Battery Replacement / Upgrade - Battery Re-Learn

[bburzycki]

I searched for this and could not find anything so lets toss this possible hand grenade out there.

Battery Replacement / Upgrade - Battery Calibration / Battery Re-Learn

Has anyone been faced with this or know if this effects the Ford Explorer. I assume we need a Ford tech (hopefully one here) to look this up in the service manual.

In flipping through the latest tool catalogs I have found that Fords (unsure specific models) might now be moving to battery re-learn when replacing or upgrading to a better battery.

This requires a tool like one of these:

http://www.strategictq.com/products/info/7/abatserv12

https://www.otctools.com/node/4439

While the sheet OTC has only goes to 2013 for vehicle years I assume its worse now rather than better.

Does anyone know if this affects the Explorers?

For many vehicles this has been the case from early 2002 - sadly first I have really even heard of it or seen a tool for it, but I am not wrenching on multiple models every day.

I do not I ditched the Ford battery months ago and we are constantly upgrading customer to AGM style batteries for longer life and better CCA etc.

I know many with My Ford Touch where they get the false reading on the display stating - Vehicle is shutting down to save battery. I would be curious if this is not somehow related and if those that get that message have replaced a battery (not at the dealer). I also know that specific issue can be based on any aux draw (like a phone charger) that is plugged in.

 

[sheltonfilms]

Explorers do have it. It's in the manual.

Battery management system
The battery management system (BMS) monitors battery conditions and
takes actions to extend battery life. If excessive battery drain is
detected, the system may temporarily disable certain electrical features
to protect the battery. Those electrical accessories affected include rear
defrost, heated/cooled seats, climate control fan, heated steering wheel,
audio and navigation system. A message may be displayed on the
instrument cluster or center stack display to alert the driver that battery
protection actions are active. See the Information displays in the
Instrument Cluster and Entertainment Systems chapters for more
information. These messages are only for notification that an action is
taking place, and do not necessarily indicate that an electrical problem
exists or that the battery requires replacement.

BTW I think Forscan can reset the BMS.

 

[bburzycki]

Sadly that is not the question I was asking about. I understand about the BMS, your note makes no mention of battery replacement or the need to possibly re-learn a new or upgraded battery.

 

[omar302]

Though this is for the Edge, I'd say it also applies to the Explorer. The BMS can still learn the battery state of charge without using a reset tool:

Carry out the Battery Monitoring System (BMS) Reset using the scan tool after the battery is connected. If the BMS Reset is not carried out, it takes approximately 8 hours for the Body Control Module (BCM) to learn the new battery state of charge. During this 8 hour period, the vehicle must be undisturbed, with no doors opened or keyless entry button presses. If the vehicle is used before the BCM is allowed to learn the new battery state of charge, engine off load shedding can still occur and a message may be displayed.

 

[bburzycki]

Well here is the information from the Service manual - This is clearly an issue..

This is taken directly from the 2016 Ford Utility Interceptor Service Manual regarding battery state of charge monitoring, external charger connections, jump starting and battery replacement:

Battery State of Charge

The BCM uses the battery current sensor to keep track of the battery state of charge. The battery current sensor is a Hall-effect sensor attached to the battery ground cable. During a drive cycle the Electrical Energy Management software adjusts the battery state of charge by monitoring the charge and discharge current and adjusting the state of charge up during charging, and down during discharge. During rest periods (key off with no electrical loads) when the vehicle enters sleep mode, the battery voltage is sampled to calibrate the State of Charge. The BCM automatically executes this calibration anytime the vehicle enters sleep mode and when the total vehicle current draw is below 300mA. It takes 8 hours in the sleep mode to calibrate the battery state of charge to high accuracy. If the system draw does not allow the battery state of charge calibration over the previous 7 to 10 days the State of Charge quality factor changes to flag this and some Electrical Energy Management Functions which rely on the accuracy of the battery state of charge may be temporarily turned off until a calibration takes place.

Battery Charging

When charging the vehicle battery by connecting the charger to engine or chassis ground , the negative charger clamp must be connected to an unpainted chassis surface or a solid engine component such as a generator mount or engine lifting eye. In this instance, after charging, the BMS Reset is not required . Through this method of charging the BCM updates the battery state of charge during the charging process.

When charging the vehicle battery by connecting the charger to the negative battery terminal is necessary , such as when using a combination battery charger and battery tester/analyzer, like the GR 1 190 V3.0 Intelligent Diagnostic Charger, the BCM does not immediately update the battery state of charge. In this instance, the BMS Reset must be carried out using a diagnostic scan tool. This reset is needed for proper engine off load shedding and to prevent invoking of engine off load shedding earlier than normal.
If the reset is not carried out, when the battery is charged by connecting the charger to the negative battery terminal, it takes approximately 8 hours for the BCM to learn the new battery state of charge. During this 8 hour period, the vehicle must be undisturbed, with no doors opened or keyless entry button presses. If the vehicle is used before the BCM is allowed to learn the new battery state of charge, engine off load shedding can still occur and a message may be displayed.

Jump Starting

When it is necessary to jump start the vehicle it is important to connect the cables properly in order for the Electrical Energy Management system to measure the energy input to the system to keep an accurate state of charge. Connect the positive cable to the battery positive post and the jump start negative cable to a vehicle ground. Do not connect to the negative battery terminal. Connecting directly to the battery negative post bypasses the ability of the vehicle to measure the input current, and does not adjust the battery state of charge accordingly. For a good connection point, follow the negative cable from the battery monitoring sensor to the vehicle body connection (typically on the shock tower sheet metal). If the vehicle was improperly jump started, the Electrical Energy Management system calibrates the battery state of charge after about 8 hours.

Battery Replacement

If the vehicle battery is replaced, it is very important to perform the BMS Reset using a diagnostic scan tool. If the BMS Reset is not carried out, it holds the old battery parameters and time in service counter in memory. Additionally it tells the system the battery is in an aged state and may limit the Electrical Energy Management system functions. For more information,
Refer to: Battery and Cables - System Operation and Component Description (414-01 Battery, Mounting and Cables, Description and Operation).

 

[PixelFreak]

This is exactly what I am looking to accomplish, based upon the post above about battery replacement.

I replaced the battery, and now get random errors about it shutting down to save power.

I am reluctant to take it to my local Ford dealer because:
1) They want $55 just to look at the codes, and
2) The tech on the phone was completely unaware of any need to reset the BMS after a battery replacement on my 2013 Explorer LTD.

I did a little research and learned that FORscan (haven't downloaded or used yet) can reset the BMS.
To do so, I need a USB to ODBII dongle (I located this - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ZWM0R4?ref_=pe_623860_70668520).
Before I purchase, I want to be sure that this dongle would be able to reset (does it need to "write" to "reset"?) the BMS, as the questions answered section says this dongle can pull and reset codes, but can not "write" for tuning purposes.

Any help on doing this myself would be greatly appreciated.

 

[thefranchise713]

Any ELM327 clone will do. BCM sits on high speed CAN, the easiest of the CAN busses to reach with FORScan.

 

[bburzycki]

Interesting side note on this for me - I think I actually found the source of my ongoing low level battery drain that might have been triggering my error message on some days.

Bad spring in the drivers side vanity mirror cover. I usually drive with the visor down and forward. The vanity mirror door spring is very weak apparently and after many miles it just starts to slightly hang open. Light stays on all the time but you cannot see it - Halogen bulb - melted housing etc... battery drain.

 

[peterk9]

Interesting side note on this for me - I think I actually found the source of my ongoing low level battery drain that might have been triggering my error message on some days.

Bad spring in the drivers side vanity mirror cover. I usually drive with the visor down and forward. The vanity mirror door spring is very weak apparently and after many miles it just starts to slightly hang open. Light stays on all the time but you cannot see it - Halogen bulb - melted housing etc... battery drain.

I'm surprised that it doesn't get shut off after 10 minutes by the battery saver program.

Peter

 

[Napalm]

so yes that battery managament system should be easy to reset with other cheaper scan tool options.

however it would also lose all retained features with prolonged loss of battery power. IE when changing your battery don't do it so quickly.

take terminals off - clean up the area if needed by - drink a beer - watch an episode of something (IE wait at least 30 minutes) - then hook up the new battery. and I bet it resets- readjusts on it's own.

Otherwise as mentioned get a connector device and use forscan or something akin to that.

 

[tinner]

Napalm is right. Wifes battery on Ex.died in garage overnight.I took the battery out,took the wife to work,went and purchased new battery,came home and installed it. Approx.time without battery 1 1/2 hrs. Didn't have any errors, messages etc. when I started the vehicle- still had all radio presets.

 

[peterk9]

Interesting side note on this for me - I think I actually found the source of my ongoing low level battery drain that might have been triggering my error message on some days.

Bad spring in the drivers side vanity mirror cover. I usually drive with the visor down and forward. The vanity mirror door spring is very weak apparently and after many miles it just starts to slightly hang open. Light stays on all the time but you cannot see it - Halogen bulb - melted housing etc... battery drain.

I just did a test on my vehicle. I opened the vanity mirror door and left it like with the lights on, and as I expected, the battery saver program turned them off after 10 minutes just like it should. Perhaps you have a short or something similar in the visor bulb connection. Can you say for certain that the bulb isn't ON when the visor is in the up position with the little door closed? I also find it strange that a normally operating bulb would produce enough heat to melt the housing.

Peter

 

[thefranchise713]

Wouldn't surprise me if the mirror vanity light in that vehicle was hot at all times. The Homelink visor buttons are known to be permanently hot for some unknown reason.

 

[bburzycki]

I just did a test on my vehicle. I opened the vanity mirror door and left it like with the lights on, and as I expected, the battery saver program turned them off after 10 minutes just like it should. Perhaps you have a short or something similar in the visor bulb connection. Can you say for certain that the bulb isn't ON when the visor is in the up position with the little door closed? I also find it strange that a normally operating bulb would produce enough heat to melt the housing.

Peter

Peter - its on all the time while driving - as in for hours and hours and thus overheats the connection - While this might not be an issue as the battery gets older the light on all the time can eventually cause ongoing draw on the battery. Even if its for that 10 minutes.

I want to say the system sees any draw after ignition off as a program - like cell phone chargers etc.

There is alot going on with draw issues these days.. up to 35min for all body computers to finally power down etc..

 

[peterk9]

Peter - its on all the time while driving - as in for hours and hours and thus overheats the connection - While this might not be an issue as the battery gets older the light on all the time can eventually cause ongoing draw on the battery. Even if its for that 10 minutes.

I want to say the system sees any draw after ignition off as a program - like cell phone chargers etc.

There is alot going on with draw issues these days.. up to 35min for all body computers to finally power down etc..

I got the impression from your post 8 that the light only was on when the visor was in the down position. If it is on while driving I don't think that should cause a drain on the battery. If however it remained on after the vehicle was turned off it would cause a drain if the battery saver didn't turn it off. If the light goes off when the door lid is closed then you just tape it closed. I don't know if the lid issue can be fixed without replacing the visor but I'm surprised the spring weakened just because of the visor's position.
There is also a constant drain on the battery due to some of the 'stay alive' circuits required to power memory programs.

 

[Daheim111]

Change battery / what kind of problems I can await ?
My OEM battery is nearly dead (below 12 V) and I decided to change this week. Because I have some trouble with MFT I will disconnect the old battery for some minutes (complete reset of MFT).
What kind of problems (beside of new learning process of the AT) can I await ? Any negative experiences ?

 

[peterk9]

Change battery / what kind of problems I can await ?
My OEM battery is nearly dead (below 12 V) and I decided to change this week. Because I have some trouble with MFT I will disconnect the old battery for some minutes (complete reset of MFT).
What kind of problems (beside of new learning process of the AT) can I await ? Any negative experiences ?

Your thread has been merged with this one that should answer some of your questions. Be sure to read the last paragraph of post #5.

Peter

 

[Daheim111]

Thank You, @peterk9, called my (german) Ford dealer / he will install the new battery (Excide EB788) and can reset the BCM...

 

[Daheim111]

Did it today (alone without the dealer) / battery was disconnected for about 20 min. / NO error and all radio, memory (keys, seats and so on) and other things are lost...
Battery from Exide is exact the same size as OEM...no problem at all !

 

[peterk9]

Did it today (alone without the dealer) / battery was disconnected for about 20 min. / NO error and all radio, memory (keys, seats and so on) and other things are lost...
Battery from Exide is exact the same size as OEM...no problem at all !

Did the BCM get reset?