Maximizing Battery Life

[TJC]

Battery Life Test Update - July 4th 2025 (9+ months since last test) Previous test for comparison.

Sept 25, 2024 Battery Test Results

2020 Ranger - Last driven 4 hours earlier for 20 miles

Battery Health = 100%
Battery Charge = 79%
CCA = 904 - Rated at 760
Voltage = 12.47v
Internal Resistance = 3.26 mOhms

July 4th, 2025 Battery Test Results
Truck was not driven for 10 days until today. Drive was 10 miles each way for grocery run - 20 miles total. Truck then sat 4 hours before the test. Opening the door activates my Amp Research Power Steps which will deplete any residual voltage overcharge. I am confident in the test accuracy. Both tests were taken using a Viking Battery Tester for consistency sake.

I do own a TopDon Tester. It reported higher voltage, lower CCA, and Lower Internal Resistance.

Battery Health = 100%
Battery Charge = 100%
CCA = 889 - Rated at 760
Voltage = 12.61v
Internal Resistance = 3.37 mOhms

The battery is 5 years 2 months old, and is showing no signs of deterioration. I expect at least another 5 years of useful life.

Ambient air temp was 90F. Charge voltage while driving was 13.6v - 13.8v. During winter the charge voltage runs around 14.1v - 14.3v

My dark current drain is minimal. Truck can sit for a month without needing to be charged. I am quite happy with the result. No more supplemental charging required. Just get in and drive, even if it sits for an extended period. Battery life is on track with my other vehicles.

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[TJC]

Latest test result from this morning is at the bottom of the entry. Still seeing improvement in battery health. I kept the previous 2 test results for comparison.

Sept 25, 2024 Battery Test Results

2020 Ranger - Last driven 4 hours earlier for 20 miles

Battery Health = 100%
Battery Charge = 79%
CCA = 904 - Rated at 760
Voltage = 12.47v
Internal Resistance = 3.26 mOhms

July 4th, 2025 Battery Test Results

Truck was not driven for 10 days until today. Drive was 10 miles each way for grocery run - 20 miles total. Truck then sat 4 hours before the test. Opening the door activates my Amp Research Power Steps which will deplete any residual voltage overcharge. I am confident in the test accuracy. Both tests were taken using a Viking Battery Tester for consistency sake.

I do own a TopDon Tester. It reported higher voltage, lower CCA, and Lower Internal Resistance.

Battery Health = 100%
Battery Charge = 100%
CCA = 889 - Rated at 760
Voltage = 12.61v
Internal Resistance = 3.37 mOhms

Sept 05, 2025 Battery Test Results

Battery Health = 100%
Battery Charge = 100%
CCA = 931 - Rated at 760
Voltage = 12.71v
Internal Resistance = 3.22 mOhms

The battery is 64 months old, and is showing no signs of deterioration. I expect at least another 5 years of useful life.

I am contemplating setting resetting the BMS so it thinks that my battery is new, and as I think Ford engineers may be thinking older batteries decay, and they modify the charging parameters to reflect a weaker battery. I want those charging parameters to reflect a healthy battery, not a 5.5 year old battery.

 

[got3fords]

I am contemplating setting resetting the BMS so it thinks that my battery is new, and as I think Ford engineers may be thinking older batteries decay, and they modify the charging parameters to reflect a weaker battery. I want those charging parameters to reflect a healthy battery, not a 5.5 year old battery.

Always appreciate you updates. Remind me, you have the BMS disconnected at the battery, right? If so, doesn't that negate having to reset it?

 

[TJC]

Always appreciate you updates. Remind me, you have the BMS disconnected at the battery, right? If so, doesn't that negate having to reset it?

I have the sensor disconnected, but BMS is still doing its thing, just not the enhanced 5G ASS version. I don't like it discharging my battery to 75%. Reminds me that I need to set the charge rate to 100%.

I am not sure if it negates that BMS function. But I think that I can find it. I'll measure charge voltage now, tell the BMS I have installed a new battery, and recheck the charge voltage right after. I would think that it would change the algo, and possible modify the charge voltage.

Best go research how the BMS works before doing anything. I might find some insight into just what the BMS is monitoring with regards to battery age.

 

[airline tech]

I recently check mine, due to I occasionally plug in the voltmeter in the Power Point for a curiosity check.
Noted that my charging voltage was reading 12.2 (12.4 Actual) got to work and my door lock (handle) sensor was inop - locked with FOB.
Drive home same issue 12.2 - Hmm, cycled the headlights to (ON) voltage climbed to 13.7
cycled them back off and voltage remained at that level. Hmm - do I have an issue?
I am set to 90% SOC
Got home and checked the battery - tests good
now note it had been part of a heat wave (in the high 90's) and I know the PCM has a PID for:
Battery Temperature Estimated - I did not check to see what it was reading at the time of my little error, but I suspect possibly it sensed battery temp was above whatever it determines max temp and killed off the charge or the PCM just had a case of laziness.
Weird issue but it has not returned, and no fault codes found.

Granted the 12.4 Volts (actual) is normal to see if at idle and set to factory 75%, so it is still in normal range- but not while driving. I wonder if the Batt Minder (Desulf) may have triggered it - IDK. I checked it when I tested the battery (still blinking) above 13.5.

Anyway all is good now - I am monitoring every drive now till I am comfortable it resolved itself.

 

[TJC]

I have the

I recently check mine, due to I occasionally plug in the voltmeter in the Power Point for a curiosity check.
Noted that my charging voltage was reading 12.2 (12.4 Actual) got to work and my door lock (handle) sensor was inop - locked with FOB.
Drive home same issue 12.2 - Hmm, cycled the headlights to (ON) voltage climbed to 13.7
cycled them back off and voltage remained at that level. Hmm - do I have an issue?
I am set to 90% SOC
Got home and checked the battery - tests good
now note it had been part of a heat wave (in the high 90's) and I know the PCM has a PID for:
Battery Temperature Estimated - I did not check to see what it was reading at the time of my little error, but I suspect possibly it sensed battery temp was above whatever it determines max temp and killed off the charge or the PCM just had a case of laziness.
Weird issue but it has not returned, and no fault codes found.

Granted the 12.4 Volts (actual) is normal to see if at idle and set to factory 75%, so it is still in normal range- but not while driving. I wonder if the Batt Minder (Desulf) may have triggered it - IDK. I checked it when I tested the battery (still blinking) above 13.5.

Anyway all is good now - I am monitoring every drive now till I am comfortable it resolved itself.

It is curious that you mentioned this. I have noticed some irregularities in the lat week or so which peeked my curiosity. I turned the key on to start the truck and has a very quick momentary flask of low battery warning... it literally flashed the screen and was gone. I didn't see but my wife did.

I'm thinking the BMS is confused. Batteries are not supposed to be in a like new state 5.5 years down the road. That is why I am going to tell the BMS that a new battery has been installed. I want the BMS to treat my battery like new.

I've never had a problem with any onboard desulfator before, and I do not believe it is causing my issue. I do think that the BMS may be confused by the age o f the battery vs the health of the battery. I wish I could see the algo being used instead of guessing what flags are being set and why. Life would be much simpler.

A couple of weeks ago my battery was being charged at 13.7v (13.9v in reality), but this last week when it was cooler the charge voltage spiked above 14.1 volts. I popped it on a charger last week to see what was going on. The onboard desulfator never flashed, which means the charge voltage was < 13.5v... Meaning I had a healthy battery.

 

[airline tech]

I have the

It is curious that you mentioned this. I have noticed some irregularities in the lat week or so which peeked my curiosity. I turned the key on to start the truck and has a very quick momentary flask of low battery warning... it literally flashed the screen and was gone. I didn't see but my wife did.

I'm thinking the BMS is confused. Batteries are not supposed to be in a like new state 5.5 years down the road. That is why I am going to tell the BMS that a new battery has been installed. I want the BMS to treat my battery like new.

I've never had a problem with any onboard desulfator before, and I do not believe it is causing my issue. I do think that the BMS may be confused by the age o f the battery vs the health of the battery. I wish I could see the algo being used instead of guessing what flags are being set and why. Life would be much simpler.

A couple of weeks ago my battery was being charged at 13.7v (13.9v in reality), but this last week when it was cooler the charge voltage spiked above 14.1 volts. I popped it on a charger last week to see what was going on. The onboard desulfator never flashed, which means the charge voltage was < 13.5v... Meaning I had a healthy battery.

My issue was noted Aug 21st - I know you have the TCU disabled but just in case it was the same day (???)

 

[TJC]

My issue was noted Aug 21st - I know you have the TCU disabled but just in case it was the same day (???)

My event occurred a few days before Aug 18. I'm not sure if I had already turned the key, or was preparing to turn the key. I do know that we were in the cab with both doors closed and seat belted in place. I didn't see it flash, my wife did... and the flash was so quick that she only caught the "low battery" part of the warning.

We went on our way, and afterwards I checked the battery... it was fine. But that hiccup triggered me to begin to investigate what was going on. I'm considering all possibilities no matter how remote. That's why I was going tell the system the battery was replaced... thinking maybe the BMS software algo kicked in at a certain time threshold. I'm also going to a full 100% charge threshold as well.

Your BMS sensor is still enabled correct?

I did later notice a low charge rate for a day or so, then it climbed back up to the 14V range.

My spidey senses are going off. Something feels wrong.

My TCU is disconnected and powered down, so I don't think it was an update. But that doesn't mean that the BMS SW didn't cycle something based upon unknown parameters.

I really don't mind electronic controls, but the logic flow should be published. When everything was mechanical was was easy to track down issues and the logic was evident. I don't need to see the source code (but that would be nice), just show me a decent logic flow diagram, and DON'T LEAVE ANYTHING OUT.

 

[airline tech]

My event occurred a few days before Aug 18. I'm not sure if I had already turned the key, or was preparing to turn the key. I do know that we were in the cab with both doors closed and seat belted in place. I didn't see it flash, my wife did... and the flash was so quick that she only caught the "low battery" part of the warning.

We went on our way, and afterwards I checked the battery... it was fine. But that hiccup triggered me to begin to investigate what was going on. I'm considering all possibilities no matter how remote. That's why I was going tell the system the battery was replaced... thinking maybe the BMS software algo kicked in at a certain time threshold. I'm also going to a full 100% charge threshold as well.

Your BMS sensor is still enabled correct?

I did later notice a low charge rate for a day or so, then it climbed back up to the 14V range.

My spidey senses are going off. Something feels wrong.

My TCU is disconnected and powered down, so I don't think it was an update. But that doesn't mean that the BMS SW didn't cycle something based upon unknown parameters.

I really don't mind electronic controls, but the logic flow should be published. When everything was mechanical was was easy to track down issues and the logic was evident. I don't need to see the source code (but that would be nice), just show me a decent logic flow diagram, and DON'T LEAVE ANYTHING OUT.

Yes I am still connected both BMS & TCU and @ 90% SOC, I usually never see anything lower than 13.5 / 13.7 Volts (engine running) and mostly hangs out in the 14.0 / 14.1 range, that's why I was thrown off by the 12.4 volts.
I still see the morning wake up (Voltage) Key On -Before Start @ 12.1 to 12.2 (actual) as it always has even at 75% SOC, I decided not to fret over that and consider it normal for the overnight drains - even after letting it sit for a few days without starting it stays the same. I do suspect if I was to disable the TCU, I may see some increase in that.

My priority is to keep the battery in a Low IR condition and healthy, which the Batt Minder appears to be doing its job but it takes the raising of the SOC to keep it in a constant operation (above 13.5 volts) I don't think I would be seeing the same results, if the SOC was not raised.

 

[TJC]

Yes I am still connected both BMS & TCU and @ 90% SOC, I usually never see anything lower than 13.5 / 13.7 Volts (engine running) and mostly hangs out in the 14.0 / 14.1 range, that's why I was thrown off by the 12.4 volts.
I still see the morning wake up (Voltage) Key On -Before Start @ 12.1 to 12.2 (actual) as it always has even at 75% SOC, I decided not to fret over that and consider it normal for the overnight drains - even after letting it sit for a few days without starting it stays the same. I do suspect if I was to disable the TCU, I may see some increase in that.

My priority is to keep the battery in a Low IR condition and healthy, which the Batt Minder appears to be doing its job but it takes the raising of the SOC to keep it in a constant operation (above 13.5 volts) I don't think I would be seeing the same results, if the SOC was not raised.

I agree with your assessment. I noticed that my fancy chargers ( a C-Tek 8amp 7 stage, and my faithful BatteryMinder 8amp with built in desulfator) have been acting differently when charging the 2020 Ranger. Previously, the onboard desulfator would stay active after topping off the battery. Both charger and the onboard desulfator woulds blink when the charge was completed, and the charger dropped into maintenance mode. Now only the charger shows desulfating and onboard unit is inactive.

I have several small BatteryMinders for tractors and such, and I tried it and found the same behavior. I broke out my 50 year 10amp transformer based charger and hooked it up the battery. It was drawing 2 amps initially, and the onboard desulfator began flashing. I dropped it into maintenance mode with the same result - onboard desulfator flashing.

This recently different behavior is unique to the 2020 Ranger, my 2023 CX-5 and 2005 Ranger all behave the same - desulfator is active on maintenance mode.

Something has changed. I'm not sure if it is the battery or the truck. It's too hot to deal with removing / swapping the battery today... so I set the old school charger to 4 hours at <=2 amps and followed by maintenance mode to see what happens.

Tomorrow I'll break out my xTools d8, and Forscan to dig a little deeper. I will set SOC = 100, and reattach the sensor, then reset the battery state.

Thanks for the feedback.

UPDATE:
I left my old school analog transformer based 10amp charger on the 2020 Ranger battery for a total of 6 hours, then trickle mode overnight. Woke up to a flashing onboard desulfator light as expected. Removed the charger and as expected the desulfator stayed active. I then reconnected my small 1.5amp BatteryMinder wart charger/desulfator and powered it up. 30 minutes later and the onboard desulfator is still active! 1 hour later and back to the errant behavior. Attached another BatterMinder Wart directly to the battery without an extension cable. BatteryMinder sells 16 gauge extension cables up to 20' or 25'. I am using a 10' 12 gauge copper cable which should be superior to the BatteryMinder product. Time to check resistance on my "superior" extension cables.

UPDATE: 2
Seems the BatteryMinder chargers don't like extension cables, Removed the extension cable and everything returned to normal. I'll be contacting support tomorrow as BatteryMinder sells extension cables for these products.


I am still going to investigate with my D8 diagnostic scanner and Forscan... and change a few settings, then reattach the sensor but not before setting SOC to 100% (ASS is never being reactivated).

 

[got3fords]

My charge voltage is all over the place with no apparent rhyme or reason. It varies from the upper 12's on one commute to the upper 14's on another.
I just went do a health check but apparently my tester has vanished. I don't know wtf happened to it. Probably same fate as my Fluke IR temperature meter. Disappeared! I am not OCD organized, but I usually don't just lose shit like that. They'll probably show up right where they are supposed to be when I buy new ones.

 

[TJC]

My charge voltage is all over the place with no apparent rhyme or reason. It varies from the upper 12's on one commute to the upper 14's on another.
I just went do a health check but apparently my tester has vanished. I don't know wtf happened to it. Probably same fate as my Fluke IR temperature meter. Disappeared! I am not OCD organized, but I usually don't just lose shit like that. They'll probably show up right where they are supposed to be when I buy new ones.

I purchased this admittedly inexpensive IR Thermometer and it has been surprisingly accurate. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised. Some folks had to buy 3 to get a good one, but mine has been quite accurate.

I've used it to check all manner of things including measuring temps from central AC vents 5' away after completing a major repair and upgrade. Just aim the laser inside the duct work and get a reading. I've got several others (one much more expensive) and it measures up quite well.

And at the $12 price point, buy a couple and don't worry if you misplace it.

 

[airline tech]

I put together a quick ref of my test results for - Parasitic Draw as a ref to normal
16.0 Hour (Test Window)
Did not note - while out in the garage any TCU (Ford Pass Check-Ins)
I am curious (when it occurs) how much of a draw it is and how long does it last?
Depending on how many times it does it through the (At Rest - Period) can have a change in the results.

I may set-up again for a quick test - Force (Ford Pass) Refresh and note Before and After as well as the timeline of the draw,

But here is my reference results:

 

[TJC]

I put together a quick ref of my test results for - Parasitic Draw as a ref to normal
16.0 Hour (Test Window)
Did not note - while out in the garage any TCU (Ford Pass Check-Ins)
I am curious (when it occurs) how much of a draw it is and how long does it last?
Depending on how many times it does it through the (At Rest - Period) can have a change in the results.

I may set-up again for a quick test - Force (Ford Pass) Refresh and note Before and After as well as the timeline of the draw,

But here is my reference results:

Really valuable data. Thank you!

I surmise that you used a flat blade screwdriver to lock the hood latch.

I am also assuming that you used a clamp ammeter on the negative battery terminal. Was the meter undisturbed for the entire test? I have found that readings can vary depending on clamp placement.

I'm going to start my analysis just after I complete my rear seat delete work. I'm going to pull the same test on both my 2005 and 2020 Rangers. I will follow the same time and test parameters that you described. The results will be interesting.

I am surprised by how low the draw dropped.

 

[RangerBill]

I put together a quick ref of my test results for - Parasitic Draw as a ref to normal
16.0 Hour (Test Window)
Did not note - while out in the garage any TCU (Ford Pass Check-Ins)
I am curious (when it occurs) how much of a draw it is and how long does it last?
Depending on how many times it does it through the (At Rest - Period) can have a change in the results.

I may set-up again for a quick test - Force (Ford Pass) Refresh and note Before and After as well as the timeline of the draw,

But here is my reference results:

You should change your mA reading units to Amps. For example, .005 Amps = 5 mA.

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