Check Charging System

[Kyle04]

Last year my car started giving me the "check charging system" and "system off to save battery" message when just going into aux/run mode without starting the car. Then it wouldnt start one day, battery test failed so i replaced it.

Since then there has been zero problems starting the vehicle but i still get those messages. I had the ford dealer reset the battery management system but the problem is still happening. Is there something else i should have checked or is it possible they didnt actually perform the BMS reset?

 

[SM105K]

I would remove both battery cables for a couple of hours. See if that helps.

 

[Kyle04]

I would remove both battery cables for a couple of hours. See if that helps.

I actually did try that a few months ago as i found a post with a similar problem and that was a possible solution. I let them sit off over night with no luck.

I had my local mechanic try with auto engenuity and we found the BMS reset and it would act like it would go through the process then throw and error message. Im assuming that never worked as the error messages were still there.

 

[SM105K]

Interesting. This is new for me. I am sure Shodded will be along soon.

 

[SHOdded]

what does the test of the current battery say for CCAs? What battery do you have in your SHO right now? Even "new" batteries can go bad quick, so it might be that, OR if the alternator is acting up, it will not charge the battery properly.

How much do you drive your SHO? Short trips, or infrequently ("garage queen")? You would want to put the SHO on a battery tender in either of these cases.

Also, please expand or expound on the error messages received during BMS reset attempts.

 

[Kyle04]

969cca is showing as of today. Alternator tested good. It's an everstart Maxx.

Car is driven a few times a week. Sometimes just short 10 mile trips to my office and other times hour long drives if I have to go to a branch office so not a garage queen.

As for the error when having my local mechanic try the reset I don't recall as that was earlier this year.

 

[Kyle04]

Here is the battery test receipt just for the **** of it.

 

[SHOdded]

So charging is working well. Are there any codes stored in the PCM?

Were the values checked after the car had been running at normal temp. 30 minutes to 1 hour is what I would recommend. Testing these values for charging after just a couple of minutes of runtime can be deceiving. The regulator in the alternator takes time to expose its' weakness, after it has tried to fend off heatsoak and started to falter.

If battery and charging are ok, next steps would be to verify the PCM and IPC are working correctly, so I hope that is not it.

 

[Kyle04]

So charging is working well. Are there any codes stored in the PCM?

Were the values checked after the car had been running at normal temp. 30 minutes to 1 hour is what I would recommend. Testing these values for charging after just a couple of minutes of runtime can be deceiving. The regulator in the alternator takes time to expose its' weakness, after it has tried to fend off heatsoak and started to falter.

 

[Kyle04]

No new codes, just 2 historical codes for p0420 and p0430 for my DPs from when I restored back to a stock tune at one point.

It had not been running for 30mins plus. About a 10min drive home then I immediately went back out to have it tested about 10min away. Car temp was at normal running temp but doubt enough time for heatsoak. I'll have to have it retested after I head back from a longer drive.

 

[Kyle04]

Is there any sort of cycle time after the BMS was reset by ford till it takes effect? Or is it normally instantaneous? I suppose there is a chance is was not done at all as well.

Well just like every IT related case i deal with at my work when someone tells me something isnt working then i come over and its magically fixed. After double checking everything you mentioned. I tested again and there is no longer any "check charging system" or "turning off to save battery power" messages.

 

[Majestic]

I have the "system off to save battery" message when I just drive a couple of miles a day. When that is the case I put it on the charger for a couple of hours and that goes away. As I now drive about 60 miles each day I don't have the issue.

 

[SHOdded]

no cycle time if manually reset. for diy, you have to leave the car for 8 hrs completely shut off and undisturbed, all accessories unplugged from power points.

well let's see if the messages remain turned off!

 

[SHOdded]

you can try using forscan for windows EL and putting the car in dark mode, that will stop battery drain. but short drives will not rejuvenate the battery enough. Starting is a significant drain on the battery.

Couldn't hurt resetting the BMS yourself, letting the car sit for a while before restart.

Have never seen issues with the battery current sensor that sits on the +ve terminal, but that could always be "off".

 

[xFallenxCripplex]

I've had a similar issues you can use forscan to but it in inop mode that seemed to fix the issue for awial I went all summer without needing to charge the battery but see the history the battery got really low I need to start recording by truck battery to get a view of what a non smarter car battery looks like.
the battery management is turned off and I still feel the battery should get more charged then it does the uptick is a 6 he drive to Anchorage my time there then 6 hrs back then put it on the trickle charger

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Johnbigdog]

The "system off to save battery" message is one part of the battery saver function/feature. The body control module monitors the charge and discharge of the battery along with charging system operation. If the b.c.m. thinks the battery state of charge is low, you will get the system off to save battery message. There is a P.I.D. for the battery state of charge in the B.C.M.

This pid and what the B.C.M. thinks the state of charge is can become incorrect if you charge the battery from the battery posts as the battery curent sensor attached to the negative cable wont "see" the curent flowing even though it seems to be able to see the voltage.

To corect the battery state of charge you can reset the Battery Management System (bms) or you can let the car sit with no drain on the battery for 6-8 hours.

It is posible that you have a small battery drain that's causing the battery to become discharged resulting in the message.

Side note, if you perform a battery drain, fords spec is 50 mA or .05 amps. If you lose the battery conection when connecting your DVOM you can induce a drain. Just be careful to not lose the conection.

I haven't run across to many instances where short drive cycles have cause the battery to not stay charged, but is posible.

Although I dont know, it may be posible that although your batter has a high C.C.A. that it has a low reserve capacity and this is not helping your situation either. This is just a thought with how much electronics are in our cars.

 

[CENC-SHO]

Do you sit in the car with it not running?

 

[Kyle04]

Well i checked a few days later and the problem is back again with it giving me the "check charging system" and "system off to save battery"

Just before i checked this i did have the Taurus at the dealer to figure out why my trunk proximity button by the license plate wasnt working ( this hasnt worked for about 6 months and i have already replaced the button with no luck).

They found a possible short on the wiring harness somewhere between the front driver foot well and the rear bumper. They said the 2 fixes were a wire overlay or they could dig into the interior to find the short. I came back a few days later to schedule the overlay and mentioned the battery messages, they said he'll do the overlay then check to see if that message still comes up as its possible the short is causing it.

 

[Kyle04]

Do you sit in the car with it not running?

Yes, at the drive in or also when I am running the tuner. I have yet to actually go through the process of tuning it while that massage is coming up for fear that something could happen if it shuts down in the middle of flashing the tune.

 

[CENC-SHO]

For peace of mind I would use a battery maintainer on it while you’re tuning. Also I think these cars just go through batteries. It just gets worse when you drive short distances and have any length of time with the car on but not running.