charging mode for BHEF-48H6

[thesavo]

I have a 2021 outer banks with about 35000 miles. I started to suspect a battery issue this fall when the auto start stop function stopped turning the vehicle off at a traffic light. the instrument cluster reports that start stop won't engage due to "vehicle changing " i asked the dealer about it. They said nothing usual was detected during a battery test.

When I went in today for a tire swap and oil change asked again. This time they said "it reports fine on the tester but could use a recharge " . I have a short work commute of only 10 minutes each way. The service writer said that it's probably not recharging enough between trips.

I have a noco genius 5 charger that I would like to use every night or so to supplement the charge it gets between going to work. I would like to prevent further damage to original battery.


I have read that there are now additional types of flooded lead acid Batteries. Enhanced and advanced and that changing them may be different. Given the part number BHEF-48H6, would a standard lead acid charger be OK to use regularly?


Thanks

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[DWG]

I had my 24 Badlands at the Dealer today. It is 10 months old with only 3400 miles on it. One of my issues was that the Auto Start Stop has not engaged since the temperatures dropped and the dashboard message was always "Engine on due to vehicle charging" even though I have been driving it between 30 - 40 miles every couple of days more recently. The BS came with the EFB battery. When the Dealer tested the battery the SOC was 67 percent. They replaced the EFB battery with an AGM battery and made the comment in the repair order that the AGM battery supersedes the EFB battery. Before I got home the Auto Start Stop was working again and the outside temperature was 28 degrees.

I can't help with battery chargers. I have no experience with them but if your OEM battery is more than 3 years old you should consider replacing the battery with the AGM battery. The Ford OEM batteries generally only last about 3 years and they can read good one day and die the next. After having an OEM battery die on me a few years ago just outside of the 3 year warranty I have tried to make a habit of replacing the batteries at the 3 year mark.

 

[Sojourner]

"Permanently" mount a NOCO Genius 2D. I have them on ALL my new(ish) Ford's. Plugged in as soon as I get home. Not one issue with batteries since. Previously would get a 35% or so SOC if the vehicle hadn't been used for a week.

Potentially lousy batteries couples to systems that never turn off. Bad combo. The NOCO effectively deals with the first part of the equation.

 

[sajohnson]

I have a 2021 outer banks with about 35000 miles. I started to suspect a battery issue this fall when the auto start stop function stopped turning the vehicle off at a traffic light. the instrument cluster reports that start stop won't engage due to "vehicle changing " i asked the dealer about it. They said nothing usual was detected during a battery test.

When I went in today for a tire swap and oil change asked again. This time they said "it reports fine on the tester but could use a recharge " . I have a short work commute of only 10 minutes each way. The service writer said that it's probably not recharging enough between trips.

I have a noco genius 5 charger that I would like to use every night or so to supplement the charge it gets between going to work. I would like to prevent further damage to original battery.


I have read that there are now additional types of flooded lead acid Batteries. Enhanced and advanced and that changing them may be different. Given the part number BHEF-48H6, would a standard lead acid charger be OK to use regularly?


Thanks

Any charger designed for lead-acid batteries should be fine.

Two that get consistently good reviews are "Battery Tender" (BT) and "Battery Minder". We have several BT units. All are in almost continuous use. The oldest is over 15 years old.

Here's one of many models, just for example:
https://www.batterytender.com/products/battery-tender-12v-800ma-selectable-lead-acid-lithium-battery-charger_7

"This 12 Volt, 800mA charger is capable of switching between charging AGM, lead-acid, gel cell, flooded, and lithium (LifePO4) batteries." (MSRP $50).

That is a "Junior" model (800mA vs 2-4+ amps) but in my experience the lower amperage units work just fine. The 15+ y.o. BT we have is 750mA and it maintains the large AGM starting battery in our Sprinter-based RV.

BT has many models. Anyone who needs both a *charger* and a maintainer might consider this one:
https://www.batterytender.com/products/15-amp-selectable

If I didn't already have several charger I'd seriously consider it.

One advantage of BT and Battery Minder is that unlike another common brand, they do *not* use proprietary connectors that are ridiculously expensive. Instead, they use SAE 12V connectors -- inexpensive and widely available.

BT sells several, but you can buy them anywhere:

 

[NMhunter]

I find in the winter, with more night driving and short trips, that my battery needs charging every few weeks. I haven't needed to do it every night.

Any old battery charger will work on an AGM or even LiFePo battery, but they may not charge them to full capacity. As we used to say in the Forest Service, "Good enough for Gov't. work". Seriously, it will charge enough to keep your battery from failing.

I rarely drive my Superduty (parked outside) so I keep a solar panel on the dash. You can use a 10 watt without a charge controller, but if you go above that wattage, you'll need a charge contoller. It starts up without issue every time.

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