Maximizing Battery Life

[TJC]

OK, I have read over the investigative work of Aero Tech(for the 3rd time) and looked at detech's approach to the BMS battery management. Those PDF files supplied by Aero Tech were most interesting to me, esp #5 Smart Charge Explained from the Ford & E Transit manual.

Thanks to both of you gentlemen for your sleuth work on the Ranger charging system.

I had no idea Ford had bastardized the charging system so completely in the name of EPA / CO2 / greenie mandates. I must wonder if the tradeoff is worth it from a carbon foot print perspective.

You save precious little fuel vs the cost of recycling the old battery and manufacturing a replacement every 18 months! I don't think .1 of a mile/gallon over 18 months adds up to the $200 cost of a replacement battery during the same time period.

This makes no sense to me at all. Seems the world has traded critical thinking skills and logic for feel good initiatives (or if I were suspicious, I would think that this is simply one more way to separate me from my money.)

I want a reliable charging system that maximizes battery life. I believe that I have achieved it in my previous autos, and I want something similar in my 5G Ranger. This means I want a conventional charging system (or as close as I can get) on my Ranger that will allow my onboard desulfator to work its magic. This is my objective. What I don't want to do is to continuously need to charge the battery in an effort to extend it's life. I'd rather add the desulfator and forget about it. But Ford has thrown a monkey wrench into the works by not suppling optimal battery voltages to activate the desulfator or charge the battery to 100%.

So here are a couple of questions that when answered will hopefully point me in the right direction.

1) Can Smart Regenerative Charging (SRC) Override ( Conventional Charging - Third Party High Power Mode in the Ford Transit) be implemented in the 5G Ranger?

• via Forscan settings,
• or some other unknown method, aka the jumper from Pin 1-3 in the plug under the seat in the Ford Transit

2) Does unplugging the BMS sensor achieve the same thing?

I do know that my smart charger does not charge the battery to full SOC if I connect it through the BMS sensor as advised to do by Ford. My battery voltage levels with the charger active and connected as Ford advises (negative connected before the BMS sensor) were at 12.5v measured at the battery terminals.

If I charged connected directly to the battery I saw the 13.5-13.8v volts that I expected from previous experience. This leads me to believe that the BMS is active even with the truck isn't running.

I am leaning towards simply unplugging the BMS sensor at the battery and forgetting about it, and letting my desulfator do its thing.

- T

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[got3fords]

I am leaning towards simply unplugging the BMS sensor at the battery and forgetting about it, and letting my desulfator do its thing.

- T

I am looking at the Ranger charging system as a fairly complicated system, including a smart alternator. So disconnecting the sensor doesn't sound like a good idea to me. It's like that time one of my coworkers disconnected a sensor on my car without my knowledge as a joke. Took me forever to figure out why it ran like crap.

 

[Msfitoy]

I am looking at the Ranger charging system as a fairly complicated system, including a smart alternator. So disconnecting the sensor doesn't sound like a good idea to me. It's like that time one of my coworkers disconnected a sensor on my car without my knowledge as a joke. Took me forever to figure out why it ran like crap.

I'd return the favor times 3...unplug sensors that are far apart...

 

[chrisakz]

OK, I have read over the investigative work of Aero Tech(for the 3rd time) and looked at detech's approach to the BMS battery management. Those PDF files supplied by Aero Tech were most interesting to me, esp #5 Smart Charge Explained from the Ford & E Transit manual.

Thanks to both of you gentlemen for your sleuth work on the Ranger charging system.

I had no idea Ford had bastardized the charging system so completely in the name of EPA / CO2 / greenie mandates. I must wonder if the tradeoff is worth it from a carbon foot print perspective.

You save precious little fuel vs the cost of recycling the old battery and manufacturing a replacement every 18 months! I don't think .1 of a mile/gallon over 18 months adds up to the $200 cost of a replacement battery during the same time period.

This makes no sense to me at all. Seems the world has traded critical thinking skills and logic for feel good initiatives (or if I were suspicious, I would think that this is simply one more way to separate me from my money.)

I want a reliable charging system that maximizes battery life. I believe that I have achieved it in my previous autos, and I want something similar in my 5G Ranger. This means I want a conventional charging system (or as close as I can get) on my Ranger that will allow my onboard desulfator to work its magic. This is my objective. What I don't want to do is to continuously need to charge the battery in an effort to extend it's life. I'd rather add the desulfator and forget about it. But Ford has thrown a monkey wrench into the works by not suppling optimal battery voltages to activate the desulfator or charge the battery to 100%.

So here are a couple of questions that when answered will hopefully point me in the right direction.

1) Can Smart Regenerative Charging (SRC) Override ( Conventional Charging - Third Party High Power Mode in the Ford Transit) be implemented in the 5G Ranger?

• via Forscan settings,
• or some other unknown method, aka the jumper from Pin 1-3 in the plug under the seat in the Ford Transit

2) Does unplugging the BMS sensor achieve the same thing?

I do know that my smart charger does not charge the battery to full SOC if I connect it through the BMS sensor as advised to do by Ford. My battery voltage levels with the charger active and connected as Ford advises (negative connected before the BMS sensor) were at 12.5v measured at the battery terminals.

If I charged connected directly to the battery I saw the 13.5-13.8v volts that I expected from previous experience. This leads me to believe that the BMS is active even with the truck isn't running.

I am leaning towards simply unplugging the BMS sensor at the battery and forgetting about it, and letting my desulfator do its thing.

- T

I deactivated the BMS via Forscan as I mentioned earlier in this thread. I get constant high 14v while running( around 14.7 +/- .2v).

 

[dtech]

I am looking at the Ranger charging system as a fairly complicated system, including a smart alternator. So disconnecting the sensor doesn't sound like a good idea to me. It's like that time one of my coworkers disconnected a sensor on my car without my knowledge as a joke. Took me forever to figure out why it ran like crap.

if one disco's the bms (I have over a yr back) - you lose certain functions which include :

- smart alternator regen charge function
- load monitoring and load shedding when battery SOC drops
- battery temp monitoring
- putting the electrical system into sleep mode and the Ford Pass alerts
- ASS
- battery aging algorithym to increase charge voltage with age
- so with it disconnected you default to a traditional charging system and I think the airline tech said it's a steady 14.5 V although he may have mentioned 13.8 v as well, but I think it is mostly 14.5V . In a hot environment that level of voltage could cause excessive internal battery temps and cause outgassing - airline tech says he caught a wiff of outgas at 90% SOC and BMS disco, I can't say I have.

With the information now available I will likely do a reconnect of the BMS sensor whenever I go on an extended trip and make use the regen capabilities.

I

 

[TJC]

Thanks dtech. And others...

A constant +14v is not ideal. But neither is a constant low SOC. I read that raising SOC to 90 using Forscan resulted in the same high voltage. Maybe an SOC of 85 is best solution at this time. Still no where near ideal.

I think I am going to turn off a lot of frills with Forscan... For instance, I don't need lights on after shutdown.

I am frustrated with the situation...

BTW, what parameter in Forscan is used to set the SOC ?

 

[dtech]

Thanks dtech. And others...

A constant +14v is not ideal. But neither is a constant low SOC. I read that raising SOC to 90 using Forscan resulted in the same high voltage. Maybe an SOC of 85 is best solution at this time. Still no where near ideal.

I think I am going to turn off a lot of frills with Forscan... For instance, I don't need lights on after shutdown.

I am frustrated with the situation...

BTW, what parameter in Forscan is used to set the SOC ?

Well since airline tech IIRC reported with BMS disconnected seeing on occasion < 14 volts , it could be that charging voltage is lowered below 14 when the SOC charge is high, this has been the case with ECU regulated systems to protect from overcharge condition. My battery still holds a decent charge after 1.5 yrs going BMSless , production date is 06/19 and I bought it as a demo with 700 miles in 4/20 so it sat on the lot a good deal. Nixed going to the Ford dealer to see if I could get a free battery as mine does show 60% SOC 24 hrs after a full charge, ambient temps around 40 .

 

[TJC]

I have made substantial progress in nursing my battery back to good health (no thanks to Ford!). I am finally approaching the health of the battery in my 2005 Ranger. Still not there, but getting closer.

I m afraid to drive the truck too much yet as I know the BMS system will quickly undo the progress made. Going to purchase one of the recommended voltage monitors that plug into the dash 12v ports to keep a close eye on the voltages while cruising.

Results 3 days ago
12.96V
3.26 mOhms resistance
904.8 CCA (on a battery rated at 720 CCA)

Results Today
13.04v
2.94 mOhms resistance
1024 CCA

It is safe to say that the battery suffered from moderate internal resistance.

 

[got3fords]

Going to purchase one of the recommended voltage monitors that plug into the dash 12v ports to keep a close eye on the voltages while cruising.

Well I am surprised, for some reason I thought you were already constantly monitoring voltage somehow, especially with all the concern you have expressed. I have had a 12V oultet meter plugged in for a couple of months. Running voltage rarely drops below 13, and is usually 14+.
Please don't take this the wrong way, but is it possible you are completely overthinking this whole thing?

 

[TJC]

No offense taken ... Anything is possible ...

I started out simply driving my ranger until I started having low voltage warnings. I charged the battery, and in two weeks time I'd get the warning again. On the 3rd warning, I decided to do something about it.

That is when I started this thread.

So the first step was to try to save the battery by recharging and reconditioning it. I am coming to the end of that process. But I fear in 6 months time the battery will be right back where it was.... so I decided to carefully monitor the charging process to see exactly what was going on. And to my complete surprise I discovered that the charging system was far more complex than anything I had seen before. And that the goal of long battery life was not the primary objective of the system.

My desire is to insure that the battery in my 5G ranger survives just as long as in my other autos.

I have been closely monitoring voltages as I charge / recondition my failing Ranger battery. I am using a high quality VOM right off the battery leads. I am watching the charge rates and the trip levels of the desulfator. I am learning how the 5G Ranger's charging system is different from every auto I have previously owned. I have ceased driving it until the rejuvenation phase is completed.

When I begin driving the truck again, I will have a solid baseline from which to plot my results. I can then make changes in Forscan and plot the results. The delta will then tell the story as I modify each parameter, test, and measure each result.

The little inexpensive monitor I just purchased allows me to dynamically see what is happening when I finish the battery conditioning and allow the Ranger to do its thing on the road. I will still test the battery each morning to see if resistance, CCA, and Voltage are going up, stable or dropping. My plan is to modify settings and parameters in Forscan to minimize to the extent possible any negative behaviors that the charging (and related systems) have to insure maximum life of the battery. I call this process "polishing the stone".

 

[TJC]

Just got back from driving both my 4G and 5G with the $3 voltage monitor plugged into the 12V socket. It was dark so lights were on.

5G charging rate varied from 14.1 to 14.5v. Good enough to keep the desulfator doing its thing.

4G charging rate was a constant 14.5v. I allowed the batteries to rest for 5 minutes leaving the volt meter installed. The info in italics below may be irrelevant due to the info further down in this note. This is good news!

5G settled to 12.3v (still too low - over a week on the desulfator)​

4G settled to 12.7v​

​

This could be due to a number of things​

• bigger dark power draw on the 5G
  • 7 months of desulfator doing its thing on the 4G
  • older battery that has been abused by the 5G charging system

I have had a difficult time believing previous reports that the battery voltages were dropping below 12v at rest. It went against everything I thought I knew about battery conditioning and voltages. So on a whim I decided to check the voltage at the battery terminals with my nice trusty high dollar VOM. The results were interesting.

After 30 minutes rest

4G - 12.5v on interior lighter monitor 12.5v at the battery terminals
5G - 12.3v on interior lighter monitor 12.5v at the battery terminals
A .2v difference on the 5G

I swapped the LED volt meters between the trucks and the difference stayed with the 5G. I suspect the 5G has a voltage regulator for the buss network.

So all 12v voltages measured from the interior of the truck are going to be at least .2v lower (it may be clipped at some higher voltage limit as well), including the charging voltages I reported above.

Tomorrow I drive during the day to see how each truck behaves with lights off.

 

[TJC]

Looks like this is going to be easier than I thought! Just finished driving both my 4G and 5G Rangers in excess of 50 miles while dynamically monitoring voltages. Before starting either, I measured both batteries after allowing them to rest for 12 hours.

The 4G's battery is in outstanding condition, having been conditioned by the onboard desulfator since being installed new in August of 2022.

The 4G specs are: Battery rated at 750 CCA
Voltage = 12.59v Internal Resistance = 2.52 mOhms CCA = 1067

The 5G's battery has recovered very well having been desulfating for over 10 days
The 5G specs are: Battery rated at 720 CCA
Voltage = 12.54v Internal Resistance = 3.08 mOhms CCA = 766.2

Please note that both batteries now substantially exceed their manufacturers CCA specifications. And I believe that the 5G's battery condition will only continue to improve.

I started with the 4G, as it has a history of long battery life (7-9 yrs) over the last 18 years. Once engine started, the voltage jumped to 14.5V and over the first 20 miles the voltage slowly dropped until it held steady at the 14.1v - 14.2v range, Lights on or off didn't matter. It stayed constant the duration of the drive.

The 5G was a different story, and followed Airline Tech's report very closely. The voltage averaged 12.5v - 12.7v when cruising, coming off throttle the voltage would jump to 14.5v until throttle was applied. I was not happy with this finding as I could see the BMS lowering the charge of the battery to free charge space for the regenerative system. My onboard desulfatror would only activate when voltages exceeded 13.5v. So it only ran 10% - 20% of the time.

I then stopped and unplugged the BMS Sensor. And restarted the test.
The results surprised me somewhat as others had reported that the voltages would be steady in the 14.2v - 14.5v range.

My results were different. I had a steady 14.0v - 14.1v (at the battery terminals) (13.8-13.9 on the LED in the cabin) charge rate! There was no initial voltage surge that I was expecting to see. I suspect others are seeing the 14.2V - 14.5V due to weakened battery states.

This is the exact same range (within 0.1v) that my 4G Ranger settled down to once the initial startup charge recovered the battery.

With these findings I have no doubt that I would much rather have the BMS disconnected with my desulfator active. The battery charge rates of both the 4G and the 5G are essentially identical with the BMS sensor disconnected. Both batteries are AGM and both vehicles have the onboard BatteryMinder installed, connected directly to the battery terminals.

I have a very good feeling that the constant low battery condition in my Ranger is now solved. I will report back if my fuel mileage suffers.

 

[got3fords]

Got my desulfator today. Right now I am desulfating my lawn mower battery. It gave me a good idea how it works. I am using a 1 amp charger and I monitored the charge voltage until it reached a little over 13.5v, then the desulfating LED started to flash. Hope to get the desulfator installed in the Ranger in the next few days. Glad this is a very light weight unit.

 

[TJC]

Got my desulfator today. Right now I am desulfating my lawn mower battery. It gave me a good idea how it works. I am using a 1 amp charger and I monitored the charge voltage until it reached a little over 13.5v, then the desulfating LED started to flash. Hope to get the desulfator installed in the Ranger in the next few days. Glad this is a very light weight unit.

Good for you. It is a simple install. I used 2 zip ties to secure mine to the anti brake module by the firewall. I connected the Desulfator terminals directly to the battery posts by passing the BMS module. Don't disconnect your battery when you install it.

I ran my big BatteryMinder Desulfating charger on my Ranger battery and brought to almost as good at the one in my 4G Ranger that has never not had it doing its thing. Took it just over 2 weeks to get there, but I am now seeing 780 CCA from that battery with a 2.9 Ohm resistance. I am happily surprised that I got it back to that level.

I then watched both Rangers closely for a couple of days and found the 5G Ranger was not charging high enough to keep the desulfator active while the truck was running for 75%-80% of the time.

I pulled the BMS sensor cable and have been monitoring my charge voltage constantly since. It never breaks 14.1 volts (usually 14.0v to 14.1v) , which is exactly where my 4G Ranger settles down to once it recovers from the starter / startup of the engine (it is at 14.5V for about 15 miles, then drops to 14.1v - 14.2v).

So I am running without the BMS system. I would rather my battery last 7-9 years without BMS, then last on 20-30 months with BMS turned on.

The voltage in the cab is 0.2v lower than at the battery posts in the 5G Ranger. It is identical in the 4G Ranger. So I see 13.8v - 13.9v in the cab when driving.

I'd be interested to see what voltage you are seeing with BMS disconnected. I've read reports from others that see the same readings as my 4G in their 5G with BMS disconnected.

Best of Luck.

 

[TJC]

if one disco's the bms (I have over a yr back) - you lose certain functions which include :

- smart alternator regen charge function
- load monitoring and load shedding when battery SOC drops
- battery temp monitoring
- putting the electrical system into sleep mode and the Ford Pass alerts
- ASS
- battery aging algorithym to increase charge voltage with age
- so with it disconnected you default to a traditional charging system and I think the airline tech said it's a steady 14.5 V although he may have mentioned 13.8 v as well, but I think it is mostly 14.5V . In a hot environment that level of voltage could cause excessive internal battery temps and cause outgassing - airline tech says he caught a wiff of outgas at 90% SOC and BMS disco, I can't say I have.

With the information now available I will likely do a reconnect of the BMS sensor whenever I go on an extended trip and make use the regen capabilities.

My 5G Ranger appears to be behaving better than my 4G Ranger with the BMS disabled. If that trend proves out over time I will keep the BMS sensor unplugged. My 4G batteries have been lasting 7-9 years. I think this is now feasible on my 5G as well.

- smart alternator regen charge function Not Needed
- load monitoring and load shedding when battery SOC drops SOC won't drop so Not Needed
- battery temp monitoring Does not overcharge the battery so Not Needed
- putting the electrical system into sleep mode and the Ford Pass alerts

I have never registered for Ford Pass and battery should stay optimally charged, so Not Needed​

- ASS Bypassed it so Not Needed
- battery aging algorithym to increase charge voltage with age Desulfator keeps battery healthy for an extended period so Not Needed, at least for another 5-6 years.
- so with it disconnected you default to a traditional charging system and I think the airline tech said it's a steady 14.5 V After desulfating my battery for 2 weeks the battery is now stronger than the day I purchased the truck. My 5G Ranger is charging the battery at 14.0v - 14.1v. I have driven it for a week and have been constantly monitoring the charge rate. It has never broken 14.1V. It has occasionally dropped to 13.9v. I am a very happy camper!

I've let the truck sit for several days and battery is staying at or above 12.6v.
And finally thank you for the information and pointers given.

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