Charging Sys-Full Description-Trigger Voltages-Test Results

got3fords

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I learned that when I see Engine on - Veh charging, it is likely cold.
Ok, I just recently had ASS not come on and the dash said temperature. So I don't know why I am getting Veh. charging so often. I have yet to see operating charge at less than 14.3V. We'll see what happens in the Spring.
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As I am waiting for a day that the temperature rises to around 50 deg to do my 90% and BMS Disconnect with Forscan running, as I am looking for specs that I cannot see with just a voltmeter.
Mainly the Battery Temp and Amp Readings (In & Out) of the battery.
As, I believe the reason for possibly smelling the battery off-gassing is due to the fact that in that charging phase, it is inputting a high amp charge and voltage, keeping in mind that this is an AGM battery and it requires a lower charging voltage when it is near 100% SOC and appears to be overheating the battery some, but again I need to see what the actual battery temp is reaching when it is in the 90% setting, so I still have that available to read with Forsan.

So, for the owners at 90% or disconnect, I am only trying to determine by testing if any possible battery life is being affected by obtaining the best operational performance (Now) by eliminating, A/Start, Deep Sleep Issues, vs Long Term, down the road shortening the life of the battery by doing it.
But for me with a mechanical background I like to give proven advice vs guess work, as this charging system along with the AGM battery is new to me, and it is a learning curve, and I don't want to say yes, set it to 90% only for your battery and or your out of warranty battery to be affected by my advice, thus taking money out of your wallet.

With that said, it is good to hear that the Ranger does have a separate message for Temp, as none of the manuals show that message as available on the IPC.

I also want to point out, as I park in the garage with an average temp of 48 deg via truck reading at start-up. Back out of garage and after driving for a short time the truck (OAT) will read actual temp of whatever (say 26 deg) - (Note, Nighttime Driving)
So, with that info and scenario above I am seeing a charging voltage of 13.4 volts. when by the temp swap over I should see 14.4 volts, I can even shut truck off and restart 1 hour latter and same charging voltage of 13.4 Volts. By the voltage swap over for temp I should have seen 14.4 volts, after restarting.
If truck is parked outside, with same outside temp, I get a charging voltage of 14.4 volts.

So, what this tells me and what I noted in my original post is that the Initial charging voltage is based on the battery temp reading taken from the Recalibration Process then adjusts to the driving mode, Day or Night, as after a drive the battery temp should closely match the (OAT) but warmer of course due to the heat of the engine bay and the blanket that covers the battery.
 
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I added some test results to my original post.

Edit: Adding Some Further Test Results
Test Performed At Idle- Monitoring Battery Temp and Amperage
Ran Each Mode 5 Minutes
Noted: The Disable A/Start BCM 726-48-02, does in fact disable BMS function along with A/Start, as this was unclear to me if just the input required for A/Start or the complete system was disabled.

At Factory 75% - Idle, Lights Off

1-idle-75-lights-off-png.png




At Factory 75% - Idle Lights on

2-idle-75-lingts-on-png.png




BMS - Disabled using BCM 726-48-02 Hex Change - Lights off

3-disable-bms-lights-off-png.png



BMS - Disabled using BCM 726-48-02 Hex Change - Lights on

4-disable-bms-lights-on-png.png



Battery Target SOC-Change to 90% - Idle- Lights Off

5-idle-90-lights-off-png.png



Battery Target SOC-Change to 90% - Idle- Lights on

6-idle-90-lights-on-png.png



BMS Sensor-Disconnected - Idle Lights off

7-bms-disconnect-lights-off-png.png



BMS Sensor Disconnected - Idle - Lights on

8-bms-disconnect-lights-on-png.png



Will need to do some actual driving for good numbers on the battery temp, I don't know why I was getting a temp reading with the sensor disconnected, might be default value.
Noted nothing major and no off gassing of the battery during this test run. Outside Air Temp was 48 deg
So, this at least gives a basic indication of the different charging modes:
Main PIDs are Batt BCM = Battery Charging Voltage
GENVDSD = Generator Desired Voltage
Bat Temp
Gen B Plus Corr = Gen Output Amperage
I think for the next tests, I will just focus on Battery Target SOC of 80% and 90%, and complete some drive cycles, then hook up and see what battery temp is reading after a drive.

I attempted and failed to get Forscan to display the Battery SOC, again and determined it is not an option for the Ranger, that would be a great PID to view for testing
 
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gtyates

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Very interesting. I upped mine to 90% and never had any sort of a smell at all. The positives I have seen are no more screen shut downs, no more proximity sensors shutting down, faster screen loading at start-up, and the surprising bonus, my fuel mileage has gone up 1 mpg with no other changes. Negatives to upping to 90%? None so far. I did the same thing to my wife's '17 Explorer, after having battery #3 installed. I always wondered why screen shutdowns and loss of proximity sensors was so frequent in her vehicle as well. Now I know. And also, her fuel mileage is up 1 mpg. My theory is that by upping the battery charge level the charging system is not having to work as hard all of the time, thus increasing fuel mileage, but it is just my theory.
 

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My theory is the bms code is so complex that like a bitcoin processor it sucks so much power that disconnecting it raises your mpg. :) the whole bms seems good in principle but real life use exposes some flaws , ass is intended to enhance mpg but for some the trade off is reduced battery life. Like yours mine is disconnected, rip bms.
 


gtyates

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My theory is the bms code is so complex that like a bitcoin processor it sucks so much power that disconnecting it raises your mpg. :) the whole bms seems good in principle but real life use exposes some flaws , ass is intended to enhance mpg but for some the trade off is reduced battery life. Like yours mine is disconnected, rip bms.
I left my BMS functiniongin, just upped the max charge to 90%. For the ass, I installed an auto stop eliminator that keeps the button setting in memory, so if for some reason I want auto stop to function I can make it. Of course I don't, but the option is there. Our '17 Explorer must have a factory installed similar memory device, because after we turned auto stop off in the menu it has remained off.
 

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Airline Tech,

Thank you for the many hours of research you put into this informative post.
I learned many things about the Ranger's charging system by reading the information presented.

I use the ScanGauge 2, connected to the OBD port, to read voltage. As well as many other realtime vehicle functions.
A little expensive, but works great.
 

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Have there been any known issues after some of you have increased the BMS to 90% after you have ran like that for a few months? I need to do this as my proximity sensors on the doors rarely ever work this winter.
 

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Have there been any known issues after some of you have increased the BMS to 90% after you have ran like that for a few months? I need to do this as my proximity sensors on the doors rarely ever work this winter.
Truly, if you're having lots of deep sleep issues, a new battery is wise. Even at 70-75%, these batteries should easily last overnight, if not a week without dropping into deep sleep.

I had issues for a lot longer than I thought because of a crap battery from the factory. The dealer originally blamed it on my battery saver for my dashcam (that was set to 12.5v), but I had intermittent issues for a while until I finally just dropped a new battery in a few weeks ago. I've had none of my previous issues, ASS works *consistently* like it did when the truck was new, and it's as if there never were any problems. Note - I didn't have any "classic" signs of a bad battery like problems starting or needing to jump or anything that felt "low" as you'd have noticed in older vehicles, but the electronics are more sensitive and will shut down at higher thresholds than "this battery is flat" territory.

Personally, I wouldn't set BMS over 80% if it was my vehicle, and if you set it there (which I had done before replacing the battery) and still have issues, just swap it out.
 

dtech

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Have there been any known issues after some of you have increased the BMS to 90% after you have ran like that for a few months? I need to do this as my proximity sensors on the doors rarely ever work this winter.
you can read thru the airlines tech comprehensive reporting - however my bms has been off for 1.5 yrs , it's a 2019 with original battery, I live in a mostly cool area of CO, battery still functional.
 
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Great Video on the BMS Reset - From a Ford Tech



My Thoughts on this Video and BMS Reset

In my testing and reference the GSB for Deep Sleep, there is a reference to performing A BMS reset.
This BMS reset, resets Time Installed, so this process will tell the truck a new battery is installed and change the charging algorithm to a new battery.
However, all other service manuals and service bulletins, state to only perform the reset when replacing the battery.

So to sum it up, there are only (2) references to perform the BMS reset without replacing the battery. The above video (from a Ford Tech) and the GSB for Deep Sleep issues.

So, with this video and the GSB as reference, then I feel it would not hurt to just make this reset preventive maintenance. (Say, every other oil change or every oil change)
The only downside is the dealer may not warranty the battery as they will see the time since installed being newer than the battery age actually is. I have not found a way to reset back to original date, once reset you are stuck on that date, and it is the date you performed the reset.
Best case - You will possibly eliminate most of the battery issues we have and possibly extend the life of the battery.
Worst Case - It helps some or not at all, and you are out of pocket for new battery (if dealer wants to be difficult)

As this is one area of my research, I did not find a clear and precise answer as to how the BMS handles a aging battery. (Increase or Decrease Charging Voltage) as the battery ages due to increase in internal resistance at the battery.
 

dtech

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The more I read about Ford's system the more it seems to be patterned after BMWs which drew a lot of publicity when the whole battery management and reset (registration) came to light way back when it was 1st introduced. BMWs SW does have a time/voltage level algorithm and requires a reset when batt is replaced.
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