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12v Battery Issue

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Dbpep65

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50% on the 12V is plenty to start the truck. Something else is going on. Have you checked for any diagnostic trouble codes?
I have not.
I do not have a way to check the codes.
Do you have any recommendations on what is needed to check for diagnostic trouble codes?
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Maquis

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I have not.
I do not have a way to check the codes.
Do you have any recommendations on what is needed to check for diagnostic trouble codes?
Go to this thread and one of the fine folks there can help you.
 
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Dbpep65

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How are you measuring the 12v battery %?
I have an ANCEL 12v battery monitor that is mounted to the battery. I provides the state of charge via Bluetooth.
 

bmwhitetx

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I have an ANCEL 12v battery monitor that is mounted to the battery. I provides the state of charge via Bluetooth.
I have used that device before. Since it is powered by the battery you realize it uses battery power all the time, right? I did bench test before installing and confirmed the current draw was around the specs they mentioned. But I eventually disconnected it because I felt it was part of the issue my SOC was always dropping.

When you left it with the dealer did you keep the Ancel connected or did you uninstall it?

Also the SOC it reports is simplistic and based on the battery voltage only. I would ignore it. You should get a low-power BT dongle like the OBDLink MX and an app like Car Scanner. It will tell you the true SOC that Ford calculates. The OBDLink MX is pricey but does have a low current draw that may allow you to leave plugged in. I use the cheaper Veepeak OBDCheck BLE+ and only plug in when I'm curious.

These BT dongles will also tell you a lot more about the truck including the diagnostic codes @Maquis mentions.
 
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Newton

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The first time that the battery fails to start the truck is the last time that battery should be used for the truck. You might have a different issue but if it is dropping to %50 it should be replaced simply because those batteries are not designed to be cycled that low frequently.

Dealerships don’t know how to test batteries, but honestly if an EV battery ever fails to provide the extremely minimal amount of current required to switch the contactor from “off” to “on” then it should be replaced. If you continue to have problems then you have a leak somewhere, such as in aftermarket accessories - but assume that the battery is bad first. They usually are, battery quality has gone downhill. Just ask a Kia owner.
 

chl

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I have used that device before. Since it is powered by the battery you realize it uses battery power all the time, right? I did bench test before installing and confirmed the current draw was around the specs they mentioned. But I eventually disconnected it because I felt it was part of the issue my SOC was always dropping.

When you left it with the dealer did you keep the Ancel connected or did you uninstall it?

Also the SOC it reports is simplistic and based on the battery voltage only. I would ignore it. You should get a low-power BT dongle like the OBDLink MX and an app like Car Scanner. It will tell you the true SOC that Ford calculates. The OBDLink MX is pricey but does have a low current draw that may allow you to leave plugged in. I use the cheaper Veepeak OBDCheck BLE+ and only plug in when I'm curious.

These BT dongles will also tell you a lot more about the truck including the diagnostic codes @Maquis mentions.
Yes, you can have adequate terminal voltage but no ability to draw a sufficient current (capacity) and your device is just relying on terminal voltage.

I'd bet the dealer did NOT do a real check of the battery current capacity.

If you want to do it on your own, you could get one of these:
Ford F-150 Lightning 12v Battery Issue UNI-T 673 pic 0


It will give you a real assessment of the health of the LV battery.

There are a lot of posts about how to get the LV battery charged up because surprisingly, Ford lets it go as low as 40% for 48 hours before transferring energy to it from the HV battery.

The LV battery WILL get charged when the Lightning is plugged into a Ford Charge Station Pro for several hours, is turned on, and the HVB is set to charge to 90% - that's what I had to do when I could not get an update due to the LV battery being too low.

So you could do an exhaustive test of the LV battery, or just do what I did above (based on some info posted on this forum btw).

Anyway, good luck.
 

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Bokenator

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I recommend carrying one of these, both to jumpstart your vehicle as well as other vehicles. Also works as a somewhat portable charger for your phone if you are hunting/fishing/camping and don't want to leave the phone behind in the truck.
Noco Boost X

My dealership called me early this week and wanted to come pick up my truck to perform a battery monitor sensor replacement. Campaign# 23B70. Might see if that applies to you as well. I had some difficulty getting updates initially due to the LVB being outside the acceptable window, but never to the point it wouldn't start. I fixed this by leaving the LVB hooked to a trickle charger and was able to receive the updates.

No problems recently, but the dealership reached out to me to perform the recall work, as well as something related to sync and inoperative front parking sensors, which was 24B56.

You can check if you are on the list for the bolded campaign above. If you use the FordPass app, go to the service tab along the bottom and see if it is listed under service campaigns.
 

NCevGuyF150

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Over the past couple of months when my truck cools the cabin during the set departure time my 12v battery will go as low as 50% state of charge. Took it to the dealer and they tested the 12v battery. I was told the battery was like new. They kept it for a week and tried to recreate the issue. I was told no problem found. Over next few weeks things went well and now the issue is back.

I have removed departure times and no issues with the 12v battery.

I wanted to see if anyone else has had this issue and how you possibly resolved it?

I have been searching the forum and have not see any post on this issue.
I do believe you need to remove departure times after you set them. Or they will continue the next week and the week after and the week after.
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