high beams, inside fan to high and took the reading again. THis time at idle with accessories on it was reading only 13.5 not 14.6? Is something going on with my Alternator or Battery? Have not had a fail to start yet and I keep the stop start off all the time..

13.5 is fine with accessories on at idle. Charging system is is computer controlled and will keep the voltage where it needs to be.

 

[olgzr]

Have you tried another voltmeter? They do occasionally break and read incorrectly.

 

[SemperVee]

No but i did check the batteries and installed new ones...

 

[Mobius97]

I put mine on either one my 3 or 2amp battery maintainers once a week to keep the battery happy. I installed a quick connect on the battery so it only takes a minute to throw it on the maintainer. My truck sits most of the time and it does seem to have some good parasitic draw. Have had it since July and still haven't passed 4k miles so its just good practice in my case.

 

[HarryD]

From what I understand if the battery somehow get a bit low, the Battery Management System (BMS) WILL NOT ALLOW the alternator to give the battery a full charge unless it is RESET.
I have not researched this process of resetting, so I don’t if it is a required dealer visit or not.

 

[SemperVee]

That is kinda crazy making and perplexing to an answer nobody asked the question for by the factory? But why?

 

[MotoWojo]

I have voltage as one of the displays on my Torque app and the majority of the time it is showing 13.5v while driving, maybe 80% and the remaining 20% it shows 14.5v. Doesn't seem to be tied to current draw, as I can turn everything on when it is showing 14.5v and it stays there? Also, when it is showing 13,5v, I can turn everything off and it also stays there? Must be some kind of management going on.

 

[SemperVee]

Found this but unsure what type of BMS we have if any but it seems so-
Battery Management System (If Equipped)

The battery management system (BMS) monitors battery conditions
and takes actions to extend battery life. If excessive battery drain is
detected, the system may temporarily disable certain electrical features
to protect the battery. Those electrical accessories affected include the
rear defrost, heated/cooled seats, climate control fan, heated steering
wheel, audio and navigation system. A message may be shown in the
information displays to alert the driver that battery protection actions
are active. These messages are only for notification that an action is
taking place, and not intended to indicate an electrical problem or that
the battery requires replacement.

Electrical accessory installation
To ensure proper operation of the BMS, any electrical devices that are
added to the vehicle should not have their ground connection made
directly at the negative battery post. A connection at the negative
battery post can cause inaccurate measurements of the battery
condition and potential incorrect system operation.

Note: Electrical or electronic accessories added to the vehicle by the
dealer or the owner may adversely affect battery performance and
durability, and may also affect the performance of other electrical
systems in the vehicle.

When a battery replacement is required, the battery should only be
replaced with a Ford recommended replacement battery which matches
the electrical requirements of the vehicle. After battery replacement,
or in some cases after charging the battery with the external charger,
the BMS requires eight hours of vehicle sleep time (key off with doors
closed) to relearn the new battery state of charge. Prior to relearning the
state of charge, the BMS may disable electrical features (to protect the
battery) earlier than normal.

This is from a workshop manual

Charging System

The charging system is a negative ground system consisting of:
• a generator with an internal voltage regulator
• a charging system warning indicator
• a battery
• circuitry and cables
• a PCM
• a radial arm adapter (serviced separately from the generator)
• a battery current sensor (this is what's in the picture)
• a generator current sensor

The generator is driven by the accessory drive belt. When the engine is started, the generator begins to generate AC voltage which is internally converted to DC voltage. The DC voltage is controlled by the voltage regulator (located on the rear of the generator) and supplied to the battery. The PCM controls the voltage regulation set point, working with the generator internal voltage regulator over 2 control and communication circuits.

This vehicle is equipped with load shed strategy. The Body Control Module (BCM) monitors the battery state of charge using the battery current sensor
attached to the negative battery cable and the battery open circuit voltage as measured by the BCM during 8 continuous hours of vehicle sleep time (ignition off with doors closed).

With the engine off and the ignition in the ACC, RUN or delayed accessory position, when the BCM determines the battery state of charge is low, a message is sent to shut down the audio/navigation system in order to save the remaining battery charge. Under this condition:

• the Front Display Interface Module (FDIM) displays SYS OFF TO SAVE BATT (without navigation) or BATTERY SAVER — SYSTEM OFF
PLEASE START THE ENGINE (with navigation).
• the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) message center may also display TURN POWER OFF TO SAVE BATT (base message center) or TURN POWER
OFF TO SAVE BATTERY (optional message center) to notify the driver that battery protection actions are active.
• the battery indicator may also illuminate.
If the vehicle battery has been charged or battery replaced, it takes approximately 8 hours for the BCM to learn the new battery state of charge. During this 8 hour period, the vehicle must be undisturbed, with no doors opened or keyless entry buttons pressed. If the vehicle is used before the BCM is allowed to learn the new battery state of charge, engine off load shedding may occur earlier than normal and a message may be displayed.
If the vehicle has been jump started, engine off load shedding can still occur and a message may be displayed until the BCM determines the battery state
of charge is above 40%.

With the engine running, when the BCM and Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) voltage is low, a message is sent from the BCM to either minimize or
shut down the climate controlled seats, rear defrost, heated mirrors and Dual Automatic Temperature Control (DATC) blower motor to improve system
voltage. Under this condition, the IPC message center displays either LOW BATTERY LESS FEATURES (base message center) or LOW BATTERY
FEATURES TEMPORARILY TURNED OFF (optional message center) to notify the driver that battery protection actions are active.

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