Dead Battery...Twice!

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MountainGoat

MountainGoat

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But doesn't the 12volt power outlets turn off after a while? How would this charge the battery if the outlet power is cut after awhile?
Good point I'm not sure. I've got a list of Qs for the service department at this point.
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aeroshots

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@MountainGoat you either have horrible luck with batteries or they just didn't calibrate the BMS. If you have any electrical accessories that could be to blame, remove them from the picture for a little.

If your battery isnt frozen rock solid and you can get the truck started I would drive it straight to the dealership and ask them to perform the following on the spot.

Ask them to perform a battery diagnostic test. If it fails, they owe you another battery. If they replace it or tell you it's good to go make sure the BMS is reset. If they don't know how here is the instructions from ford...

"If the vehicle battery is replaced, it is very important to perform the battery monitoring system reset using the
diagnostic scan tool. If the battery monitoring system reset is not carried out, it holds the old battery
parameters and time in service counter in memory. Additionally it tells the system the battery is in an aged
state and may limit the Electrical Energy Management system functions."
So let me under this. If we want to replace the battery ourselves we're sol? The truck has to be brought to the dealership for calibration/bms reset?
 

gbritt89

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So let me under this. If we want to replace the battery ourselves we're sol? The truck has to be brought to the dealership for calibration/bms reset?
Nope! there is a procedure that I cannot seem to find at the moment but essentially as I posted previous when you change the battery yourself you are to let the truck sit for 10 or 12 hours untouched and it will reset itself. It's somewhere in the battery/electrical technical bulletins part of the forum
 
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aeroshots

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Nope! there is a procedure that I cannot seem to find at the moment but essentially as I posted previous when you change the battery yourself or disconnect it you are to let the truck sit for 10 or 12 hours untouched and it will reset itself. It's somewhere in the battery/electrical technical bulletins part of the forum
Thank you very much. Back to my enjoyable evening. ?
 

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My auto stop start has not worked for 3 weeks now , too many reasons >? Is it just a cold weather thing ?
New member here - I have the same deal with my 2019 Lariat (I just got it new on 12/31/20 & it has <3k miles). Auto start/stop hasn't worked in like 2 weeks. I don't appear to be having battery issues.
 


P. A. Schilke

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New member here - I have the same deal with my 2019 Lariat (I just got it new on 12/31/20 & it has <3k miles). Auto start/stop hasn't worked in like 2 weeks. I don't appear to be having battery issues.
HI TH,

You need to read the complex conditions when ASS does not work. In cold weather below a certain temp, in hot weather...when batter voltage is not in spec, when you are wearing a pink tutu... (joke). It is a very complex system that is really designed to pass emissions with the highest fuel economy by not running the engine on the test cycle during the idle periods. You are in winter conditions and likely it does not stop your heater performance. Not having instrumentation hooked, we can only speculate, but I am certain your ASS system is fully operational. When in doubt...have the dealer check its function.

In these cases above....Read your owner's manual as poorly edited as it is. Do not guess.

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

Leftcoast

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HI TH,

You need to read the complex conditions when ASS does not work. In cold weather below a certain temp, in hot weather...when batter voltage is not in spec, when you are wearing a pink tutu... (joke). It is a very complex system that is really designed to pass emissions with the highest fuel economy by not running the engine on the test cycle during the idle periods. You are in winter conditions and likely it does not stop your heater performance. Not having instrumentation hooked, we can only speculate, but I am certain your ASS system is fully operational. When in doubt...have the dealer check its function.

In these cases above....Read your owner's manual as poorly edited as it is. Do not guess.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
I guess I'll go in the opposite direction. You posted that there can be numerous reasons that the ASS won't work including temp and possibly cosplay attire. I'm assuming there can be only one reason why the ASS would work if everything was operating correctly. The ASS identifies that all of it's parameters have been met. One of those parameters is a adequately charged battery. Therefore, a non operating ASS doesn't necessarily define a bad battery but an operating ASS defines a good battery. I'm fortunate to live in a climate where my only ASS non starter is my wardrobe and the battery.
 

HarryD

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It might have something to do with the Battery Management System.
I had the connector at the back of the battery unplugged, which disabled the ASS. I just plugged a voltmeter adapter into one of the DC outlets on the dash and while driving around it measured around 14.2V. I then plugged the BMS connector in and it read around 14.5V for a day or so and then dropped to around 12.8V. while still driving around with a sporadic 14.+V reading.
After unplugging the connector the gauge bumped up to around 14.5V and has been holding steady for a few days now.
 

LightingBlue

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You certainly need to get the battery in for a proper diagnostic. I'm not certain that your run of the mill dealership will do much else than throw it on their high-amperage charger rather than measuring it's charge and discharge rates, or look at each cell's overall health.

Especially as batteries have longer operational lives, i've found more instances of mostly drained batteries when purchased new as they all have had to sit for longer.

You don't list your city, but i've had phenomenal success working with Batteries Plus Bulbs. There are locations near the state lines with Utah and Colorado. Obviously you're less inclined to leave your battery there overnight, but they can do proper diagnostics on the battery and offer suggestions.

Also, FWIW, Optima batteries are not as quality as they once were. Many places (B+B included) stopped carrying Optima batteries as their manufacturing has shifted as the business has been purchased a few times. Johnson Controls (owners of DieHard) owns Optima currently and their batteries are mostly built in Mexico now. If you're keen on going with a deep cycle battery due to being able to be fully discharged much better than lead-acid, please remember that deep cycle batteries have much lower cold cranking amps. Probably not as much an issue with the 2.3 as it is on my 7.2 liter big block Ford FE, but it's something to be aware of.

My only comment on trickle chargers is that Amazon is really hot on Noco chargers and that they have a pretty high rate of warranty replacements. Anecdotally speaking, I went through 3 in a year, and each time it was put on the "healing bench" that was stacked with at least a half dozen other Noco chargers which were awaiting warranty replacement, they got an extra few in every month just for warranty replacements before they stopped carrying them altogether due to customer complaints. I eventually got the shop to let me upgrade (paying the price difference) for this Duracell unit (amazon link, sorry). Amazon does not have as discerning of customers as a dedicated battery shop does, the reviews reflect this.

I've run this trickle charger on my 6v or 12v batteries for over 3 years with constant (daily) use. Never had a problem and i've clocked it at over 4 amps input. The "reconditioning" function has saved a few batteries that my buddies have had lying around for years as we work on older cars.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MW39STH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Edit: Friendly reminder that those tiny trickle chargers that put in less than about 2.5 amps will NOT be adequate for a full sized automotive battery, nor will they typically have the reconditioning functions, 6v/12v selection, cell detection, overcharge protection or a host of other useful features. Expect to spend over $60-75 on a proper charger the first time and be glad you did. Saving $30 so you can be stranded is a lot less cool than it sounds.
 

Tim H.

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I was in the waiting room with a lady that had been there all day. She said they told her they have no loaners available.

But I didn't ask a service rep myself.
Tell them you’d like to test drive one of their new F150s. Then dont bring it back until your Ranger is ready. ?
 
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MountainGoat

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You certainly need to get the battery in for a proper diagnostic. I'm not certain that your run of the mill dealership will do much else than throw it on their high-amperage charger rather than measuring it's charge and discharge rates, or look at each cell's overall health.

Especially as batteries have longer operational lives, i've found more instances of mostly drained batteries when purchased new as they all have had to sit for longer.

You don't list your city, but i've had phenomenal success working with Batteries Plus Bulbs. There are locations near the state lines with Utah and Colorado. Obviously you're less inclined to leave your battery there overnight, but they can do proper diagnostics on the battery and offer suggestions.

Also, FWIW, Optima batteries are not as quality as they once were. Many places (B+B included) stopped carrying Optima batteries as their manufacturing has shifted as the business has been purchased a few times. Johnson Controls (owners of DieHard) owns Optima currently and their batteries are mostly built in Mexico now. If you're keen on going with a deep cycle battery due to being able to be fully discharged much better than lead-acid, please remember that deep cycle batteries have much lower cold cranking amps. Probably not as much an issue with the 2.3 as it is on my 7.2 liter big block Ford FE, but it's something to be aware of.

My only comment on trickle chargers is that Amazon is really hot on Noco chargers and that they have a pretty high rate of warranty replacements. Anecdotally speaking, I went through 3 in a year, and each time it was put on the "healing bench" that was stacked with at least a half dozen other Noco chargers which were awaiting warranty replacement, they got an extra few in every month just for warranty replacements before they stopped carrying them altogether due to customer complaints. I eventually got the shop to let me upgrade (paying the price difference) for this Duracell unit (amazon link, sorry). Amazon does not have as discerning of customers as a dedicated battery shop does, the reviews reflect this.

I've run this trickle charger on my 6v or 12v batteries for over 3 years with constant (daily) use. Never had a problem and i've clocked it at over 4 amps input. The "reconditioning" function has saved a few batteries that my buddies have had lying around for years as we work on older cars.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MW39STH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Edit: Friendly reminder that those tiny trickle chargers that put in less than about 2.5 amps will NOT be adequate for a full sized automotive battery, nor will they typically have the reconditioning functions, 6v/12v selection, cell detection, overcharge protection or a host of other useful features. Expect to spend over $60-75 on a proper charger the first time and be glad you did. Saving $30 so you can be stranded is a lot less cool than it sounds.
Thanks for the detailed info. Figures Optima went downhill, so many brands have. I added the Duracell to my cart too.

The dealer by me is pretty good. They did do the charge/discharge and showed me the readout.
 

Thrillhouse

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HI TH,

You need to read the complex conditions when ASS does not work. In cold weather below a certain temp, in hot weather...when batter voltage is not in spec, when you are wearing a pink tutu... (joke). It is a very complex system that is really designed to pass emissions with the highest fuel economy by not running the engine on the test cycle during the idle periods. You are in winter conditions and likely it does not stop your heater performance. Not having instrumentation hooked, we can only speculate, but I am certain your ASS system is fully operational. When in doubt...have the dealer check its function.

In these cases above....Read your owner's manual as poorly edited as it is. Do not guess.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
Thanks. We had a heat wave that reached into the low 20's yesterday and it was working again.

But I feel for almost $40k I shouldn't have to read a manual - my truck should just tell me these things! ?
 

mustang marty

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Thanks. We had a heat wave that reached into the low 20's yesterday and it was working again.

But I feel for almost $40k I shouldn't have to read a manual - my truck should just tell me these things! ?
same here it worked today , sadly .
 

Montana Ranger

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A first for me: I got a notification on my FordPass app last week that certain features on my Ranger Lariat related to connectivity and remote entry were being suspended due to the battery running low. In the winter I primarily drive my Ranger at least once a week when going skiing or running errands, but due to the extremely cold weather and work commitments I hadn't driven it for over two weeks. It's parked in the garage where the temperature typically hovers between the high 40s and low 50s. When I was ready to drive it again, it fired right up without hesitation.

So I'm curious if you got any warnings about your battery's condition on your app.
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