Battery Tender Usage

[MakinDoForNow]

Thanks, everyone for the responses so far. No one has shared any concerns about using a battery tender and the BMS. That was my biggest worry. That using it might throw off the BMS's calibration somehow.

Sounds like if I'm hooking it up as outlined, that shouldn't be a worry.

Using a battery tender should not be a problem and insures the battery will stay healthy. If you suspect the battery is not optimal maybe the dome light is not coming on put tender on, fully charge then run the up to 8 hour battery learn procedure. Fully charging the battery before the learn should present the battery to the bms in it's current best state which may not be it's original design state! The bms will know what it has to work with.

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[ndmiller]

I put a CTEK pigtail on all my vehicles and just plug them in whenever I need to (i.e. short drives not charging battery).

 

[RJC]

Flash the high beams 5 times and press brake 3 times within 10 seconds, this will reset the BMS., the light in the cluster will flash when completed. Ignition needs to be in the run position.

 

[KathyG]

I put the NOCO Genius onboard 2A charger under hood with positive attached to the jump post and negative added to an existing body ground nearby. Seems to work fine. I plug it in for a day when Ford app tells me I need to drive it more and I am not going out. I do not drive that much except for very short trips around town. Ford app removes warnings after it is charged. I leave a similar charger on our Toyota Camry hybrid when we are away without that car for more than a week or 2. It seems to hold a charge better than the Mav.

 

[Tim d]

I've been using battery tenders on my powersports equipment for years. When I'm done riding the bikes or snowmobile they get plugged in. I don't take the batteries out in off season, either. They stay plugged in. I just changed the battery in my 2014 Tri Glide last fall. It was original and lasted 9 years. My 2014 Softail still has the original battery in it.

I also store my mothers Subaru in our garage. She's in her 80's and rarely drives, but I always keep it plugged in to the tender, and it's always ready when she wants to use her car.

So, with all the talk I read on battery issues with the BMS and both EB's and Hybrids, I'm seriously leaning towards plugging my Maverick in overnight when I'm done driving it. I have a 4.5 amp battery tender/charger that has more capacity than the jr's I use on the other vehicles.

Is there a reason not to do this, other than it's a slight inconvienience plugging and unplugging? I'd run the wires out somehwere so I don't have to open the hood. I'd run the postive to the batteries post and the negative to the body or a good ground that's not the negative battery post, so the BMS can read any current put into the battery from the charger.

Am I missing something that would make this a bad idea?

I haven't received my Maverick yet, so haven't done anything so far. Thanks for any feedback.

It seems the deep sleep battery problem is mostly hybrids? Our ecoboost sits a week sometimes,never a problem. The factory battery in my ram lasted 9 years,no tender used. I use dekka batteries in all my toys,and they last 7-9 years without a tender. Having said that,my newer ace 900 sled battery only lasted 2 years,I'm thinking there is a constant draw on it from a computer,so I will be charging that once a week to see if it lasts longer.if the maverick battery only lasts 3- 4 years shame on Ford for going cheap.

 

[Packer Bill]

From my reading on various car sites, most "experts" say the average life of today's car batteries is 3-5 years. I usually replace my car batteries every 5 years.

 

[Redline]

Flash the high beams 5 times and press brake 3 times within 10 seconds, this will reset the BMS., the light in the cluster will flash when completed. Ignition needs to be in the run position.

I thought I read something about a chicken suit and patting your head while simultaneously rubbing your belly. Maybe that was for something else

 

[Jeff D.]

I thought I read something about a chicken suit and patting your head while simultaneously rubbing your belly. Maybe that was for something else

That's to disable the seat belt warning chime. An easy mix up.

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