dead battery issues

[footnfan]

So, after 5 years , my original battery ( 2017 R) gives up the ghost, so I get the car to my stealer for an oil change and new battery. Problem solved, nope.

Drive the car several times, and put on my trickle charger if it is going to be several days until the next drive, which is usually the case. It only has 2100 miles since 2017, I bought it maybe 2.5 years ago with 32 miles.

Drive to work last week, as my daily driver is getting fixed. Take off trickle at night, drive car to work next day, great! Go out after 8 hours, car will not start. get a jump, drive home. Take to stealer the next day, they keep it over night on a power draw monitor, no draw noted, come and get it. It starts the next morning, check to be sure headlights are on "off" position, lock it walk away. Come back at 4:30, no start, have to get a jump to get home.

Next day, drive it, no issues, did not use charger.

I have noted that while driving, the volt gauge will go as high as 14.3 volts. Started this morning fine, but driving to work today, the volt gauge lived on 14.3 most of the drive, at stop lights dropped to 13.2. Took several pics of 14.3 if I have to show the stealer in the future.

Any thoughts? Headlight switch was on auto, but has been on "off" since first visit to stealer, and it has still died!

I appreciate any thoughts. Dan in Florida.

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[Postal Bob]

When I replaced my battery last year, I too noticed how the volt gauge showed 14.3 volts. It stood like that for an almost 3-4 hour drive upstate, at which time it finally got down to normal voltage.
But I had no problem with it dying on me before that. I attached a battery tender, not a trickle charger when I first got it. I noticed it took almost a whole day before the battery tender showed battery fully charged, whereas it would normally take an hour or two.
My guess is that these batteries new, do not have a full charge in them. And these cars draw a lot of battery power. And unless going for extended drives, the charging system won't completely charge the battery, only maintain them.
If you actually used a trickle charger, not a battery tender, it will not charge up the battery enough. Get a battery tender, not a trickle charger. Or gor for a really long, several hours drive.

 

[footnfan]

When I replaced my battery last year, I too noticed how the volt gauge showed 14.3 volts. It stood like that for an almost 3-4 hour drive upstate, at which time it finally got down to normal voltage.
But I had no problem with it dying on me before that. I attached a battery tender, not a trickle charger when I first got it. I noticed it took almost a whole day before the battery tender showed battery fully charged, whereas it would normally take an hour or two.
My guess is that these batteries new, do not have a full charge in them. And these cars draw a lot of battery power. And unless going for extended drives, the charging system won't completely charge the battery, only maintain them.
If you actually used a trickle charger, not a battery tender, it will not charge up the battery enough. Get a battery tender, not a trickle charger. Or gor for a really long, several hours drive.

Thanks, I probably mis-spoke. I too use a tender. I think I will continue to use the tender, but holy heck, i think they may have supplied me with a poop battery. Battery number 1 lasted 2 years with almost no use of the car, then 3 more years on a tender and being used!

Crossing my fingers this afternoon, as my daily bmw had to go back to the stealer. But, I have cables as well as a Audew portable battery zapper.

 

[galaxy]

It is very likely they gave you a weak battery; always possible. What's even more likely is they installed it off the shelf without prep charging it first. From my homework on the subject, our car does not like that too much. And don't stare at the volt meter religiously, you'll go insane and not learn anything, LOL. This system does what it wants to. As long as you're not seeing voltages below 12, all should be good. But it sounds like it may be settling in for ya.

 

[cerbomark]

volt gauge will move around like that normally, fuel saving thing.
You ll have to run it back to the dealer as you paid once already.
assuming they checked cable connections and alternator when they installed.

 

[footnfan]

volt gauge will move around like that normally, fuel saving thing.
You ll have to run it back to the dealer as you paid once already.
assuming they checked cable connections and alternator when they installed.

Thanks, to my surprise, they no charged me. It is on a Ford extended warranty, so who knows. Thanks everyone.

 

[cerbomark]

Cool, but the other items are a fast check and should be done when you have had a battery issue IMO.

 

[footnfan]

Cool, but the other items are a fast check and should be done when you have had a battery issue IMO.

How easy is it to check the alternator connections? I have never even looked!

 

[Tomster]

Dan,

If you are using a tender, it has to be hooked up correctly. If you are hooking up directly to the battery, the bms doesn't know the charge state of your battery and the system goes haywire.

With that said, the replacement of a battery should be followed up by a BMS reset so that the BMS can relearn the battery.

As pointed out, the alternator isn't always charging the battery. It runs down to a point, and then the BMS commands the alternator to top the battery up.

If a new battery is exchanged with an old battery, the BMS gets confused and you will get all kinds of electrical problems.

Two takeaways

1. Always do a bms reset when swapping out the battery

2. Make sure your battery tender is hooked up properly so that the bms can monitor external charging.

 

[cerbomark]

so the alternator, I put a handheld unit onto the battery and it shows the alternator out put. Pretty easy to look at the cables themselves but the unit would show any issues by it s lack of charging.
@Tomster also suggested something I was unaware of on these cars.

 

[cerbomark]

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• #28

idling in the driveway will not charge a battery.

I copied this a while back from this site.

The procedure must be carried out within 10 seconds:

Switch ignition on that is not ACC mode;(engine off)

Pull and release high beam 5 times.

Press and release brake pedal 3 times.

If successful the battery light will flash 3 times within the next 15 seconds <You seeing this?
BMS reset completed.

If folks want to split hairs here. NO battery new is fully charged around 80%

 

[Tomster]

so the alternator, I put a handheld unit onto the battery and it shows the alternator out put. Pretty easy to look at the cables themselves but the unit would show any issues by it s lack of charging.
@Tomster also suggested something I was unaware of on these cars.

These are intelligent and monitored electrical systems. This is because of our good friends at the epa who force carmakers to meet certain epa requirements (aka fuel economy).

It's just more things to go wrong IMHO. You might get a little bit of extra horsepower out of it when the alternator isn't running, but again, more to go wrong

 

[footnfan]

Dan,

If you are using a tender, it has to be hooked up correctly. If you are hooking up directly to the battery, the bms doesn't know the charge state of your battery and the system goes haywire.

With that said, the replacement of a battery should be followed up by a BMS reset so that the BMS can relearn the battery.

As pointed out, the alternator isn't always charging the battery. It runs down to a point, and then the BMS commands the alternator to top the battery up.

If a new battery is exchanged with an old battery, the BMS gets confused and you will get all kinds of electrical problems.

Two takeaways

1. Always do a bms reset when swapping out the battery

2. Make sure your battery tender is hooked up properly so that the bms can monitor external charging.

So, for correct tender connection, red power side to + side of battery, and negative to grounded body panel insead off thr negative battery pole?

Thanks for the BMS reset, will be trying that momentarily!

Thank you again everyone.

 

[Tomster]

So, for correct tender connection, red power side to + side of battery, and negative to grounded body panel insead off thr negative battery pole?

Thanks for the BMS reset, will be trying that momentarily!

Thank you again everyone.

There have been many posts on it. Search for it

 

[MidnightStars]

Now I'm starting to get paranoid about my own car's battery.
My first battery died three years in, followed by the second in two years.
This third battery's been there for almost two years now, but it has always, and I mean always read 14.3~14.4 volts.

Even on a long drive up to Utah, 16 hours, it stays in the 14 volt range. I guess doing a BMS reset the next time I get in wouldn't hurt.

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