(Wrong Key#72) How can I get into the truck if the physical lock is broken and the 12V battery is dead?

[Adventureboy]

An hopefully keep the battery healthier so it will have a long and happy life!

I just replaced it this week with an H4. I do driveway shuffles twice a day so that's pretty hard on the baby H3. Most of my driving is Friday through Sunday. I plugged it in through the winter but figured I'd try the H4 and see how that works.

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[chl]

Yes, the dealer also tested the health of the OEM battery while replacing the lock cylinder. The battery did not pass the test and was replaced.

I also purchased/installed an ANCEL BM300 Pro battery monitor so I can keep an eye on the charge.

I also purchased a NOCO Genius1, but have not used/installed it yet.

Such a shame the Lightning doesn't do a better job keeping our 12v batteries fully charged and healthy, it's kind of 'battery 101' so to speak.

So many things depend on the 12v system - like the Key FOB.

Until I got my 2012 Nissan Leaf EV, I had never had a battery go dead after just a month or so of not being used. Luckily my key was cut correctly! But I had to run out and buy a longer jumper cable that would reach my 2001 Ranger outside the garage.

Such a surprise to me that with all those kWhs stored in the HVB, nobody thought using it to maintain the battery when the EV is 'idle' was a good idea!

Been on a maintainer ever since - that flooded battery in the Leaf is over 13 years old and still has about an 80% SOH.

Good luck in the future with the new battery!

 

[chl]

I just replaced it this week with an H4. I do driveway shuffles twice a day so that's pretty hard on the baby H3. Most of my driving is Friday through Sunday. I plugged it in through the winter but figured I'd try the H4 and see how that works.

It's a larger Ah battery right?
Let us know how the BMS does keeping it charged if you are not using a maintainer.
The Lightning can't keep the smaller one fully charged, so I suspect it might be even worse with the larger battery capacity.

 

[Zprime29]

It's a larger Ah battery right?
Let us know how the BMS does keeping it charged if you are not using a maintainer.
The Lightning can't keep the smaller one fully charged, so I suspect it might be even worse with the larger battery capacity.

If I understand the thought process from the other thread he posted, the belief is that the BMS will think the LVB is lower than it actually is. Which means the LVB will keep a higher overall average SOC. I'm watching his progress closely as I'm still on my original 12v and it's 3.5 years old now. OBD says it's 80-90% SOC every time I check but I know I'm playing with fire. I'm heavily considering an H4 replacement if @Adventureboy's experiment goes well.

 

[chl]

If I understand the thought process from the other thread he posted, the belief is that the BMS will think the LVB is lower than it actually is. Which means the LVB will keep a higher overall average SOC. I'm watching his progress closely as I'm still on my original 12v and it's 3.5 years old now. OBD says it's 80-90% SOC every time I check but I know I'm playing with fire. I'm heavily considering an H4 replacement if @Adventureboy's experiment goes well.

Did you mean 80-90% SOH? That's not too bad.

I have no experience with it, but I have read that some battery chargers have a repair mode that can drive off the sulfates and at least partially restore a battery to better health, done when disconnected from the truck, not always effective though.

My 13+ years old flooded battery in my 2012 Nissan Leaf still does the job, it has just about an 80 SOH (I used a UNI-T tester to get that info), kept on a maintainer since early 2012.

So, you know, your battery still has some life in it.

And maybe it's not too late to put your battery on a maintainer and get a decade more out of it (ha) - less costly than a new battery anyway.

 

[Zprime29]

Did you mean 80-90% SOH? That's not too bad.

I have no experience with it, but I have read that some battery chargers have a repair mode that can drive off the sulfates and at least partially restore a battery to better health, done when disconnected from the truck, not always effective though.

My 13+ years old flooded battery in my 2012 Nissan Leaf still does the job, it has just about an 80 SOH (I used a UNI-T tester to get that info), kept on a maintainer since early 2012.

So, you know, your battery still has some life in it.

And maybe it's not too late to put your battery on a maintainer and get a decade more out of it (ha) - less costly than a new battery anyway.

No I meant, SOC (per whatever PID I got from a spreadsheet that gives it to me). I don't put much stock in SOH readings since it's a black box. I try to just monitor SOC and energy capacity. I'll try to remember to take a screenshot next time I check on it.

 

[K6CCC]

Come to find out, when I purchased the truck, I was given two key fobs. Both electronic fobs work fine, but the physical keys were cut differently.

Good grief!!
I will be checking both of mine today...

 

[Zprime29]

Good grief!!
I will be checking both of mine today...

Good call, I've used my main when I had to unlock and retrieve the spare. But now that I think about it, I've never tested in on the handles, nor the spare.

 

[chl]

No I meant, SOC (per whatever PID I got from a spreadsheet that gives it to me). I don't put much stock in SOH readings since it's a black box. I try to just monitor SOC and energy capacity. I'll try to remember to take a screenshot next time I check on it.

Oh, well you're right, if the battery never gets up to 100%, there will be incomplete sulfate absorption back into the electrolyte from the plates, and the sulfates can become permanent over time, leading ultimately to battery failure.

Charging it up to 100% overnight with an AGM maintainer/charger would be a good idea I think to stop further sulfate build up.

I use an external battery tester for SOH testing, an UNI-T 673A - Ancel also makes a good one - not very expensive.

If you use an external tester, the battery is a 35 Amp-hours AGM with 380 CCA, Ford part number BAGM-H3.

NOTE: best to test a battery when disconnected from any loads (the truck) and after settling for at least an hour after a full charge to get the most accurate results.

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