Ford BMS Battery Monitoring System: How it Works and How to Properly Charge Your Battery!

[Bsthroop]

For those with the CTEK, can I mount the charger in the engine compartment and have the AC plug dangle out the front grill? I have to park outside and don't want the charger in the rain.

I used this to plug it in, available on Amazon. Mine is mounted right in front of the battery and there is a ground right there. For clarity, the NOCO plug(sold separately) provides a 110 plug I mounted on the air dam that I plug the extension cord into every time I park in the garage . No opening the hood.

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[Msfitoy]

I love my NOCO...I keep it loose so I can jump other people's ride too...

 

[Bsthroop]

I picked up a NOCO Genius 10 from Amazon, and is rated for all battery types.
For info, where do you attach your ground to ?

Mine is the NoCo and this photo shows a ground at the bottom of the photo right in front of the battery. The NOCO is made for vehicle mounting.

 

[Grumpaw]

Mine is the NoCo and this photo shows a ground at the bottom of the photo right in front of the battery. The NOCO is made for vehicle mounting.

I want to keep it separate so I can hook it up to wife's Subaru when we take the camper out....usually for a minimum of a week, sometimes two.
I have a second set of clamps in my cart for her car, and a 10 foot extension for the Ranger so I can run the plug out to and under the grill for a plug mount.

 

[moorejl57]

I used this to plug it in, available on Amazon. Mine is mounted right in front of the battery and there is a ground right there.

That's exactly what I was wanting to do. I see they have a 10 Amp marine one designed for onboard mounting, thanks!

 

[Bsthroop]

That's exactly what I was wanting to do. I see they have a 10 Amp marine one designed for onboard mounting, thanks!

The NoCo plug is good quality and seals well. NOCO GCP1 15A AC Port Plug, 125V Power Inlet Socket, and Waterproof Electrical Outlet Receptacle Box with 16-Inch Integrated Outdoor Extension Cord https://a.co/d/aqQsdZ0

 

[SigOris]

I'm still waiting for 303 to come out with an engine cleaner. Being loyal can be tough sometimes. ?‍

PS...I don't wear any!

aka Captain Commando ?

 

[Silverfox]

18 amp draw for a shut down vehicle seems high but would explain a lot. Makes you wonder if a battery maintainer is enough to keep the battery alive. Assuming the screen he was viewing is not something we can see in Forscan?

There is no way that the truck is drawing 18 amps when shut off. A 1500w space heater uses less than 15 amps.. Even if the battery is rated for 75amp/hrs that would mean it would drain the battery in about 4hrs.

 

[Bsthroop]

There is no way that the truck is drawing 18 amps when shut off. A 1500w space heater uses less than 15 amps.. Even if the battery is rated for 75amp/hrs that would mean it would drain the battery in about 4hrs.

Yeah that made no sense to me. Something badly wrong there.

 

[KJRR]

Who knew we had to plug in our ICE vehicles!?
Part of a conspiracy to make it a normal occurance nightly?
I'll just replace the battery instead of plugging it in.

 

[RangerBill]

There is no way that the truck is drawing 18 amps when shut off. A 1500w space heater uses less than 15 amps.. Even if the battery is rated for 75amp/hrs that would mean it would drain the battery in about 4hrs.

He said he had the ignition on without starting the truck to have a current draw for the demonstration.

 

[Bsthroop]

Who knew we had to plug in our ICE vehicles!?
Part of a conspiracy to make it a normal occurance nightly?
I'll just replace the battery instead of plugging it in.

I think Ford missed the boat here, my wife's 2021 Nissan Rogue with all the same equipment except ASS does not have these electrical issues. Ford needs to do a better job of managing shut down current draw and charging capacity.

 

[FunInTheSun]

There is no way that the truck is drawing 18 amps when shut off. A 1500w space heater uses less than 15 amps.. Even if the battery is rated for 75amp/hrs that would mean it would drain the battery in about 4hrs.

That was my thought too. I thought it was parasitic draw. Which is what is still drawing when everything is off and sleeping. This is usually on the order of milliamps. 18 Amps is WAY too high for any reasonable parasitic draw, as you correctly point out.

But since I do have some electrical experience, I just want to help you understand the power calculation, with regard to the 1500 W load you were comparing it to. Power is measured in Watts, and is a product of Voltage x Current, so 1500 Watts at 12 Volts is 125 Amps. The power represented by 12 Volts and 18 Amps is 216 Watts, which is huge for a sleeping computer, but is reasonable if it is powered up and operating. Which it is, as someone who was paying better attention than me has pointed out.

Pretty neat video. I liked it and saved it to watch again later. The next time I will pay attention. LOL.

 

[Joeiconic]

This thread should be a sticky because it answers so many common complaints about the truck. Parasitic draw is a common problem with a lot of brands today. My aunt has to carry a jump starter in her subaru because her battery has left her stranded more than once. I drive my Ranger mostly on weekends and drive my car to commute during the week. I have the Ctek charger and connect it to the Ranger on Sunday night and swap it over to the car on Thursday night. No issues with either so far.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Mine is the NoCo and this photo shows a ground at the bottom of the photo right in front of the battery. The NOCO is made for vehicle mounting.

Is there a strong reason for having this unit mounted to the vehicle with the plug-in outside.

Why not just wire the the charging leads to ground and the battery, mount an exterior socket like the one shown, and have the charging unit remain outside of the vehicle, sitting on a work bench, plugged into a baseboard receptacle, with leads from the unit running to that exterior socket?

Heat, dust, water, or finding a good location for the unit wouldn’t be an issue.

Or, maybe it’s too early, I’m missing something, and I need another coffee. ?

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