OEM Battery Life

[Deepsea619]

Has anyone had an issue with their battery draining quick? I am at 8 out of 18v's, my car alarm has been going off and on. I looked it up and it was due to low voltage. Seems odd, my Ranger Raptor is a 2024 with 14K miles.

Sponsored

 

[Jason B]

18 Volts? Seems high. Your battery maintenance system might be screwy.
Is that an aftermarket alarm? That could be a problem since it's always draining power.
Coming from the 5G, it seems like the OEM battery is good for about 4 years.

 

[John E Davies]

Perform a load test on the fully charged battery, that is the only way to know. Most auto parts stores will do it free but you have to leave it with them, they have to make sure it is fully charged, they won’t take your word for it. If it is bad, the Ford dealer should change it under warranty.

One indicator of a bad battery - your automatic Stop Start system won’t work.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[NevadaBob]

My experience with a 2022 Ranger was the battery died early; replaced under warranty after about a year or year and a half. Auto Start/Stop stopped working, and the app kept sending messages saying remote features were disabled to save battery.

 

[Deepsea619]

Perform a load test on the fully charged battery, that is the only way to know. Most auto parts stores will do it free but you have to leave it with them, they have to make sure it is fully charged, they won’t take your word for it. If it is bad, the Ford dealer should change it under warranty.

One indicator of a bad battery - your automatic Stop Start system won’t work.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

So I just went to AutoZone and had my battery check. It passed across the board. Not sure why it reads 8/18.

 

[Bushmechanic]

So I just went to AutoZone and had my battery check. It passed across the board. Not sure why it reads 8/18.

If it was at 8 volts, your truck more than likely wouldn't start, and might not even try to.

Likewise, I am unaware of any consumer grade 18V automotive batteries or charging systems.

That all sounds very strange, to me.

 

[Jason B]

If it was at 8 volts, your truck more than likely wouldn't start, and might not even try to.

Likewise, I am unaware of any consumer grade 18V automotive batteries or charging systems.

That all sounds very strange, to me.

I agree.

Voltage (Volts)	State of Charge	Condition
12.6 – 12.7	100%	Fully charged and in good condition
12.4 – 12.6	~80% – 100%	Charged, good condition
12.2	~50%	Discharged, needs charging
10.5 – 11.0	~0%	Discharged, possible bad cell
12.6 – 14.4	Charging Range	Alternator charging during engine running

 

[purdyd]

With the alternator running you might read 14+

How are you reading the 18 or 8v?

Voltmeter?

 

[Mike9816]

My 2018 Escape OEM battery lasted 7 years.

 

[bluemarlin25]

Prior to trading in my ZR2 on my RR, it’s battery died after about 4 years

when I mention to the Interstate battery technician that my battery in my 2019 Genesis G70, which was 7 years and still on it’s original battery

he asked “Is it in the trunk? “

I replied “yes”

he said “that’s why. Heat kills batteries and your trunk is a lot cooler than your engine bay”

 

[superj]

I just had to put a new battery in my 04 ranger this afternoon. The one on there was a diehard silver from 9/23. Not good, but right next to the v6 under the hood.

 

[stemplar]

Prior to trading in my ZR2 on my RR, it’s battery died after about 4 years

when I mention to the Interstate battery technician that my battery in my 2019 Genesis G70, which was 7 years and still on it’s original battery

he asked “Is it in the trunk? “

I replied “yes”

he said “that’s why. Heat kills batteries and your trunk is a lot cooler than your engine bay”

While there's merit to that statement, Interstate batteries aren't what they used to be with regard to quality. I replaced a battery in an e-class with an interstate (located in the trunk) and it lasted half as long as the Mercedes-branded battery before it failed load tests so while the interstate technician wasn't wrong, they were skating around the fact that their batteries aren't very good.

 

[stemplar]

Speaking of OEM battery life, if one were to upgrade their OEM battery to something like an Odyssey battery, the owner's manual says how to change the battery, but is there anything that should be done in Forscan too? I've read somewhere about using forscan to set the new battery capacity or some such but I don't know if that's necessary or even outdated info or whatever...

 

[Jason B]

IIRC, the BMS will only allow charging to 75-80%. Some people change that in FORSCAN to 85-100% charge. But 100% charge is not advisable for AGM batteries, or so I've heard.


"The Potential Consequences of Overcharging AGM Batteries
Should AGM batteries be charged to 100%? The answer becomes clearer when we understand the potential consequences of overcharging. It can lead to gassing, swelling, or, in worst-case scenarios, even bursting! And let’s not forget, it can significantly reduce the battery lifespan too."

Sponsored