battery shut down

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Jan 22, 2020 | 08:38 AM

artscott61

Thread Starter

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Feb 2015

Posts: 1,664

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From: southwest missouri

battery shut down

I have a 014 f-150 5.0 . I don't drive it much but yesterday went to get oil changed as we are going on a long road trip. On vehicles now as you know you can leave the radio on for awhile after you shut the engine off. I did this as I was in the drive way to listen to the end of something on the radio with key off. Well a message came up and in so many words said it was saving my battery and shut it down. Does this mean that I need to charge battery or is it going to hell. Maybe I should drive it more but I am trying to keep the miles down .

Jan 22, 2020 | 09:56 AM

seventyseven250

Lead Driver

Joined: Jun 2005

Posts: 8,463

Likes: 724

From: Calgary Canada

If you don't drive it much, a battery maintainer/tender is a decent idea for when it sits. All vehicles have some parasitic drain, and some are worse than others for reasons that are hard to pin down. A maintainer will draw very little power, but will keep your battery in better health longer, and save some headaches.
You could also have a parts store do a load test on the battery. Most will do that for free and I've found them pretty honest about the results. Since it's free and easy, maybe that's a good place to start?

Jan 22, 2020 | 11:40 AM

CathedralCub

FTE Community Team

Joined: Jan 2019

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Battery age is important as well. If yours is a year old, it would hold up better than the factory battery in your six year old truck.

Jan 22, 2020 | 01:59 PM

pdqford

Logistics Pro

Joined: Jan 2001

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From: Central NYS

FWIW, If you use a battery charger or a battery maintainer with the battery in the truck, hook it up as the owner’s manual explains. The negative lead of the charger/maintainer should not be connected to the negative battery post, but should be connected to either the body ground or the engine block.

Jan 22, 2020 | 02:17 PM

ford390gashog

Fleet Owner

Joined: Jan 2004

Posts: 26,007

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From: Brentwood,CA

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdqford

This is correct and it's due to the BMS reading the battery charge. The OP may also need a new battery and in which case make sure the BMS days in service are reset to zero or you will continue to get the battery saver message.

Jan 22, 2020 | 09:47 PM

06pghescape

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Jul 2010

Posts: 1,574

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From: Pittsburgh

May be normal

Not sure there is a problem with your battery or electrical systems. i get that warning when listening to the radio with the truck shut off. Its in the manual .

Battery Management System (If Equipped) The battery management system (BMS) monitors battery conditions and takes actions to extend battery life. If excessive battery drain is detected, the system may temporarily disable certain electrical features to protect the battery. Those electrical accessories affected include the rear defrost, heated/cooled seats, climate control fan, heated steering wheel, audio and navigation system. A message may be shown in the information displays to alert the driver that battery protection actions are active. These messages are only for notification that an action is taking place, and not intended to indicate an electrical problem or that the battery requires replacement.

Feb 2, 2020 | 08:26 AM

artscott61

Thread Starter

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Feb 2015

Posts: 1,664

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From: southwest missouri

Thanks guys the problem cured itself after doing a 25 hundred mile road trip. The truck ran flawlessly well except that the light on the dash for what gear the truck is in ( 6 5 4 3 2 1 ) won't light up. Just got back last night and did not feel like messing with it. Will look at the manual today. I just about turned 60,000 on the truck hate to do that.