Battery Acting Strange

[Magnato1]

UPDATE: The BS started this morning. I drove straight to Napa Auto Parts and they confirmed the battery is not in good health. I have an appointment with the dealer for Saturday and hopefully they replace the battery. ??



On Saturday, I drove the BS 82 miles on the highway (70 mph). Sunday morning it barely started. I hooked it up to the battery tender and it says the battery is at 25%. I fully charged the battery.

This morning (Monday) the battery is completely dead, fob won’t even open the door. I drive my old Subaru to work.

After work, I hook the BS up to the battery tender. It initially says the battery is completely dead (0% charge). Then I turn the battery tender on (begin charging) and the lights flicker and a bunch of clicking and popping happens in the engine compartment. The battery tender is now reporting the charge level is bouncing around. 5, 10, 20, 0, 15, 25, and then 60%. It holds at 60%, noises stop, lights stop flickering, etc. I leave it for almost 4 hours.

When I come out, the battery tender says it’s at 100%. I take it for a drive, all seems well.

Will report back tomorrow on whether it starts. But has anyone else had a weird experience like this?

My theory is the battery is bad. I had a somewhat similar experience with an Optima Yellow Top years ago where it would intermittently not start. Turns out it had a bad spiral cell. The thing is, the nearest Ford dealer is 2 hours away and I don’t want to drive it all the way there and have them tell me the battery is fine, so I’m just looking to see if others have had similar experiences. I’ve read the stock EFB isn’t great and those who have had replacement under warranty end up with an AGM, so I assume it’s just another flawed battery.

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[BigBadWolf]

Yes batteries act that way when they are bad. You might take it to an auto parts store and they can check it for you. If mine goes I'm going with a good one from a parts store.

 

[CactusBS]

I replaced my EFB with an AGM (outside of warranty unfortunately) and it seemed to fix all my issues. I'm assuming my battery was one of the bad ones since periodically all my electronics would shut off while driving including dash lights, entertainment screen, all button backlights, basically everything except for the headlights. Took it to a dealership multiple times for them to tell me the battery was fine, after my warranty expired I just bit the bullet and bought the AGM and haven't had a single issue since then.

I don't have a battery tender or place to plug one in being in an apartment complex, but I would've liked to see what it read.

 

[cprcubed]

Check the Ground cable connections (both ends) as there have been reports of loose connections. Cheers!

 

[kshaw]

Two suggestions:
(1) Pick up your own battery tester similar to this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08K3885C4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 These are great, I use these to periodically test health of all my car batteries, my aircraft battery, and batteries for an off-grid solar system. You enter type of battery and stated cranking amps or cold cranking amps and if calculates the actual cranking amps and cold cranking amps left on the battery and derives a percentage of remaining life. It will also display "Replace Battery" when warranted.
(2) Disconnect the negative cable before attempting to charge the battery. It sounds like the parasitic draw of the car components are competing with the charging function and your charger may be under powered to do both. Some chargers, like my Battery Minder, need a minimum voltage on the battery (mine requires 11.0 volts) before it works.

 

[rocks]

By your join date, I'm guessing you have a 21 BS. The battery is over two years old. Not old but maybe old for a BS. I'd take a shot and buy a new battery. The BS seems to have many battery issues.

 

[DahliaDarlin']

I just took my '22 BS in for the fuel injector recall. Because of the battery posts on this forum, and having erratic performance of the stop/start system, I asked the dealer to check the battery. They told me the battery charge was low and that they had replaced it under warrantee without me asking them to do so. I was surprised. I didn't even buy the car from this dealership. They are fortunately within walking distance of my house.

I mention this because it is possible for the dealer to do the right thing. Although I understand the thought 4 hour road trip just to get shot down is not an enjoyable prospect.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

It has been really cold at night the last 5 days or so. Single digits at night and -1 on Saturday night.

On Saturday, I drove the BS 82 miles on the highway (70 mph). Sunday morning it barely started. I hooked it up to the battery tender and it says the battery is at 25%. I fully charged the battery.

This morning (Monday) the battery is completely dead, fob won’t even open the door. I drive my old Subaru to work.

After work, I hook the BS up to the battery tender. It initially says the battery is completely dead (0% charge). Then I turn the battery tender on (begin charging) and the lights flicker and a bunch of clicking and popping happens in the engine compartment. The battery tender is now reporting the charge level is bouncing around. 5, 10, 20, 0, 15, 25, and then 60%. It holds at 60%, noises stop, lights stop flickering, etc. I leave it for almost 4 hours.

When I come out, the battery tender says it’s at 100%. I take it for a drive, all seems well.

Will report back tomorrow on whether it starts. But has anyone else had a weird experience like this?

My theory is the battery is bad. I had a somewhat similar experience with an Optima Yellow Top years ago where it would intermittently not start. Turns out it had a bad spiral cell. The thing is, the nearest Ford dealer is 2 hours away and I don’t want to drive it all the way there and have them tell me the battery is fine, so I’m just looking to see if others have had similar experiences. I’ve read the stock EFB isn’t great and those who have had replacement under warranty end up with an AGM, so I assume it’s just another flawed battery.

Hey there! If you send over a DM with your VIN and Ford dealer info, I can look into your concerns on my end.

 

[Magnato1]

I just took my '22 BS in for the fuel injector recall. Because of the battery posts on this forum, and having erratic performance of the stop/start system, I asked the dealer to check the battery. They told me the battery charge was low and that they had replaced it under warrantee without me asking them to do so. I was surprised. I didn't even buy the car from this dealership. They are fortunately within walking distance of my house.

I mention this because it is possible for the dealer to do the right thing. Although I understand the thought 4 hour road trip just to get shot down is not an enjoyable prospect.

Sounds like great service!

 

[sajohnson]

(2) Disconnect the negative cable before attempting to charge the battery. It sounds like the parasitic draw of the car components are competing with the charging function and your charger may be under powered to do both. Some chargers, like my Battery Minder, need a minimum voltage on the battery (mine requires 11.0 volts) before it works.

This^^^

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