Weak battery but Ford won't replace

[tomcaudell]

I’m like Ecoboost Ca, I am retired and live an hour away from the closest dealer. My battery in my 2023 5.0 has never had enough charge to get the software updates. I have had it tested and even got a case number from the Ford pass tech. I refuse to keep a 50k truck on a charger to get the updates. I’m not rich and don’t think I should have to buy a battery for a truck with 25,000 miles. Now it over 30 and another year of aggravated disappointment. I’ll never be buying a Chevy next time after they get the motor issue resolved. In the mean time I’ll just stay pissed off and drive the junk until it just won’t start the by the @&$$;/ battery my self.

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[HDT05]

You know... people are sure quick to pass the buck....

I have a BMW for my wife... it's one of many we have had over the last 25 years or so, and we know (and have always known), that if you don't drive it on EXTENDED drives often enough, eventually you will have an issue with the power draw wearing the battery down. It's not rocket science...

Now my wife drives that X5 every day, but it's only out to one shop, then another, then maybe one more and home. If you ask her she drives it plenty enough, but the reality is that she doesn't and (learning through experience) I put it on the charger once every couple of months, give it a deep trickle charge overnight and we don't ever have an issue regardless of how she uses it.

and yet.......one of my subs was moaning about his transmission needing replacement on his 150k mile F150 a couple of weeks ago.... when I asked him how often he had the truck serviced, he looked at me blankly and told me had NEVER had the truck serviced, then went on to complain about why he would never buy a F150 again.....told me all the things that he had to fix on his (heavily used and abused) work truck....

I asked him why he never bothered to have it serviced and his response was "it don't need no servicing... I just add a bit of oil every little while"(true story)..

And then I read the service history of a pre-owned BMW recently I was looking at buying to see it also had no record of service at all....

So, if you're not driving your vehicle often enough to suit IT'S charging requirements/what you are drawing, your choices are you can either go and buy a bigger battery that will cover you for for your lifestyle/usage method, or recognize reality and put it on a trickle charge every now and again.

If you think you shouldn't 'have to' do this then you get what you get.... reality will still bite... and it's not necessarily the vehicle....

But just in case you feel you want to argue the point about it not being you and it surely is the truck.... you could have also simply gone to a battery place(s) and had it independently tested for both the state of charge and checking the draw/charge, or even your local vehicle sparkie... heck you could watch youtube and learn how to test/check a battery yourself instead of having to worry about what that lying stealing Ford dealer is telling you....

But then that would involve effort eh?

So the moral guys is that you can always have a whinge and a moan (particularly if you come from a certain state) about what you should or shouldn't have to do.... but the truth is I wouldn't be getting on here and complaining about a battery getting low near the end of a (3 year?) lease when it could just be simply your lifestyle.... and your reluctance to face reality....

Cheers

 

[pjc123]

Brand new 2024, got sick of the low battery warning. Everlast H8, done. Not worth arguing with the Ford dealer for an equally junky battery. I see you are looking at Costco, hopefully it is not an Interstate. Garbage, we use them at work.

 

[sporkfed]

I mostly take short trips, and my auto start/stop never engages. I wonder if my OEM battery is the reason.

 

[TrueBlue_09]

Anyone can tell me is this is a good battery to replace my motorcraft on my 2022 f-150 Shelby Super Snake 5.0L:
Interstate Batteries Automotive Battery 12V 95Ah (Group Size H8, 49) 900CCA SLI AGM Automobile Replacement Battery for Cars, SUVs, Sedans, Trucks (MTX-49/H8)?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BH8D85S7/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A28SMI6S8ZG252&th=1

I have to replace my battery and I am not sure which brand to go with and model and I have a neighbor that works at Interstate and it is offering the one on that url above for $180 not sure if this is a good choice to go with or another brand. Any help is appreciated.

 

[digitaltrucker]

Anyone can tell me is this is a good battery to replace my motorcraft on my 2022 f-150 Shelby Super Snake 5.0L:
Interstate Batteries Automotive Battery 12V 95Ah (Group Size H8, 49) 900CCA SLI AGM Automobile Replacement Battery for Cars, SUVs, Sedans, Trucks (MTX-49/H8)?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BH8D85S7/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A28SMI6S8ZG252&th=1

I have to replace my battery and I am not sure which brand to go with and model and I have a neighbor that works at Interstate and it is offering the one on that url above for $180 not sure if this is a good choice to go with or another brand. Any help is appreciated.

Walmart H8 $179 4 year warranty

 

[Hans Moleman]

I have to blame some of the battery issues on the poor charging strategy with these trucks. For example a few weeks ago mine was aggressively charging at 15a to reach 90% SoC pretty quickly. Now it is barely charging at 1-2a while at 75% SoC. Then next week it might be charging aggressively again.

 

[JCsTruck]

The H6 battery was not meant to be used in a full size truck with a lot of electronics. I can only guess Ford did this to save weight and cost. It may work for most but for many it is inadequate but that is the price you pay when to design something to the limit with not much safety factor built in.

My truck sits a lot so I will put a battery tender on it every now and then and it has been fine so far.

Below credit goes to Grok.

The voltage of a 12-volt lead-acid battery, including Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries, varies depending on its state of charge (SoC). Below is a general guide for the approximate voltages corresponding to different SoC levels for both standard flooded lead-acid and AGM batteries at rest (no load or charging, measured after the battery has been at rest for a few hours). These values are approximate and can vary slightly depending on the battery's specific chemistry, temperature, and age.

Voltage vs. State of Charge (SoC) for 12V Lead-Acid and AGM Batteries
| State of Charge (SoC) | Voltage (Flooded Lead-Acid) | Voltage (AGM) |
|-----------------------|-----------------------------|---------------|
| 100% | 12.60–12.70 V | 12.80–12.90 V |
| 90% | 12.50 V | 12.70 V |
| 80% | 12.40 V | 12.60 V |
| 70% | 12.30 V | 12.50 V |
| 60% | 12.20 V | 12.40 V |
| 50% | 12.10 V | 12.30 V |
| 40% | 12.00 V | 12.20 V |
| 30% | 11.90 V | 12.10 V |
| 20% | 11.80 V | 12.00 V |
| 10% | 11.70 V | 11.90 V |
| 0% (Discharged) | 11.60 V or lower | 11.80 V or lower |

Key Notes:
1. Resting Voltage: The voltages listed are for a battery at rest (no charging or discharging for at least 4–6 hours). Under load or during charging, voltages will be higher or lower.
2. AGM vs. Flooded: AGM batteries typically show slightly higher voltages than flooded lead-acid batteries at the same SoC due to their lower internal resistance and different construction.
3. Temperature Effects: Battery voltage is affected by temperature. At higher temperatures (e.g., 80°F/27°C), voltages may be slightly lower; at lower temperatures (e.g., 32°F/0°C), voltages may be slightly higher. A general rule is a change of about ±0.01 V per 10°C deviation from 25°C (77°F).
4. Battery Health: Aging or sulfated batteries may show lower voltages than expected for a given SoC.
5. Charging Voltages: During charging, voltages can range from 13.2 V to 14.8 V or higher, depending on the charging stage (bulk, absorption, float).

Practical Tips:
- To accurately assess SoC, measure the voltage with a multimeter after the battery has rested.
- For precise SoC monitoring, consider using a battery monitor that tracks amp-hours rather than relying solely on voltage.
- Avoid discharging lead-acid or AGM batteries below 50% SoC (around 12.1–12.3 V) to prolong their lifespan.

 

[EcoBeastCA]

I bit the bullet and bought an H7 Energizer AGM at Costco. I decided just to keep the cost low rather than go with an H8 since I don't know what vehicle I'll be getting into after this lease is up, and an H8 might not fit (PB, SD, etc). Hopefully this is the end of MyView constantly resetting and chimes out of the IPC.

 

[digitaltrucker]

I just replaced the MC H6 that is about 2 years old, today with an Everstart H7. I went with the H7 because that is what the as built data was already programed for. From the Oasis report that I got on my truck, it appears the original owner had the original battery replaced. in August of 23. My assumption is when this was done, all the dealer had was an H6, so thats what has been in it.

Hopefully a lot of my gremlins will go away also. yES i FULLY CHARGED IT OVER NIGHT BEFORE THE INSTALL.

 

[rr11]

Not the truck battery but I had constant problems with the key fob. The second time I took it in the service advisor said these are bad batteries and said if it was his truck he would go to a parts place and buy a battery. Over a year and it still works.

 

[tomcaudell]

I have had a problem with my battery. Not enough battery to do software updates . Had it tested at Ford , they said it was fine. They kept the truck over night and charged it to test. I live 60 miles from dealer and the same night I got the typical notification, Ford pass disabled due to low battery. Then I get the email bring your truck into we can finish the work we talked about on your truck. Yes I thought, but no they want me to buy a new battery. This was on a truck less then 1 year old. F Ford. I put a used AGM out of my boat and haven’t had a problem since. The funny thing is the GMC dealer is 20 miles from me and they have done all my maintenance since. You couldn’t drag me into another Ford dealership. I’ll drive this truck until it’s service life is up then buy a POS American made truck from somewhere else. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find an early 5.3 z-71 with 15k miles on it . I doubt it though. I got 200k with no problems on one. Should have kept that one, Like I said I’m DONE with Ford. First the F-350 4x4 6.0 Joke and now the F-150 5.0 battery and 10 speed trans Joke.

 

[ak49rzrs]

 

[JCsTruck]

That ain’t no joke.

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