Battery Life

[1995E]

One issue might be that the engine bay in the car gets extremely hot and it might be adversely affecting the battery. Modern engine bays aren't kept as cool. Especially with active grille shutters.

 

[xxboarderxx]

Hi Everyone,

My vehicle is in the shop today for an oil change. 2013 Explorer Ltd. All is well except they told me that the battery test failed and is reading 350 cca. They are asking if I would like it changed parts, labour and tax would be $260 CDN. I find that pretty steep to change a battery.

I took a read a this whole thread and I didn't see if anyone has DIY and replaced their battery. Replacing a battery is fairly easy but my only concern is with all the electronics, am I missing anything that the shop does that I wouldn't be able to do if I just replaced it at home?

Thanks!
X

 

[peterk9]

Hi Everyone,

My vehicle is in the shop today for an oil change. 2013 Explorer Ltd. All is well except they told me that the battery test failed and is reading 350 cca. They are asking if I would like it changed parts, labour and tax would be $260 CDN. I find that pretty steep to change a battery.

I took a read a this whole thread and I didn't see if anyone has DIY and replaced their battery. Replacing a battery is fairly easy but my only concern is with all the electronics, am I missing anything that the shop does that I wouldn't be able to do if I just replaced it at home?

Thanks!
X

No expert myself but check out the last paragraph in this post; http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...essage-on-shutdown.397375/page-3#post-3545508

Peter

 

[xxboarderxx]

No expert myself but check out the last paragraph in this post; http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...essage-on-shutdown.397375/page-3#post-3545508

Peter

Thank you Peter for your quick reply. I decided not to have the dealership do it. Probably save myself $100. I've also watched a few DIY Ford videos and some of them say that you can force BMS reset w/ Forscan and ODB2 connected to PC or let the car sit for 8 hours.

 

[xxboarderxx]

Thank you Peter for your quick reply. I decided not to have the dealership do it. Probably save myself $100. I've also watched a few DIY Ford videos and some of them say that you can force BMS reset w/ Forscan and ODB2 connected to PC or let the car sit for 8 hours.

Forgot to mention that the the post that you quoted, in the first paragraph about the Battery State of Charge, it says that if the car is in sleep mode for 8 hours, BCM will execute calibration and that's how it will reset itself. So...no worries then for anyone trying to DIY battery replacement

 

[blwnsmoke]

Thank you Peter for your quick reply. I decided not to have the dealership do it. Probably save myself $100. I've also watched a few DIY Ford videos and some of them say that you can force BMS reset w/ Forscan and ODB2 connected to PC or let the car sit for 8 hours.

Unscrew the 2 nuts that sit on top of the cables, not the ones on the side. They will slide right up off the battery once they are loosened.

Remove battery, put new one in, slide cables back down on posts, tighten 2 nuts again.

Done..

Less then 10 minutes.

 

[champco]

Before you replace it verify there is water covering the plates. Dealers are supposed to top this up but I had to do their work for them. After I did the Battery is working much better. It's 0 degrees outside and i remote started it. Slow start but still did. My battery is past 4 yo.

 

[xxboarderxx]

Unscrew the 2 nuts that sit on top of the cables, not the ones on the side. They will slide right up off the battery once they are loosened.

Remove battery, put new one in, slide cables back down on posts, tighten 2 nuts again.

Done..

Less then 10 minutes.

Thanks but my concern was BMS, not how to install a battery. But BMS is now solved so this case is pretty much closed.

 

[xxboarderxx]

Before you replace it verify there is water covering the plates. Dealers are supposed to top this up but I had to do their work for them. After I did the Battery is working much better. It's 0 degrees outside and i remote started it. Slow start but still did. My battery is past 4 yo.

I don't understand what you mean by water covering the plates

 

[Exit32]

I don't understand what you mean by water covering the plates

It's not really water. It's a fluid (mostly comprised of sulfuric acid), and it's technically called an electrolyte. In a lead-acid car battery, the lead plates inside the battery are immersed in electrolyte fluid. As the battery cycles through discharge and charge cycles, the electrolyte evaporates and needs to be replaced by adding distilled water to the battery to keep the lead plates fully immersed. If the plates are allowed to run dry, the battery will fail.

Checking the electrolyte level is among the most ignored maintenance tasks. In fact, I believe the Explorer owners guide says that the factory batteries are "maintenance-free" and need no attention. This is not true. The Explorer batteries have removable caps to enable the electrolyte level to be checked, and if the level is low you can add distilled water to replenish the electrolyte.

But be careful! You're dealing with powerful sulfuric acid inside the battery, and you should wear safety glasses and gloves when you check the electrolyte level. Also, don't get even a single drop of electrolyte on your clothes. It will eat a hole through your clothing!

 

[xxboarderxx]

It's not really water. It's a fluid (mostly comprised of sulfuric acid), and it's technically called an electrolyte. In a lead-acid car battery, the lead plates inside the battery are immersed in electrolyte fluid. As the battery cycles through discharge and charge cycles, the electrolyte evaporates and needs to be replaced by adding distilled water to the battery to keep the lead plates fully immersed. If the plates are allowed to run dry, the battery will fail.

Checking the electrolyte level is among the most ignored maintenance tasks. In fact, I believe the Explorer owners guide says that the factory batteries are "maintenance-free" and need no attention. This is not true. The Explorer batteries have removable caps to enable the electrolyte level to be checked, and if the level is low you can add distilled water to replenish the electrolyte.

But be careful! You're dealing with powerful sulfuric acid inside the battery, and you should wear safety glasses and gloves when you check the electrolyte level. Also, don't get even a single drop of electrolyte on your clothes. It will eat a hole through your clothing!

Thank you for that explanation. Very informative. I did not know you could remove caps and add distilled water. Does replenishing the electrolyte effectively increase the CCA to higher levels? If yes, I will try that with the appropriate safety gear as well.

Cheers
X

 

[Exit32]

Thank you for that explanation. Very informative. I did not know you could remove caps and add distilled water. Does replenishing the electrolyte effectively increase the CCA to higher levels?

If a lead-acid car battery as been neglected to the point where the lead plates are "dry" -- that is, they are no longer fully submerged in the sulfuric-acid solution, then the battery is doomed. Adding distilled water may help extend the battery's life -- and it certainly can hurt to add distilled water -- but replenishing the electrolyte will likely not increase the battery's cold-weather capacity, i.e., cold-cranking amps (CCA).

Speaking of cold weather, if you add distilled water to a car battery when temps are below freezing, make sure you drive the vehicle to mix the distilled water with the electrolyte. If you don't, you run the risk of having the distilled water sit on top of the electrolyte, and the distilled water could freeze, expand, and cause the battery to rupture. BTW, the electrolyte inside a fully charged battery has a freezing point of approximately -60 Fahrenheit (that's about -50 Celsius).

 

[champco]

It's not really water. It's a fluid (mostly comprised of sulfuric acid), and it's technically called an electrolyte. In a lead-acid car battery, the lead plates inside the battery are immersed in electrolyte fluid. As the battery cycles through discharge and charge cycles, the electrolyte evaporates and needs to be replaced by adding distilled water to the battery to keep the lead plates fully immersed. If the plates are allowed to run dry, the battery will fail.

Checking the electrolyte level is among the most ignored maintenance tasks. In fact, I believe the Explorer owners guide says that the factory batteries are "maintenance-free" and need no attention. This is not true. The Explorer batteries have removable caps to enable the electrolyte level to be checked, and if the level is low you can add distilled water to replenish the electrolyte.

But be careful! You're dealing with powerful sulfuric acid inside the battery, and you should wear safety glasses and gloves when you check the electrolyte level. Also, don't get even a single drop of electrolyte on your clothes. It will eat a hole through your clothing!

Great job explaining what was typically known to most boys and many girls in the 60's-80's. I neglected to mention the safety factors and I thank you for that.

All one has to do is use a thin screw driver to pop the cap covering three cells. Keep back from it and do not contact the battery posts. No Sparks as there can be acidic gasses that are flammable. Look in the cell first to determine if the plates are showing. It is a indicator of the cause of the symptoms of a low power from battery. Top it with pure water. ANY water will do but distilled is better.

If you are intimidated here have it done. Your dealership should be doing this anyway.

 

[JAPeterson]

Also on the battery it helps if you give it a bath with some baking soda and water mixture at least once a year. This neutralizes the acid that will be on the battery just from normal use.

 

[champco]

Also on the battery it helps if you give it a bath with some baking soda and water mixture at least once a year. This neutralizes the acid that will be on the battery just from normal use.

Well heck then lets add some dielectric grease on the posts as well.