Battery Voltage is questionable - What is yours?

[Jimmy07]

Came home after 3 week vacation and the Ranger battery barely able to start engine. Used truck for two days , but battery did not recharge. Dealer replaced it under warranty.
So, if I leave the Ranger parked at the airport for a two week trip, do I have to disconnect the battery to avoid a dead battery when I get back ??

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[P. A. Schilke]

Came home after 3 week vacation and the Ranger battery barely able to start engine. Used truck for two days , but battery did not recharge. Dealer replaced it under warranty.
So, if I leave the Ranger parked at the airport for a two week trip, do I have to disconnect the battery to avoid a dead battery when I get back ??

HI James,

I have left my Ranger in the Airport Parking for two plus weeks several times. Get an email that the truck powers down, but never had a problem starting the Ranger.

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

 

[AzScorpion]

Came home after 3 week vacation and the Ranger battery barely able to start engine. Used truck for two days , but battery did not recharge. Dealer replaced it under warranty.
So, if I leave the Ranger parked at the airport for a two week trip, do I have to disconnect the battery to avoid a dead battery when I get back ??

You shouldn't have to but if you don't drive it a lot during the week you should put it on a trickle charger. I bought this battery maintainer just for this reason. Used my FordPass points so it was free.

HI James,

I have left my Ranger in the Airport Parking for two plus weeks several times. Get an email that the truck powers down, but never had a problem starting the Ranger.

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

Same here Phil. Last Christmas when I was away for 17 days it sent me a notification that the truck went into deep sleep mode.

 

[SemperVee]

Has anyone looked and decided against something simple and plug in like this? Just plug in. Protrudes out a little but requires not having to pull apart dash panels. Just plug and play? Not as attractive as colorful gauge flat against the panel but easier plug and play.

 

[KnightRanger]

Has anyone looked and decided against something simple and plug in like this? Just plug in. Protrudes out a little but requires not having to pull apart dash panels. Just plug and play? Not as attractive as colorful gauge flat against the panel but easier plug and play.

Nothing wrong with that. I used similar ones on our older Subarus.
Easy peasy, keeps an eye on batt voltage.

But, since I already had my panel out to install my Aux switches...
I opted for the standalone voltmeter.
I dont really need two 12volt cigar plug, lol

 

[RoadBoss]

A little late to this thread, but I've got some input, because this thread is a bit confusing.

first of all, a car battery, charged to 100%, with the engine off, should read 12.7 volts.

On traditional alternator systems, WITH the engine running (aka alternator charging), it should be mid 13s to low 14 volts.

The Ranger has a smart (variable output) alternator system, so the computer is controlling how much voltage output the car has. It should keep the battery charged up enough to restart the engine, but it's not always going to keep the battery at 100%

There is also voltage loss throughout the wiring system, so the voltage you're seeing at the cigarette lighter plug is almost always going to be a bit lower than what the battery has. Also, *I THINK* the voltage to the outlets is regulated as well, due to the smart alternator system - not sure on that part though*

IMO, the Ranger's battery voltage should not be something to worry about unless you're actually having starting issues... It's NOT going to always read 12.7 volts when parked. It's NOT going to always read above 12.7 volts when running.
The voltage out of your DC outlets is probably never going to read the same thing that your battery actually has. Typically those plug in gauges are not very accurate, and only useful in an older car when you can see a clear difference between the alternator working properly vs. failed. If you plug one into your ranger, it's going to be changing all the time, and probably not very meaningful unless you're running some heavy accessories like a winch, air compressor, or sound system or something.
Also, I would imagine there should be plenty of warning systems in the Ranger to tell you if there is a problem with the charging system.

Just my thoughts, take it or leave it.

 

[KnightRanger]

I’m kinda old school, ?
and when I suspect issue with charging system, battery or alternator, I use a multimeter:
Here’s my old school Fluke 73.

 

[NickTheEnforcer]

Something to consider...

I have teen drivers as well, and first thing I check with new cars/ trucks
Is the battery terminal connection. You’ll be surprised that they dont really tighten this from the dealership.

I had to tighten them on our brand new subaru and ranger and check again after a few hundred miles or so.

Like you, I also use multimeter/ voltmeter to check battery charging and condition.
If needed, I put in a battery tender and charge overnight.
(If that doesn’t help then I suspect other issues, e.g. wiring, alternator, bad battery, fuse, etc)

good point, I will double check. When I got it last summer I bought a plug-in battery blanket so I definitely took them off and battery out to install that. I swear by those things with our IL winters..
I have done some digging on this model and sounds like FoMoCo has some type of power management system that is causing a lot of folks to get a false 'bad battery' voltage reading.

 

[SemperVee]

Call me old school but I believe 12.6 volts should be the reading of a healthy battery but my FORD dealer disagrees. He says it is fine at 12.0 -12.2 which is where mine reads when I had them do a load test and it passed as "Good". I have not had any starting problems and while I checked the voltage at the battery several times, often not reading more than 12.4. Keeping the battery only half charged 50% is not a healthy condition in my mind. So this plug in will make me feel better as I am watching if the alternator is charging it up and I know the FORD BMS is running to keep the charge in check. I will disconnect the BMS to see if it charges any different when I have the 12V meter plugged in.

 

[RoadBoss]

Call me old school but I believe 12.6 volts should be the reading of a healthy battery but my FORD dealer disagrees. He says it is fine at 12.0 -12.2 which is where mine reads when I had them do a load test and it passed as "Good".

so you're right that 12.6 volts is the reading of a good battery charged to 100%

BUT, a good/healthy battery doesn't need to be charged to 100%, 100% of the time. What determines if a battery is good or bad, is it's ability to hold and accept a charge, not just it's resting voltage at whatever state it may have been left at.
These new smart alternator charging systems are very good at determining what the battery and vehicle are capable of, and planning accordingly, and the fact that you haven't had any starting issues is proof that it's working properly.


If having the monitor on there makes you feel better about it, that's great, but I have a feeling you're going to drive yourself crazy concentrating on when the alternator is or isn't charging, when it's actually doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing.

With that said, I'd be interested to see what you find out from having that 12v meter plugged in al the time

 

[charwest]

With that said, I'd be interested to see what you find out from having that 12v meter plugged in al the time

i can speak to that.

after i installed my constant voltmeter, i was initially anxious as you suggested would happen. now with over a thousand miles on the voltmeter i feel like i have a better handle on what is 'normal' for our (?my) truck.

the max voltage read at the powerpoint is about 15.2V, which is only briefly seen after startup with a relatively low battery (ie, have been using powerpoints with car sitting around, down to high 11V). then the powerpoint tends to read about 13.7-14.6V while driving in what i believe is a charging mode. the voltage doesnt seem to change appreciably with different RPM or accessories/lights running.

at some point the truck decides its done with the higher voltages and drops down to lower driving/engine-on voltages in the 13.0-13.6 range, often around 13.2. occasionally it will go back up to the 14 range, but after it hits the 13 range it tends to spend most of its time in that range until the car is turned off.

when i turn the car off, after the surface voltage burns off the battery typically rests at 12.5-12.6V (read from the powerpoint), but sometimes it rests at less than that. i have never seen it go below 12.2 after the car has been running.

notes:
1. i have never had any hesitation whatsoever in starting the truck, including in cold temps down to the 15 degree F range.

2. i have not measured the voltage at the battery, only the powerpoint. my voltmeter install correlates with my fluke multimeter voltage.

3. i did notice that the one time i let my car get down to 11.9V at the powerpoint and was actually paying attention, the car automatically turned the powerpoints off immediately after removing the key. as compared to usually it would leave the powerpoints on for a set time interval after removal of the key. its nice to know the truck is smart enough to do that, although it should come as no surprise i guess.

 

[KnightRanger]

Just my thoughts...
I added a voltmeter display, purely because I dont have the setting on my instrument panel like my 2 previous Raptors did.

I like to keep an eye on the voltage, but from my experience It Does fluctuate and it never bothered me. I know it varies with demand/load how much accessories/ lights you running, and it cuts off once in awhile to prevent overcharging.(I’m familiar with BCM and BMS)

I look at startup volts and barely glance at running volts.(which I know from my past experience with the Raptor, that it varies)
Then I glance/check the volts after I shut down the engine.

Telltale signs would be: non-start, stalling, dead battery, erratic electical behaviours like flickering lights, radio coming on/ off etc.
Thats when you get your multimeter and check your battery, fuse, wiring and alternator.

 

[NickTheEnforcer]

so you're right that 12.6 volts is the reading of a good battery charged to 100%

BUT, a good/healthy battery doesn't need to be charged to 100%, 100% of the time. What determines if a battery is good or bad, is it's ability to hold and accept a charge, not just it's resting voltage at whatever state it may have been left at.
These new smart alternator charging systems are very good at determining what the battery and vehicle are capable of, and planning accordingly, and the fact that you haven't had any starting issues is proof that it's working properly.


If having the monitor on there makes you feel better about it, that's great, but I have a feeling you're going to drive yourself crazy concentrating on when the alternator is or isn't charging, when it's actually doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing.

With that said, I'd be interested to see what you find out from having that 12v meter plugged in al the time

seems kinda sketchy on ford's part BUT if we are all watching the issue and from what it sounds like no one has gotten stranded yet maybe this is actually a new standard the defies previous benchmarks we are all use to.

 

[SemperVee]

I used my FORD points to buy a take along jump starter box just in case. Used most of my Ford points but then it costs about $100 on Amazon for the same exact model. I will like that I can move the voltage meter to any of my other vehicles on a whim also.

 

[KnightRanger]

I used my FORD points to buy a take along jump starter box just in case. Used most of my Ford points but then it costs about $100 on Amazon for the same exact model. I will like that I can move the voltage meter to any of my other vehicles on a whim also.

Might be too late, but here’s why I ditched the battery booster cables and battery packs.

This Noco charger is worth checking out.
I have one in each vehicle and our boat. I even gave away one as gift.
It holds a charge really well, sometimes takes 2-3 months before I get a chance to check it and still has 75%-100% charge.

Its smaller than tradional battery booster/packs, yet powerful and also charges your phones in a pinch. ?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015TKUPIC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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