Low Voltage battery not charging

[Chippster13]

Hello all,

Recently my son left the lights on all night and killed the battery, twice. The first time we were able to jump the car via the connectors under the hood. Following the second time the battery was shot and would would not hold a charge after being jumped and was in need of replacement, I changed the battery and found the charging system to be inoperative. Since then i have charged the LV Battery and found that the charging system still will not charge the battery. I have checked all the fuses, i think, and the are good.is there anything i am missing? any help would be appreciated.

[nogoodbum]

As a prior sufferer of this, it is a good possibility that the replacement 12v battery is also bad. The specific battery for a C-Max is a seldom used part# across the Ford line. Where you purchased if from may have had it in stock for years prior to your purchase & has degraded sitting on their shelf stock. If possible check voltage via a meter, engine on [ready to drive mode] & engine/acc off. I believe you should get 13.5+v with engine on with a good charging system & if you get 10.5 v or less with engine off, you have a bad battery or a power drain. If it is possible I would take battery back to purchase point & ask them to load test it. Hope this helps & Thanks for the read. By the way, a cig lighter/power point voltage meter is a good investment of $10 or so IMO.

[J-Max]

On 7/12/2023 at 6:37 AM, nogoodbum said:

As a prior sufferer of this, it is a good possibility that the replacement 12v battery is also bad. The specific battery for a C-Max is a seldom used part# across the Ford line. Where you purchased if from may have had it in stock for years prior to your purchase & has degraded sitting on their shelf stock. If possible check voltage via a meter, engine on [ready to drive mode] & engine/acc off. I believe you should get 13.5+v with engine on with a good charging system & if you get 10.5 v or less with engine off, you have a bad battery or a power drain. If it is possible I would take battery back to purchase point & ask them to load test it. Hope this helps & Thanks for the read. By the way, a cig lighter/power point voltage meter is a good investment of $10 or so IMO.

As an FYI....

My battery was 7 years old according to the little sticker on it's side, I replaced it the other week just as preventive maintenance, sure it was getting weak, over winter (I'm by Illinoiz/Winsconsin state line) radio would power down in a couple minutes. And checking voltage first thing in the morning it was 11.7v.

Anyhow.... after checking around, pretty much no one had the group 67R in stock. (I wont go into the sticker shock I had when prices ranged from $185 to $230 for a FREAKING little 390/400 CCA battery!!!!)

A little less at Wallyworld at $159 BUT, no 67R and they couldn't even order it as it wasn't in their books. I figured I'd just get anything that fit, measured the battery and found one that has the exact same footprint to fit into that tight little battery tray and the cover over the top to vent to outside BUT it's 1/2 inch taller. Only problem was getting my large paws behind it to pop the vent tube in.

There is still plenty (almost an inch) clearance between that metal HVB cover and the negative post and the trim covers over the positive.

Note, I have the SEL not the Energi, I know those have some ductwork or some such over the 12v battery so I don't know if this would clear.

Oh, and I would tell you which size it is but I forgot and I cant see the label unless I take the battery out and the dang receipt doesn't show the size. Next time I'm in Wallyworld I'll look.

[Bill-N]

Thanks for finding a reasonable replacement.  Knowing the group number will be a big help.

 

Also, don't forget to reset the battery age monitor/charging scheme.  Something like hold the brake pedal down, rub your belly 10 times, or some such.  Search the forum for specifics.

 

 

Cheers.

[J-Max]

I did that, twice just be be sure (car in accessory mode) flashed the brights five times and stepped on the brakes 3 times. Wish there was some indicator or other way to check if one doesn't have a scanner.

[homestead]

After resetting the BMS you can turn on the radio then turn off the car and the radio should continue to run for 10 minutes.

Over time (months) the 10 minutes time after turning off the car will slowly get less and less.

[J-Max]

 I thought the computer senses the charge in the battery to determine when to kill the radio not how old the battery is?

Anyhow, I timed it a few days after I put the new battery in, it was about exactly 10 minutes.

That said, maybe a month before replacing the battery....while I wasn't exactly timing that function, I was texting a friend after turning the car off. I know for sure (due to something mentioned in our conversation) it was 6 to 7 minutes when I opened my car door the radio was still going.

 

 

[homestead]

I could be wrong but Yeah I think it is just related to how long since the BMS has been reset.

Always seems to be 10 minutes right after resetting.  Its been about 5 years since mine has been reset and 

I think it only runs a couple minutes now.

[jestevens]

FYI, my battery lasted about 7 years but yes, if it has been sitting on the shelf awhile maybe it wasn't kept topped up. It's in the trunk, under the flip up part of the floor.

The battery is very small compared to a conventional 12V -- it really doesn't need a lot of CCA since all it is doing is booting the computer, which closes the high voltage battery pack relays, checks a few things and then uses the motor generator in the transmission to spin the crankshaft and start the engine from HVB power.

When it does go dead, it can be very unexpected -- and may require you to use the spare physical key under the Ford emblem if you have a radio key -- there is a lock on the driver's door handle .. once inside the car you have a few seconds before security alarm goes off .. you can place the key next to the steering column in order to get the car to pass security check and start the engine.

I don't have a spare car, so I keep a $99 jump pack from AutoZone in the house just in case I come outside and the car is completely dead now.

As others have said, when they install a new battery they are supposed to reset the BMS .. I think there is a way you can do that yourself but I just had the dealer replace mine since it was February and not a lot of fun to be fooling around "in the trunk" for 30 minutes outside.

[J-Max]

On 8/14/2023 at 9:55 AM, Bill-N said:

Thanks for finding a reasonable replacement.  Knowing the group number will be a big help.

 

Also, don't forget to reset the battery age monitor/charging scheme.  Something like hold the brake pedal down, rub your belly 10 times, or some such.  Search the forum for specifics.

 

 

Cheers.

Sorry this took a while, but the slightly taller battery that still fits group is H4.

[Atomic-Chomik]

On 8/13/2023 at 12:25 PM, J-Max said:

As an FYI....

My battery was 7 years old according to the little sticker on it's side, I replaced it the other week just as preventive maintenance, sure it was getting weak, over winter (I'm by Illinoiz/Winsconsin state line) radio would power down in a couple minutes. And checking voltage first thing in the morning it was 11.7v.

Anyhow.... after checking around, pretty much no one had the group 67R in stock. (I wont go into the sticker shock I had when prices ranged from $185 to $230 for a FREAKING little 390/400 CCA battery!!!!)

A little less at Wallyworld at $159 BUT, no 67R and they couldn't even order it as it wasn't in their books. I figured I'd just get anything that fit, measured the battery and found one that has the exact same footprint to fit into that tight little battery tray and the cover over the top to vent to outside BUT it's 1/2 inch taller. Only problem was getting my large paws behind it to pop the vent tube in.

There is still plenty (almost an inch) clearance between that metal HVB cover and the negative post and the trim covers over the positive.

Note, I have the SEL not the Energi, I know those have some ductwork or some such over the 12v battery so I don't know if this would clear.

Oh, and I would tell you which size it is but I forgot and I cant see the label unless I take the battery out and the dang receipt doesn't show the size. Next time I'm in Wallyworld I'll look.

I just watched a video and the the guys used a 96R battery. He had to pull out a couple pieces of hardware at the mounting plate in order to fit it. easy.

[djc]

The Motorcraft 67r battery in my 2013 is totally dead.  It's a bit less than 3 years old.  None of 3 local dealers have them in stock, and they want $180 plus $16 core plus tax to order one for me to somehow pick up later in the week.

So I ordered a Walmart 96r to be delivered to my house today.  It is $109.76.  I have measured the 96r before and it is almost identical in width and height, and about 3/8 inch longer than the 67r.   As I remember, a main difference is that the lips on the battery that are used to tie the battery down run along the sides in the 96r, whereas they are at the ends of the 67r.  

The 96r has about 50% more reserve capacity than the 67r - the measure that matters, since in the C-max this battery is not asked to deliver high cranking amps.  The extra capacity is a plus, but more so is Walmart free delivery to my porch, along with a much better price - and a lower ($10) core charge.

 

While I was at it, I ordered a 5qt jug of Mobil 1 Hybrid oil, which currently comes with a $5 "Walmart Cash" credit if ordered online.

[djc]

Turns out size matters. 

It was pain to switch batteries, but would be less so if one knew in advance what had to be done.  The 96R is about 3/8 inch longer than the 67R.  The oem 67r is held down by a bolt that extends through the bottom of the battery well -- presumably so it can maximally rust from rain and road salt.  The nut and bolt on my 2013 were welded together by corrosion and could not be removed.  Solution: 3 lb mallet, drive bolt and nut up into case.  This only slightly enlarges the hole in the bottom of the battery well.  With that hold-down and the original battery removed, the 96r won't quite fit with the other battery hold-down in place.  It is a block of plastic at the back of the case, held by 2 rivets.  Solution - the 3 lb mallet you will find you have lying nearby, having earlier used it to remove the other hold-down.  I used the mallet with a flat "Wonder bar" style pry bar, and was able to remove the hold-down intact; it could be reinstalled if need be, using 2 screws in place of the rivets.   

Now the 96r fits in the well.  And car is back to normal starting behavior.

 

I tried resetting the battery age using this ritual:  key ON, flash brights five times, then brake 3 times.  After I did this, a yellow icon to left of speedometer flashed 3 times.  But when I went into Forscan, battery age was not reset.  I also wasn't able to reset it using Forscan Lite for Android.

 

Has anyone else replaced the OEM 67r with a 96r (or other non-OEM battery?  If so, how has it worked out?

[ebrandt76]

On 8/13/2023 at 12:25 PM, J-Max said:

As an FYI....

My battery was 7 years old according to the little sticker on it's side, I replaced it the other week just as preventive maintenance, sure it was getting weak, over winter (I'm by Illinoiz/Winsconsin state line) radio would power down in a couple minutes. And checking voltage first thing in the morning it was 11.7v.

Anyhow.... after checking around, pretty much no one had the group 67R in stock. (I wont go into the sticker shock I had when prices ranged from $185 to $230 for a FREAKING little 390/400 CCA battery!!!!)

A little less at Wallyworld at $159 BUT, no 67R and they couldn't even order it as it wasn't in their books. I figured I'd just get anything that fit, measured the battery and found one that has the exact same footprint to fit into that tight little battery tray and the cover over the top to vent to outside BUT it's 1/2 inch taller. Only problem was getting my large paws behind it to pop the vent tube in.

There is still plenty (almost an inch) clearance between that metal HVB cover and the negative post and the trim covers over the positive.

Note, I have the SEL not the Energi, I know those have some ductwork or some such over the 12v battery so I don't know if this would clear.

Oh, and I would tell you which size it is but I forgot and I cant see the label unless I take the battery out and the dang receipt doesn't show the size. Next time I'm in Wallyworld I'll look.