I spoke too soon. Or I jinxed it.

[sajohnson]

When my battery was going south it would randomly have no start issues. You could drive to the grocery store and it would act normal, come out to leave and then no start. Also during this time, auto start stop would not function properly. Had to go to the dealer 3 times, the first 2 times they said everything was normal, the 3rd time I said I didn't want the BS back until it was fixed, dealer replaced the battery under warranty, no issues since, it's been 7 months now.

It's hard to understand why they would jerk you around over a *battery*.

It was obviously on its way out, they should have simply replaced it.

Perhaps since Ford is paying for it, they have a policy that requires the dealers' service depts to behave that way? Otherwise, I don't get it.

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[sajohnson]

I suspected the battery the first time we had an issue. That was a month ago when the instrument cluster didn't light up and I had no gauge function. Everything else worked. When we got home, we didn't drive it again for a couple hours. When we did, it was fully functional again. Since then til now not a hint of trouble. Now, the wife is upset and thinks we might have bought a lemon plus it's ruining our afternoon's plans. It's gonna take some doing to make her feel comfortable in the BS once this is fixed. She forgets that we've (I've) replaced the battery in her Mustang 3 times in 8 years! Lol! (Also, not really funny).

Tell your wife not to worry. It's almost certainly the battery.

 

[sajohnson]

FWIW I bought a battery powered portable jump starter on Amazon for about $50. Haven't had a need to use it yet but if it works as advertised it should be useful so you don't need AAA or jumper cables. It got outstanding reviews but, fortunately, I can't speak from personal experience with it.

There are many portable jump starters. From what I've read though, a high percentage are junk.

A couple years ago, CR tested maybe 15 of them and only recommended one or two.

It's not a bad idea to carry a jump starter, just make sure you get a decent one.

Most people are aware of this, but Amazon reviews can be very misleading. Many products on Amazon have similar percentages of 1 thru 5 star ratings -- especially if they have more than 150-200 reviews. A large percentage are 4/5-star, and a much smaller percentage are 1/2-star. It's very common for many products to have an overall rating of (say) 4.5 +/- 0.3 or so.

I use them, but I make sure to actually READ them -- as opposed to going by the overall 'star' rating (which is often useless). I read the 1-star reviews first. If they seem legit, and are seriously negative, I move on to another product. 1-star reviews are less likely to be fake, and are often more useful than 5-star reviews like: "Good product!"; "Looks like it will work well"; "Arrived on time".

 

[Dude]

I found this article to be somewhat useful:
Car and Driver: Tested: The Best Portable Jump Starters for 2023
Tested by: BY COLLIN MORGAN AND JON
LANGSTON, Published: FEB 9, 2023
https://www.caranddriver.com/car-accessories/g42569313/best-jump-starters-tested/

 

[sajohnson]

Just throwing this out there. Is it normal to hear low buzzing and clicking sounds emanating from the engine compartment after you have exited the vehicle and walking away from it?

IDK what's normal, but we hear lots of different noises coming from under the hood -- even after the BS BL is parked for a couple days.

Whatever Ford has connected when the ignition is off definitely pulls the battery state of charge (SOC) down. I just posted in another thread about checking the resting battery voltage (with a Fluke meter) after a couple days of being parked and measuring 12.18 volts. That's only about 50-60% SOC.

Lead-acid batteries (including AGM) like to be kept at 100% SOC, which is ~12.7 volts. Anything less shortens their life.

I use a "Battery Tender" on all of our vehicles, including the BS BL, to maximize battery life. The OE AGM battery in our Sprinter chassis-based RV lasted 10 years and was still working alright when we replaced it. The OE battery in our Suzuki DRZ-400 lasted 6 years (motorcycle batteries typically last 1-2 years).

 

[sajohnson]

How do you identify an AGM type battery? And did Ford install any in bronco sports?

I don't have the manual in front of me, but both are listed in there.

The AGM has a slightly different part number.

 

[sajohnson]

I found this article to be somewhat useful:
Car and Driver: Tested: The Best Portable Jump Starters for 2023
Tested by: BY COLLIN MORGAN AND JON
LANGSTON, Published: FEB 9, 2023
https://www.caranddriver.com/car-accessories/g42569313/best-jump-starters-tested/

Great article, thanks for sharing!

One point that is good to keep in mind:

Can you store a jump starter in your vehicle?
"Yes, especially the smaller lithium-ion battery portable jump starters—that's what they're designed for. Store it in your glovebox, under the seat, in the trunk, wherever you can find room. Just note that extremely cold temperatures can weaken its potency, so we recommend recharging it every six months or so, just in case."

I installed a couple lithium (LiFePO4) batteries in our RV. One feature that mfrs & vendors do not exactly emphasize is that they typically cannot be charged below 32*F, and cannot be discharged (used) below around 0*F.

I believe some of the batteries in the jump starters C&D tested are lead-acid, so those specs would not apply. Of course the colder a lead-acid battery is, the less current it will put out, but there is no hard cut-off like there is with the BMS on lithium batteries.

Don't get me wrong, lithium batteries are impressive, and better than lead-acid overall, but those in 'the great white north' might want to consider lead/acid (AGM). Otherwise, in order to be useful when it's very cold, a jump starter with a lithium battery would have to be kept warm. Not impossible, but a bit of a hassle.

Recharging every 6 months as recommended is not a bad idea, but will not improve cold temp performance (beyond the fact that any battery will obviously perform better with 100% SOC). If the temp is below the cut-off point, the BMS will shut it down, regardless of the SOC.

 

[Barry S.]

There are many portable jump starters. From what I've read though, a high percentage are junk.

A couple years ago, CR tested maybe 15 of them and only recommended one or two.

It's not a bad idea to carry a jump starter, just make sure you get a decent one.

Most people are aware of this, but Amazon reviews can be very misleading. Many products on Amazon have similar percentages of 1 thru 5 star ratings -- especially if they have more than 150-200 reviews. A large percentage are 4/5-star, and a much smaller percentage are 1/2-star. It's very common for many products to have an overall rating of (say) 4.5 +/- 0.3 or so.

I use them, but I make sure to actually READ them -- as opposed to going by the overall 'star' rating (which is often useless). I read the 1-star reviews first. If they seem legit, and are seriously negative, I move on to another product. 1-star reviews are less likely to be fake, and are often more useful than 5-star reviews like: "Good product!"; "Looks like it will work well"; "Arrived on time".

I guess I won't know until I've tried it. I have all kinds of rechargeable stuff. Much of it I got from 4Patriots when I stocked up on 6 months of food supplies. I try to make a point of, every few months, to be sure everything remains charged. All are USB rechargeable and many are solar powered. If you're a reader there is a series of books relating to the effect on the US of an EMP attack. It's a trilogy by William Forstchen starting with "One Second After." Everyone I have recommended these books to have thanked me profusely. Try it, guarantee you'll be happy you did.

 

[CableXJ]

Yup.

 

[Dude]

Great article, thanks for sharing!
NP!

Can you store a jump starter in your vehicle?
"Yes, especially the smaller lithium-ion battery portable jump starters—that's what they're designed for.

[Dude] @sajohnson the reason I have not purchased a jump starter yet is I have not yet found one with a high enough storage temperature. Vehicle interior temp often easily exceeds 122°F in the summer where I live. Here is one example product specs:

Noco GBX45-1250A Jump Starter /
storage temperatures -4F to 122F (-20C to 50C).

 

[sajohnson]

...the reason I have not purchased a jump starter yet is I have not yet found one with a high enough storage temperature. Vehicle interior temp often easily exceeds 122°F in the summer where I live.

Good point, I forgot to mention the other extreme (heat).

Yeah, lithium batteries have some attractive qualities but their high/low temp specs can be a serious drawback or even a deal killer in some situations. There's a lot of hype behind lithium batteries, and they are excellent in many applications, but not all

And since that 122*F is a storage spec, it's probably safe to assume the the operating limit is even lower.

I'm afraid you have no choice but to move to a more temperate climate. <j/k>

You might consider the units that use AGM batteries. They are typically larger and heavier, but IIRC they had the best specs in that C&D review, and they are not as sensitive to temp extremes.

 

[Dperry285]

Just throwing this out there. Is it normal to hear low buzzing and clicking sounds emanating from the engine compartment after you have exited the vehicle and walking away from it?

Yes

 

[RSH]

How do you identify an AGM type battery? And did Ford install any in bronco sports?

The batteries are labeled with the type.
AGM batteries are typically sealed vs. the removable caps/tops on lead acid batteries.

In my case, my 2021 Badlands original factory was the FoMoCo standard lead acid type.

The warrany replacement I recieved is a Motorcraft AGM.

 

[wireman]

FWIW, I had a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Eco Diesel that I use to tow a travel trailer with.

The battery was located inside, under the passengers seat. I had the vehicle for 5 years and never had to replace the AGM battery before I sold it.

With batteries located under the hood, in an extremely hot area, I believe has a serious effect on their life.

 

[BSBB4Les]

My '22 BSBB does not have an AGM battery. I watched a video where the guy said most all vehicles that have start/stop feature will have the higher capacity AGM type battery. My BB has, or is supposed to have (based on the monroney sticker), co-pilot 360+. I would think my BS would have been given the AGM type battery from the factory. Anyway, I also learned that if you drive it on short trips, the battery will use more charge than it brings in. In my situation these types of trips are more common. I now find myself with a decision to make. Get a trickle charger or a portable jump starter. Or both!

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