Battery State of Health report from Dealer

[TCBSport]

This morning I took my BSport in for the 10,000 mile service. It's been flawless since new and I enjoy it very much. I was in too much of a hurry to get out and didn't go over the report closely - just made sure all inspections areas had the green checkmarks. After I got home I noticed the Battery State of Health shows 51% and is still considered green. I tried calling the dealer back to ask what that means - seems impossible to get connected to an advisor and so I emailed my question and haven't heard back yet. So the question is what does the 51% mean? Is it:
1) Your battery is practically half dead and you need to think about a replacement
2) 51% is still a very good percentage and you won't be left stranded anytime soon
3) It is showing 51% now but when you drive it home (45 minutes in this case) the alternator will bring it back up to 90% ish
4) Other

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[Dude]

They provided you with battery State of Health (SOH) and did not show State of Charge (SOC) nor the battery voltage.

So my answer would be “4. Other”.

If you had asked about SOC, then your assessment of driving 45 minutes likely would result in SOC increasing as the battery was charged assuming the battery and charging system are healthy and there are no large unexpected drains occurring as you drive.

“State of Health provides information on the battery's general health while the State of Charge indicates how much charge is still in the battery. SOH offers useful details regarding the battery's life expectancy and potential replacement dates.“

“SOH (battery life) decreases as the number of charge and discharge cycles rises).”

So that 51% SOH isn’t going to change a lot on your drive home from the dealership.

Edit: See Post #5 where FB71 stated “SOH is determined by an external tester (Midtronics GR-1) based on internal capacitance of the battery. Anything over 50% is reported as "Good".”

We don’t know the Bronco Sport Battery Management System (BMS) algorithm for calculating SOH but it might be calculated based on elements like the quantity of charge/discharge cycles the battery has seen, battery age, and history of temperature that the battery was subjected to.

On the other hand, the dealership might have just used a battery tester tool to calculate SOH. Some battery testers calculate SOH as a percentage by measuring the usable Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) then dividing by the rated CCA (which is about 700 I think for the OEM batteries used in Bronco Sports).

You can read more from articles such as the following:

https://www.monolithicpower.com/en/the-importance-of-state-of-charge-and-state-of-health-in-battery-management-systems#:~:text=The State of Health provides,its initial capacity at purchase.

 

[TCBSport]

They provided you with battery State of Health (SOH) and did not show State of Charge (SOC) nor the battery voltage.

So my answer would be “4. Other”.

If you had asked about SOC, then your assessment of driving 45 minutes likely would result in SOC increasing as the battery was charged assuming the battery and charging system are healthy and there are no large unexpected drains occurring as you drive.

“State of Health provides information on the battery's general health while the State of Charge indicates how much charge is still in the battery. SOH offers useful details regarding the battery's life expectancy and potential replacement dates.“

“SOH (battery life) decreases as the number of charge and discharge cycles rises).”

So that 51% SOH isn’t going to change a lot on your drive home from the dealership.

I don’t believe we know a number for SOH that Ford recommends to replace the battery.

We don’t know the Bronco Sport Battery Management System (BMS) algorithm for calculating SOH but it might be calculated based on elements like the quantity of charge/discharge cycles the battery has seen, battery age, and history of temperature that the battery was subjected to.

On the other hand, the dealership might have just used a battery tester tool to calculate SOH. Some battery testers calculate SOH as a percentage by measuring the usable Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) then dividing by the rated CCA (which is about 700 I think for the OEM batteries used in Bronco Sports).

You can read more from articles such as the following:

https://www.monolithicpower.com/en/the-importance-of-state-of-charge-and-state-of-health-in-battery-management-systems#:~:text=The State of Health provides,its initial capacity at purchase.

Thank you for the detailed response! I'm going to see if I can find out the SOH threshold for replacement.

 

[Dude]

Thank you for the detailed response! I'm going to see if I can find out the SOH threshold for replacement.

Also ask the dealership how they arrive at SOH … is SOH provided by the BMS (or some other computer onboard the Bronco Sport) or do they use a battery tester tool that calculates SOH by measuring CCA.

 

[FB71]

Also ask the dealership how they arrive at SOH … is SOH provided by the BMS (or some other computer onboard the Bronco Sport) or do they use a battery tester tool that calculates SOH by measuring CCA.

SOH is determined by an external tester (Midtronics GR-1) based on internal capacitance of the battery. Anything over 50% is reported as "Good".

 

[Dude]

@FB71 that info is helpful, thanks!!

 

[davidg4781]

Just curious.... what all did they do for your 10,000 mile service?

I had my oil and filter changed, tires rotated, and they said my cabin air filter was filthy.

 

[kshaw]

A good battery tester is just as important as having a bi-directional OBD2 reader. My battery tester computes either CA or CCA and divides that by the stated CA or CCA on the battery label to measure the percentage life of the battery. I will replace the battery at about 75% level.

 

[gatornek]

A good battery tester is just as important as having a bi-directional OBD2 reader. My battery tester computes either CA or CCA and divides that by the stated CA or CCA on the battery label to measure the percentage life of the battery. I will replace the battery at about 75% level.

link, please. How pricey is it? because most of the good ones are pricey. i was thinking about one of the 'viking' branded ones at Harbor Freight. they aren't too expensive. but I want something thats going to be accurate. thanx

 

[Dude]

link, please. How pricey is it? because most of the good ones are pricey. i was thinking about one of the 'viking' branded ones at Harbor Freight. they aren't too expensive. but I want something thats going to be accurate. thanx

Post #5
https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/threads/battery-acting-strange.10351/post-179491

 

[gatornek]

Post #5
https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/threads/battery-acting-strange.10351/post-179491

Thank you sir!

 

[Dude]

I’ve researched a number of these and are either referrals from other owners that purchased the product or scored well in various online test reports.

For the ones that do SOH and/or SOC, I haven’t found anything from the product’s manufacturer as to the algorithm used nor its accuracy.

Many of the 3* and lower reviews are suspicious in general of the repeatability when running the same test on the same battery several times in a row.

Prices shown and coupons/percent off are accurate as of today for my account.

FOXWELL BT705 Car Battery Tester 12V 24V, Automotive 100-2000CCA Battery Load Tester Battery Analyzer Digital Charging System Alternator Tester Cold Cranking for Heavy Duty Truck Boat Marine SUV ATV
$117 minus $20 coupon
https://a.co/d/iAPd0gI

KONNWEI KW208 12V Car Battery Tester, 100-2000 CCA Load Tester Automotive Alternator Tester Digital Auto Battery Analyzer Charging Cranking System Tester for Truck Marine Motorcycle SUV Boat
$24.25 minus a 21% coupon
https://a.co/d/1h24gAP

Autel AL539B OBD2 Scanner, 3-in-1 Code Reader Battery Tester Avometer for 12 Volts Batteries, Full OBDII Diagnosis and Circuit Starting & Charging Systems Test
$90 minus $9 cpupon
https://a.co/d/eD1k4Tt

MOTOPOWER MP0515A 12V Car Battery Tester Automotive 100-2000 CCA Battery Load Tester Auto Cranking and Charging System Test Scan Tool Digital Battery Alternator Analyzer
$32
https://a.co/d/ekHMVoY

2 in 1 Car Battery Tester, TOPDON BT100W 12V Bluetooth Battery Tester Automotive Supported Battery Library, 100-2000 CCA Alternator Tester Digital Battery Load Tester Charging Cranking System Tester
$75
https://a.co/d/7uzAdSk

BT100 Car Battery Tester 12V Load Tester, 100-2000 CCA Automotive Alternator Tester Digital Auto Battery Analyzer Charging Cranking System Tester for Car Truck Motorcycle ATV SUV Boat Yacht
$47.19 minus 10% voupon
https://a.co/d/5mLZK8s

Car Battery Tester 24V 12V Load Tester, TOPDON BT200 100-2000CCA Automotive Alternator Tester Digital Auto Battery Analyzer Charging Cranking System Tester for Car Truck Motorcycle ATV SUV Boat Yacht
$87 minus $15 coupon
https://a.co/d/7iTfkoV

BT-175 12V Digital Battery Tester, Load Tester, and Voltmeter – For Use with Motorcycle, ATV, Boat, Car, SUV, Truck, RV, and Classic Car batteries – Works with Foreign and Domestic Autos
$56.35 less 10% coupon
https://a.co/d/aggMfYJ

 

[Dude]

@gatornek .. let us know if you buy one and your thoughts on the product (including for SOH/SOC if it has those features). If you learn anything about the product’s repeatability and its accuracy that would be helpful too.

 

[gatornek]

I’ve researched a number of these and are either referrals from other owners that purchased the product or scored well in various online test reports.

For the ones that do SOH and/or SOC, I haven’t found anything from the product’s manufacturer as to the algorithm used nor its accuracy.

Many of the 3* and lower reviews are suspicious in general of the repeatability when running the same test on the same battery several times in a row.

Prices shown and coupons/percent off are accurate as of today for my account.

FOXWELL BT705 Car Battery Tester 12V 24V, Automotive 100-2000CCA Battery Load Tester Battery Analyzer Digital Charging System Alternator Tester Cold Cranking for Heavy Duty Truck Boat Marine SUV ATV
$117 minus $20 coupon
https://a.co/d/iAPd0gI

KONNWEI KW208 12V Car Battery Tester, 100-2000 CCA Load Tester Automotive Alternator Tester Digital Auto Battery Analyzer Charging Cranking System Tester for Truck Marine Motorcycle SUV Boat
$24.25 minus a 21% coupon
https://a.co/d/1h24gAP

Autel AL539B OBD2 Scanner, 3-in-1 Code Reader Battery Tester Avometer for 12 Volts Batteries, Full OBDII Diagnosis and Circuit Starting & Charging Systems Test
$90 minus $9 cpupon
https://a.co/d/eD1k4Tt

MOTOPOWER MP0515A 12V Car Battery Tester Automotive 100-2000 CCA Battery Load Tester Auto Cranking and Charging System Test Scan Tool Digital Battery Alternator Analyzer
$32
https://a.co/d/ekHMVoY

2 in 1 Car Battery Tester, TOPDON BT100W 12V Bluetooth Battery Tester Automotive Supported Battery Library, 100-2000 CCA Alternator Tester Digital Battery Load Tester Charging Cranking System Tester
$75
https://a.co/d/7uzAdSk

BT100 Car Battery Tester 12V Load Tester, 100-2000 CCA Automotive Alternator Tester Digital Auto Battery Analyzer Charging Cranking System Tester for Car Truck Motorcycle ATV SUV Boat Yacht
$47.19 minus 10% voupon
https://a.co/d/5mLZK8s

Car Battery Tester 24V 12V Load Tester, TOPDON BT200 100-2000CCA Automotive Alternator Tester Digital Auto Battery Analyzer Charging Cranking System Tester for Car Truck Motorcycle ATV SUV Boat Yacht
$87 minus $15 coupon
https://a.co/d/7iTfkoV

BT-175 12V Digital Battery Tester, Load Tester, and Voltmeter – For Use with Motorcycle, ATV, Boat, Car, SUV, Truck, RV, and Classic Car batteries – Works with Foreign and Domestic Autos
$56.35 less 10% coupon
https://a.co/d/aggMfYJ

Was about to choose one of your amazon rec's here, when this flashed across the bottom of the screen. For $22, I thought maybe it will do the trick. We'll see.

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