Dead Battery

[dtech]

.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/944775111 this is the one im getting. Theres an h7 but when I looked at it, it looks bigger and im not sure if it would fit correctly.

I think there have been post on this - the H7 850cc may fit all variants of the ranger

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[Jmarler]

I've got two of those, except mine have 12 hour mechanical timers! One I purchased way back for me and another for my now deceased father - Both still work great! I've several smart chargers but sometimes you need raw brute force.

Theres a way to reset the bms. I watched a video on it. You flash brights 5 or 6 times and push on the brake 3 while the key is turned but not running. You'll the battery light flash the goes to normal. I tried it and it works

 

[TJC]

Why Reset?

Simply unplug!

Or use Forscan to turn off the BMS/ASS system.

Your battery will love you for it.

 

[conductor]

If you live in Florida, Texas, or Arizona you're going to putting in a new battery every 2 years. It's the heat!

 

[TJC]

It's the Ford BMS, but the heat doesn't help... it exacerbates the issue. If you don't believe me, test it for yourself, unplug the BMS sensor and charge up the battery to 100%. Drive it for a while and see if your issues remain. Once you've gone a month or two with no issues plug the BMS sensor back in and watch your battery issues come roaring back within a a few months. If your battery is already severely abused by the BMS, you may need to desulfate it first.

 

[MarioCart]

It's the Ford BMS, but the heat doesn't help... it exacerbates the issue. If you don't believe me, test it for yourself, unplug the BMS sensor and charge up the battery to 100%. Drive it for a while and see if your issues remain. Once you've gone a month or two with no issues plug the BMS sensor back in and watch your battery issues come roaring back within a a few months. If your battery is already severely abused by the BMS, you may need to desulfate it first.

how long have you been doing this to your battery?

 

[TJC]

Since I purchased the truck in Aug 2020. Battery is a 760 CCA and my battery monitoring equipment shows it much higher CCA. Internal resistance is <= 3mOhm. I also added an onboard automatic Batteryminder desulfator. I have installed them on all my cars. Search this board for "Maximizing Battery". I did a very deep dive into ASS/BMS. My batteries last an average of 9-10 years. My 2020 Ranger battery was showing signs of weakness so I took action. It now is behaving exactly like my other vehicles. This picture below was measured at least 4 hours after being driven.... usually overnight. These are excellent readings.

I'll wager if you are allowing BMS to operate, your battery has between 5-10mOhm of internal resistance - meaning the battery charge has been so low for so long that the battery has heavy sulfation. (The sulfur in the acid binds to the lead plates as crystals causing high resistance, killing the battery.) This occurs when the battery voltage drops below 12.6v. The lower the voltage the faster the rate of accumulation. If you catch it soon enough, the process can be reversed with a Desulfator.

Ford BMS keeps the battery voltage intentionally low. They are trading battery life for EPA mileage ratings.

 

[MarioCart]

I'm going on 4.5 years original equip. Not having any problems here.
i guess its a personal preference. some people like flushing money down the drain changing fluids early, others like to save money by spending money on fancy gadgets to extend the life of other gadgets.
I just trade in my vehicles when they get annoying on unplanned maintenance requirements.
If my battery shits the bed, you can be assured I'm browsing the Build it and price it page.

 

[Squatchranger]

Since this thread's about a dead battery and charging from a low voltage, maybe one of you experts (and I'm being sincere, the stuff some of you know is mind boggling but tremendously interesting to read) can educate me on modern electrical systems.

I have a CTEK battery tender I run a few times a month and let it go overnight to do it's thing. I also carry a jump pack, just in case. From what I know, these are safe to use.

But ... if I were ever in a situation where the battery went dead, can an old school 10 amp charger still be used or is that asking for trouble?

I still have this "vintage" one that works and I've used on my FJ40 for 40+ years.

I would be careful, the agm batteries we have are extremely tempermental. I can't speak for any issues it may cause but I would advise caution.

 

[TJC]

I would not use the vintage charger on an AGM except in a last ditch effort to get voltage high enough to allow a smart charger to take over. And all smart chargers are not the same either. I have several that simply stop declaring the battery dead or bad. My 8 amp BatteryMinder always gets the job done. It has never failed me. It has brought back hevily sulfated batteries to near new condition, certainly usable for 4-5 more years.

 

[TJC]

I'm going on 4.5 years original equip. Not having any problems here.
i guess its a personal preference. some people like flushing money down the drain changing fluids early, others like to save money by spending money on fancy gadgets to extend the life of other gadgets.
I just trade in my vehicles when they get annoying on unplanned maintenance requirements.
If my battery shits the bed, you can be assured I'm browsing the Build it and price it page.

Interesting take!

Here's mine. FWIW, I am not saying your path is right or wrong, simply different. And different is what makes the world go round.

I figure a $40K investment needs to last me at least 20 years to drop to a $2K year annual expense. I've been successful for the last 4 vehicles that I have owned. I still own a 93 Miata, just gave away a 2003 Maxima, still own a 2005 Ranger that is good for another 10-15 years, the 2020 Ranger, and a recently purchased 2023 Mazda CX-5.

The 2020 Ranger has been the most troublesome of the lot and I have corrected many weaknesses in it in an effort to maximize my investment. Just in the last 6 months we had to decide whether to keep it or cut our losses and sell it. We decided to invest a few more $$ in it and keep it - at least a few more years. It is a gamble that we hope pays off. The 2005 Ranger even now is a great truck and has been kept as insurance in case the 2020 Ranger experiment fails.

BTW, I am done with Ford unless I see a dramatic improvement in quality. I am not holding my breath.

All of the others are cross country trustworthy. The Ranger is almost in that shape after another $4500 has been dropped into it to make it so.

I pay for my vehicles in cash and keep them long term. Trading in every 2-3 years is throwing away hard earned money.

I prefer to have enough funds to tide me over in rough financial times.

I did the same with my home. We purchased it and paid it off in 5 years. This was tough! During that time we did without. No furniture except for a Walmart folding card table and chairs, a mattress on the floor, and our clothes stored in card board boxes. We did not (and still do not) eat out, and ate a lot of beans and rice.

Worth every penny saved... Financial freedom means choices. Simple as that.

We are certainly not rich. We live a simple life and know how to make and save money. We prepare for hard times. Lose a job ? We can manage without assistance until we find other employment... simply because we eliminated debt. My credit score is high, but I don't bother with it... as borrowing $$ for us is not an option that we will ever take.

 

[Squatchranger]

Interesting take!

Here's mine. FWIW, I am not saying your path is right or wrong, simply different. And different is what makes the world go round.

I figure a $40K investment needs to last me at least 20 years to drop to a $2K year annual expense. I've been successful for the last 4 vehicles that I have owned. I still own a 93 Miata, just gave away a 2003 Maxima, still own a 2005 Ranger that is good for another 10-15 years, the 2020 Ranger, and a recently purchased 2023 Mazda CX-5.

The 2020 Ranger has been the most troublesome of the lot and I have corrected many weaknesses in it in an effort to maximize my investment. Just in the last 6 months we had to decide whether to keep it or cut our losses and sell it. We decided to invest a few more $$ in it and keep it - at least a few more years. It is a gamble that we hope pays off. The 2005 Ranger even now is a great truck and has been kept as insurance in case the 2020 Ranger experiment fails.

BTW, I am done with Ford unless I see a dramatic improvement in quality. I am not holding my breath.

All of the others are cross country trustworthy. The Ranger is almost in that shape after another $4500 has been dropped into it to make it so.

I pay for my vehicles in cash and keep them long term. Trading in every 2-3 years is throwing away hard earned money.

I prefer to have enough funds to tide me over in rough financial times.

I did the same with my home. We purchased it and paid it off in 5 years. This was tough! During that time we did without. No furniture except for a Walmart folding card table and chairs, a mattress on the floor, and our clothes stored in card board boxes. We did not (and still do not) eat out, and ate a lot of beans and rice.

Worth every penny saved... Financial freedom means choices. Simple as that.

We are certainly not rich. We live a simple life and know how to make and save money. We prepare for hard times. Lose a job ? We can manage without assistance until we find other employment... simply because we eliminated debt. My credit score is high, but I don't bother with it... as borrowing $$ for us is not an option that we will ever take.

Out of curiousity what did you do with the ranger to get it "cross country worthy"

 

[mtbikernate]

Out of curiousity what did you do with the ranger to get it "cross country worthy"

yeah, good question. I just did a 3500mi trip in mine, more or less bone stock, and it did great. I certainly didn't have to drop $4500 on mods to do so.

 

[subquark]

I would not use the vintage charger on an AGM except in a last ditch effort to get voltage high enough to allow a smart charger to take over. And all smart chargers are not the same either. I have several that simply stop declaring the battery dead or bad. My 8 amp BatteryMinder always gets the job done. It has never failed me. It has brought back hevily sulfated batteries to near new condition, certainly usable for 4-5 more years.

Hmm, sounds like I should use a different mode than I have been with the CTEK.

I've been using the "normal battery program" but it sounds like I should also use the "AGM option" (it's possible to select both at the same time).

Any thoughts? I'm pretty clueless! =D

*gets the manual and reads up on this*

Always in the garage with 18 foot leads to the Ranger. Plug it in a few times a month in summer and at least once a week in winter.

 

[TJC]

My charger auto detects the battery type. I'd select AGM for AGM batteries. It lowers the charge voltage to keep it optimal for AGM batteries. But I defer to the manual.

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