Battery Question

[krisk]

So far I have had no issues with my S650, although I have had some question of whether the battery may be weak or have issues. Several times I have received the notification in the Fordpass app that the remote functions of my car had been disabled in order to conserve the battery, and they would be available again once I restarted the car. This occurred after having driven the car around 12 hours earlier, and not just short trips. I didn't think much of it as I don't use the Fordpass app to remote start the car anyway. Then in watching the voltage in the instrument cluster while driving, the voltage was usually either 12.5 or 13.0 volts. That seems low as I'm used to seeing 13.5 or 14 when a car is running. Again, I wasn't too concerned because it had not given me any warnings or notifications. Then on Monday I took the car to get the oil changed at 1,300 miles, and the Ford Quicklane service facility marked the battery in the red and indicated the CCA were 590 (factory spec is 760).

Yesterday I took the car to the Ford dealer to have them check it out, and they ran the diagnostics on it, which they said required fully discharging and recharging the battery over approximately six hours, and everything checked out fine.

So, according to the dealer everything is good. I've had no issues with the car, so I'm assuming everything is fine. Has anyone else had anything similar happen?

For reference, my car's blend date was 8/17/23, and I picked it up from the dealer on 9/1/23, so it is not like it sat at the plant for months like some of the earlier builds.

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[Decio]

Take it back to the Quick Lane service that flagged it initially and see if they can replace the battery under warranty. There are bells and whistles you can turn off to save battery (motion sensors, remote window down, etc.) but you shouldn't have to at this point.

 

[krisk]

Take it back to the Quick Lane service that flagged it initially and see if they can replace the battery under warranty. There are bells and whistles you can turn off to save battery (motion sensors, remote window down, etc.) but you shouldn't have to at this point.

I initially took it back to the Quick Lane, which connected to the used car portion of the dealership, and they said I would need to take it to the dealership to get a full diagnostic on the battery. They said sometimes their tester doesn't read correctly.

 

[Pokor]

So far I have had no issues with my S650, although I have had some question of whether the battery may be weak or have issues. Several times I have received the notification in the Fordpass app that the remote functions of my car had been disabled in order to conserve the battery, and they would be available again once I restarted the car. This occurred after having driven the car around 12 hours earlier, and not just short trips. I didn't think much of it as I don't use the Fordpass app to remote start the car anyway. Then in watching the voltage in the instrument cluster while driving, the voltage was usually either 12.5 or 13.0 volts. That seems low as I'm used to seeing 13.5 or 14 when a car is running. Again, I wasn't too concerned because it had not given me any warnings or notifications. Then on Monday I took the car to get the oil changed at 1,300 miles, and the Ford Quicklane service facility marked the battery in the red and indicated the CCA were 590 (factory spec is 760).

Yesterday I took the car to the Ford dealer to have them check it out, and they ran the diagnostics on it, which they said required fully discharging and recharging the battery over approximately six hours, and everything checked out fine.

So, according to the dealer everything is good. I've had no issues with the car, so I'm assuming everything is fine. Has anyone else had anything similar happen?

For reference, my car's blend date was 8/17/23, and I picked it up from the dealer on 9/1/23, so it is not like it sat at the plant for months like some of the earlier builds.

My dealer replaced my battery before delivery. They thought it because it was on the show floor that opening the doors, etc might have weakened it, but it looks like some have had issues with the factory battery. Either way I am covered. I live in the north, so I won't drive it, turned off the active alarm as it is my garage, and will start it for 5-10 minutes every 2-3 weeks.

 

[MIZStang]

My 2024 GT I purchased this week (less than 200 miles) would not start today, dash lit up like a Christmas tree. It would then start with same warnings. Put it in reverse and it died. After thirty minutes of sitting it was back to normal. Dealer replaced the battery. My car was built in September and would have sat for a bit. Could just be a bad battery. However, others have reported this same exact experience. Good idea to just have them replace the battery if in doubt, under warranty.

 

[SAL-E]

Sounds like classic battery problems.

 

[Arno_ecobeast]

Is there a lightweight Lithium aftermarket option? I know lithium gives way better stability

 

[dusman59]

No. Lithium batteries do not like sudden quick discharge. They also don't like fast charging without some kind of cooling.

 

[Dena]

Is there a lightweight Lithium aftermarket option? I know lithium gives way better stability

I know they use them in some autos but I am not sure the electrical system provides enough voltage to charge the battery. When the battery is charged, the charge must be stopped or the battery could fail requiring a different charge control system. Last but not least, the lithium can have problems delivering high current so the battery should be verified that it is able to do the job.
Make sure that what you buy will do the job or it may cost you more than just a battery.

 

[Sofa King]

Is there a lightweight Lithium aftermarket option? I know lithium gives way better stability

Anti gravity battery... they have built in management and jump start capability.

 

[Arno_ecobeast]

I know they use them in some autos but I am not sure the electrical system provides enough voltage to charge the battery. When the battery is charged, the charge must be stopped or the battery could fail requiring a different charge control system. Last but not least, the lithium can have problems delivering high current so the battery should be verified that it is able to do the job.
Make sure that what you buy will do the job or it may cost you more than just a battery.

Yes no of course you wouldn't just put any lithium in it. I know there are some companies that make them specifically for the automotive world.
My old yamaha MT07 i swapped for lithium, made for application and it was massive weight saving and the bike cranked so much better.

 

[Arno_ecobeast]

here's one we make in Australia. Im sure you have the same thing in the US
https://megalifebattery.com.au/prod...-5-0-v8-bullitt-petrol-rear-wheel-drive-coupe

 

[Brumby5.0]

Interesting that people are having issues with the supplied battery. I wonder how the new Stop/Start feature on the job 2 cars impact the battery life?

 

[Skye]

Interesting that people are having issues with the supplied battery.

IMO, Start/Stop could be a contributing factor. Factory batteries aren't that great to begin with; they're designed to meet the minimum requirement, with little to no reserve.

As production of the first S650s was starting, and cars were being prepared to ship, Ford recognized some Quality Control problems. All production was halted. Any cars built, but not shipped, were parked and held until the matters were resolved.

Cars later began going out to dealers and owners. A fair number of these first cars experienced battery issues. Many of those batteries needed replacement. Things have since smoothed out. I haven't noticed as many posts about this topic as before.

Any modern car needs to be driven frequently to keep the battery topped up. A tender is a fine supplement for those driving less.

Edit: Making a note to study the topic further. With the technology available, I'd like the vehicle to automatically disable Start/Stop if the electrical system (weak alternator, battery, etc.) is not functioning correctly.

Edit (2): Several Internet threads confirm Start/Stop is disabled by the vehicle if the battery is registering a weakened state of around 70-75%. That's nice to know. If anyone notices it won't enable, it's one tell their battery or electrical systems might not be working as well as expected.

 

[Bikeman315]

Ford Quicklane service facility marked the battery in the red and indicated the CCA were 590 (factory spec is 760).

Not sure about this. Every standard battery I’ve seen for the S550 is rated at 590 CCA. Also if they marked it red it should have replaced on the spot.

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