Factory battery ongoing issues

[scott011422]

Great write up @Snakebitten.

It’s been 3 weeks since BCM OTA 24-PU0121-FTDI-FX loaded and with only monitoring voltage & SOC via BT it is remarkable the improvement Ford released on the BMS. The amperage you reported is eye popping.

How can I tell if I have this update yet?

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[Jersey Jim]

I've only got an ICE truck, but today is day 3 on the new platinum H7 (from bad H6) and I woke up to 99% SOC after 15 hours of non-running! I never thought that was possible. Should have replaced this couple years ago. Has anyone else experienced 100% while driving with a new battery? I'd like to know how long this is going to last. BTW, the H6 blanket fit the 1-1/2" longer H7 with very little stretching.

Even though I'm using a larger battery, I still rack up SOC % at the same rate as the H6. Based on the current that's going into the battery, it's Extremely predictable of how long it will take for the next higher SOC value. (or lower if discharging with engine off). For example, if the battery is charging with 7 amps, I know it will take exactly 0.1 hours (6 minutes) to increase a percent. If 2 amps it takes little over 20 minutes to increase 1%. So the "totalizer" is basing charge & discharge flow (in soc %) on a 70 aH battery resevior, even though it's larger. So I guess I just have to live with this inacuracy? At any rate, the battery keeps accepting amp-hours even once I reach 100%. The electronics just can't capture it, but luckily the battery is. No reduction in voltage presented or amp flow once hitting 100%.

The only thing I've seen change while increasing in SOC at a repeatable threshold, is the charge mode change from the lowest of 3 modes (conventional) to "Slow Regen" mode at 80%. I NEVER want to be in "Fast Regen" mode as this will draw current from battery quite often under predictable conditions.

 

[scott011422]

I've only got an ICE truck, but today is day 3 on the new platinum H7 (from bad H6) and I woke up to 99% SOC after 15 hours of non-running! I never thought that was possible. Should have replaced this couple years ago. Has anyone else experienced 100% while driving with a new battery? I'd like to know how long this is going to last. BTW, the H6 blanket fit the 1-1/2" longer H7 with very little stretching.

Even though I'm using a larger battery, I still rack up SOC % at the same rate as the H6. Based on the current that's going into the battery, it's Extremely predictable of how long it will take for the next higher SOC value. (or lower if discharging with engine off). For example, if the battery is charging with 7 amps, I know it will take exactly 0.1 hours (6 minutes) to increase a percent. If 2 amps it takes little over 20 minutes to increase 1%. So the "totalizer" is basing charge & discharge flow (in soc %) on a 70 aH battery resevior, even though it's larger. So I guess I just have to live with this inacuracy? At any rate, the battery keeps accepting amp-hours even once I reach 100%. The electronics just can't capture it, but luckily the battery is. No reduction in voltage presented or amp flow once hitting 100%.

The only thing I've seen change while increasing in SOC at a repeatable threshold, is the charge mode change from the lowest of 3 modes (conventional) to "Slow Regen" mode at 80%. I NEVER want to be in "Fast Regen" mode as this will draw current from battery quite often under predictable conditions.

Thats Great! I never saw over 95% after the first day. With your SOC being so high, Whats the battery voltage after sitting a few hours?

 

[Jersey Jim]

.......... oh, and I've been meaning to offer a possible solution to those who make very short daily trips and don't accumulate enough daily charge.....

Installing a Lithium starter battery will most likely load the alternator more and draw/charge with MUCH more amperage per minute when presented with the same voltage as the AGM gets. This will simulate several times more the daily miles driven, as far as the accumulated charge and SOC increase. I know there are other considerations to insure that the lithium chemistry is within vehicle charging parameters. This should not be an issue until the lithium battery reaches 100%, then I'd watch it closely. Just food for thought.

 

[Jersey Jim]

Thats Great! I never saw over 95% after the first day. With your SOC being so high, Whats the battery voltage after sitting a few hours?

Hi Scott. Been meaning to check that at the rear bumper boat receptacle before waking the vehicle. I blew my chance this morning, but will check it late tonight after I've parked it for many hours. I'm just glad to see it's still accepting more Ah's well beyond it reaching 100%. Granted by that time the charge current has usually tapered down to only 2 amps or less. 1 amp exactly takes 42 minutes to increase 1%. (21 minutes for 2.0 amps).

 

[Snakebitten]

@Snakebitten
Happy birthday to the KR PB land yacht! Born on April 4th 2022!

It would appear Ford has really done there homework on this. 39a at startup and then a slow ramp down in charge rate as the battery nears target, that really is a tremendous change in charging strategy. I don't think the 5 point drop after being parked is that unusual, I've seen mine do that, as we well know these trucks are still semi conscious for an hour or so after shut down. It's looks like you won't have to baby that battery with the trickle charger anymore.

I agree that your charging system seems to be seeking that 95% setting, and with that maybe you would now want to consider backing that down to 85 or 90% and test to see if it now would seek for the new target number. As we've learned AGM's don't like to be over charged. I'd bet that the O.E. battery will last a couple of more years, I don't think that living in an under charged state would hurt it, over charged would hurt it more I think.

As far as my truck goes, on the ice side of things. The most recent updates have also vastly improved the charging rate, on startup I frequently see charging rates of 18 to 22a where previously I never saw more then 9 to 12a and it leaves the battery at 75 to 85% almost all of the time, even after weeks of short trips! We'll be driving down to Naples, FL in two weeks. I'm going two monitor this for two 12 hour days of driving and try to get a feel for what the system does.

Ok, I've got to call you out on this.
"I drove non-stop to Tallahassee the first day. 700+ miles."
You had to have stopped to take a leak. ??

I agree with you on editing the Asbuilt target to a little less than 95% might be a good thing. And it would be interesting to see if the charging strategy responds in a way that confirms Ford is now respecting that value?

You are also right about that 5% drop after 1 hour parked isn't necessarily evidence of a weak battery. Although this battery didn't get a lot of love from Ford for the first 700 days, I intervened consistently and prevented it from spending much time below 12.3V. So I just might get a decent life out of it afterall.

OK ok. Non-stop wasn't the right term for terrestrial travel. ???
I don't recall exactly, because Monday-Friday was a bit of a blur, but I had to have made a fuel stop at least. As for there being any kind of empty plastic fluid receptical in the truck....... No comment.

Did I mention BC 1.4 is truly hands-free given ideal road conditions? ?

 

[Samson16]

Basically a 5 door wagon with higher ground clearance

5.7 inches of ground clearance is higher than what? ?
Now my Outback Touring XT with 8.7 inches is a proper dirt road station wagon lol.

 

[Xman]

Did I mention BC 1.4 is truly hands-free given ideal road conditions? ?

Do not be lulled into a state of mind that you need not have your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road with hands-free technology. Will BC see the potholes, 4x4 debris laying on the road, or the non-reflective chair in the middle of the lane that blew out of a pickup bed on the way to the dump?

I have also been in three more serious situations in the last 12 months,

- where the vehicle in front of me abruptly exited the lane to avoid a filing cabinet
- cresting a rise in the road where I could see stopped vehicles and the sensors could not
- and a deer jumped out in front of my vehicle

In all 3 situation, I had to react before the driving technology did to avoid an accident.

 

[Snakebitten]

You do realize that the eye scanner witch is DILIGENTLY requiring you to be looking exactly where you would be looking if you weren't in Bluecruise mode? She's far more relentless than driving instructor. Lol

In fact, I dare say that if I disengaged BC, I'd actually glance away more often because I could get away with it.

 

[HammaMan]

5.7 inches of ground clearance is higher than what? ?
Now my Outback Touring XT with 8.7 inches is a proper dirt road station wagon lol.

5.6

 

[Jersey Jim]

Thats Great! I never saw over 95% after the first day. With your SOC being so high, Whats the battery voltage after sitting a few hours?

Finally got around to this 3 days after putting the new battery into service. After getting home from an errand with the wife at 9pm (Rita's), battery had 101% SOC. It displayed it's max 100% when shutting down, but it took 2 amps for enough minutes (21) to rack up another 1%. 1 hour after shutdown the battery measured 13.13V at the rear-bumper receptacle. 7 hours after shutdown it measured 13.08V, then I opened the doors, key on and Forscan app read 99%.

When I returned the H6 for a core charge/credit yesterday morning (7 mile drive), I shut down at the store with 100% and surprisingly had the same 100% when getting back in the truck . In the past I always experienced at least a 2% drop with the old battery doing short errands like that.

I mentioned Advance Auto the other day where I got the battery, but it was Auto Zone at other end of the block. Was a Duralast Platinum H7. Hopefully Duralast used good lead and not alloys. So far It's exceeded my expectations.

 

[scott011422]

Finally got around to this 3 days after putting the new battery into service. After getting home from an errand with the wife at 9pm (Rita's), battery had 101% SOC. It displayed it's max 100% when shutting down, but it took 2 amps for enough minutes (21) to rack up another 1%. 1 hour after shutdown the battery measured 13.13V at the rear-bumper receptacle. 7 hours after shutdown it measured 13.08V, then I opened the doors, key on and Forscan app read 99%.

When I returned the H6 for a core charge/credit yesterday morning (7 mile drive), I shut down at the store with 100% and surprisingly had the same 100% when getting back in the truck . In the past I always experienced at least a 2% drop with the old battery doing short errands like that.

I mentioned Advance Auto the other day where I got the battery, but it was Auto Zone at other end of the block. Was a Duralast Platinum H7. Hopefully Duralast used good lead and not alloys. So far It's exceeded my expectations.

Now that is truly fantastic!

 

[Jersey Jim]

....... "Around 13.1 volts is what Ford needs my battery to be able to maintain over 8 hours while resting, in order to assign an SOC of 100% after it's nightly calibration, at least with the 2021 2.7L ICE"......

Scott, I found a 15-month old post I made, back when I was holding the battery voltage steady overnight with a variable power supply to determine Ford's look-up data table for SOC calibration, and the results posted above from the old post are spot on with what I experienced last night on the new battery after an hour of shutting truck off with 100% on the SOC, measuring 13.13V with a meter. And 13.08V this morning when reading Forscan's 99% SOC.

 

[Jersey Jim]

........ Also I forgot a post I made determining that increasing "Target SOC" to a very high number, kept the truck's charge mode in the initial recovery mode of "conventional". I may go back to this in order to avoid that 3rd and last "Fast Regen" charge mode. Then I wouldn't have to wear out my headlights or HVAC blower to add loads in order to maintain "Slow Regen", avoiding that negative current drain at stoplights.

I think Conventional mode might be what is referred to as "dumb mode" when you unplug the alternator's 3-wire connector, and it doesn't control via pulse width modulation. Just a fixed 13.8V regardless of rpm. Only difference being, By raising the Target SOC parameter, I'll be able to achieve this but still be able to see all the charge PIDs on my phone.

 

[Gros Ventre]

Now that spring has finally come to Wyoming... The numbers I'm seeing for system voltage (dashboard voltmeter) are lower than in the cold of winter. What bothered me about those wintertime voltages was how high they stayed after hours on the road when the engine compartment clearly had heated up. Does anyone know where the temperature sensor is that the computer uses to set system voltage? That may tell a story as to why system voltage remained so high after long hours on the road.

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