Service Awareness Newsletter - 12-Volt Battery Charging

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From Ford's Service Awareness Newsletter for Dealership Service personnel... 

 

12-Volt Battery Charging

When charging the 12-volt battery on vehicles equipped with a battery monitoring sensor (BMS), the negative cable clamp of the battery charger must be connected to an engine or chassis ground as directed by the WSM (workshop manual) section 414-01> General Procedures> Battery Charging. Connecting the chargers’ negative cable clamp directly to the battery terminal will not allow the BMS to measure charging current flowing from the charger to the battery. Improper connection will result in the BMS SOC (state of charge) PID (parameter ID) failing to update to reflect the improved SOC. Never perform the BMS/SOC reset procedure unless the battery is replaced. The BMS should only be replaced if directed by the WSM.
 

From Edge Workshop Manual...

 

Battery Charging

WARNING: Before beginning any service procedure in this section, refer to Safety Warnings in section 100-00 General Information. Failure to follow this instruction may result in serious personal injury.

 

NOTE: Batteries will discharge due to normal parasitic key off-loads when the vehicle is on a dealer lot or parked by the customer for an extended period of time. Vehicles still in dealer inventory or in long-term storage may be driven short distances with heavy electrical loads. Over a period of time (30 days or more), this could result in vehicles having shallow or deeply discharged batteries.

 

NOTE: The vehicle charging system is designed to supply the electrical power needed to maintain the battery near full charge during normal vehicle use. The charging system is not capable of bringing a deeply discharged battery back to near full charge in a short amount of time such as allowing the vehicle to idle for 15 minutes to recharge the battery. Use an external charger to charge discharged batteries.

 

NOTE: Cold batteries will not readily accept a charge. Allow batteries to warm to approximately 5°C (41°F) before charging. This may require 4 to 8 hours at room temperature.

 

Charger Connected to Engine or Chassis Ground - Preferred Method

1. Connect the positive (red) charger clamp to the positive battery post.

1. NOTICE: Do not connect the negative (black) charger clamp directly to the battery monitoring sensor, it must be connected to an engine or chassis ground to relearn the battery's state of charge.

   Connect the negative (black) charger clamp to the negative battery ground cable bolt or an engine ground.

1. Charge the battery following the battery charger manufacturer's instructions.