"Electrical System Drain. Service Required." DIY Fixes?

[lister coggs]

Been seeing a lot of 12V battery issues on the various forums lately.
After seeing a few, I put my truck on a trickle charger (NOCO GENIUS1 in AGM mode) to avoid the hassle I hope.
So far so good.

If the dealership quotes a lot of money to fix this, I might just go this route as well until the next software update. Not my ideal solution for such an expensive / fairly new vehicle, but I guess it is what it is.

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[lister coggs]

PS: the ABC method for the HV Battery (Always Be Charging - to 80%) is a good idea for any 12V battery except put it on an AGM charger and keep it topped off to 100%.

Just a reminder, connect the negative down stream of the BMS (or the BMS will not know you topped off the battery) as in the post copied below.

This is awesome, thanks for sharing.

In my case I was disconnecting the battery entirely from the vehicle to charge it. Then reconnecting to the vehicle and resetting the BMS.

I assume my case would have still been fine since I was resetting the BMS every time I recharged the battery?

 

[Elctrnone]

My Lightning spent the better part of two months in the shop with this issue from July through September this year. They escalated it to Ford. Brian (not AI) got involved. They had me install software tracking tokens that let them monitor every electrical system in more detail (It required a waiver because of potential privacy issues). A specialist from Ford went to my dealership. In the end, it turned out that it was caused by a software bug. After performing an update on EVERY eligible module, the problem went away and has stayed away.

 

[lister coggs]

B1616 - Electrical System High Key Off Load. Parasitic drain can be caused by a number of things but it looks like you are going through the list. It can be caused by something as simple as a bad sensor in a door lock that doesn't let the truck fully shut down the modules.

There is a PIM in your OBD2 readout called Quiescent amperage that shows you the average draw when the truck is shut down. If it is higher than 50mA then it is abnormal and a deeper search to find the problem is needed.

I had initial challenges like this and installed a monitor on the 12v battery. The SOC and Voltage trends were very telling as to where the problem was - in my case, it was my patterns turning the truck on to do a driveway shuffle a couple of times with no significant driving for a couple of days and no decent charge cycle for the HVB (which also charges the 12v).

Interesting, did not know about Quiescent amperage.

It seemed like no matter what I do the issue returns.

My Lightning spent the better part of two months in the shop with this issue from July through September this year. They escalated it to Ford. Brian (not AI) got involved. They had me install software tracking tokens that let them monitor every electrical system in more detail (It required a waiver because of potential privacy issues). A specialist from Ford went to my dealership. In the end, it turned out that it was caused by a software bug. After performing an update on EVERY eligible module, the problem went away and has stayed away.

Interesting. Was your vehicle under warranty?

I'm concerned I'll have a similar issue. it sounds like an expensive fix.

 

[Adventureboy]

I'm concerned I'll have a similar issue. it sounds like an expensive fix.

It can be expensive to have the dealer update every module outside of warranty. The process would take at least a day in the shop - likely 2. Some of us bit the bullet and bought the connector (and a big power supply) and get a temporary FDRS subscription periodically to update our own trucks from time to time. As with anything in the computerized world, there is some risk associated with doing this but the cost is way cheaper than paying the dealer to do it.

I installed one of these: https://www.amazon.ca/ANCEL-BM200-Bluetooth-Automotive-Lead-Acid/dp/B0BZ8D71NY/ref=sr_1_5?crid=8B8INSGJOJK9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kdXgPqlQ-syUk-UeC0Qd1lIIQkwKP1PEfDgC2c-uFN4aZPsN_V9blfyBCJ8xsLkOuDOOXlT2LdTGwW7kD9eLQ3IlF_XDcuQLsCSFyJ0oUzbB1YJ1ft5TDrOt18a6oBs_m7KsRNa7sk0J7iVGuqUmHriRHifzzU56SwHbgF8RIk_dyCMqzKWGvJ_HypdtYDqy7VgkMhGAJYmnG1qwOf3a6d6P1wWcwkMII7SNlPNODdZo8gmF9fdLvZL6CtT9KeoplIjtIBrv45warAyISj1W2SMM3bkcDNkjxs5FUEi-N1c.7qXSGv_e4gSxms4AlQS0S2NFygMF-jCcPQ6Yr4t_rVY&dib_tag=se&keywords=battery+monitor&qid=1764356609&sprefix=battery+monitor,aps,108&sr=8-5&th=1

It was invaluable in tracking my 12v problems. I have it installed in all 3 of my vehicles now.

I see you are in Barrie. I'm Richmond Hill.

 

[Elctrnone]

Interesting, did not know about Quiescent amperage.

It seemed like no matter what I do the issue returns.


Interesting. Was your vehicle under warranty?

I'm concerned I'll have a similar issue. it sounds like an expensive fix.

It was covered by my extended warranty. When I first had the issue, they tested the 12V battery and found it was bad, so they replaced it. About three weeks later, the same message popped up. They had it for almost three weeks hooked up to diagnostic equipment, because it would randomly start drawing 4.5-5.5 Amps overnight, and various modules would wake up. They replaced the telematics module, thinking it was waking the others up. Less than 24 hours after that fix, the same message came up again. Another four weeks followed at the dealer followed by the fix I described above. You should be able to find my original thread for more details. It has been perfect for the past two months.

 

[lister coggs]

It can be expensive to have the dealer update every module outside of warranty. The process would take at least a day in the shop - likely 2. Some of us bit the bullet and bought the connector (and a big power supply) and get a temporary FDRS subscription periodically to update our own trucks from time to time. As with anything in the computerized world, there is some risk associated with doing this but the cost is way cheaper than paying the dealer to do it.

I installed one of these: https://www.amazon.ca/ANCEL-BM200-Bluetooth-Automotive-Lead-Acid/dp/B0BZ8D71NY/ref=sr_1_5?crid=8B8INSGJOJK9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kdXgPqlQ-syUk-UeC0Qd1lIIQkwKP1PEfDgC2c-uFN4aZPsN_V9blfyBCJ8xsLkOuDOOXlT2LdTGwW7kD9eLQ3IlF_XDcuQLsCSFyJ0oUzbB1YJ1ft5TDrOt18a6oBs_m7KsRNa7sk0J7iVGuqUmHriRHifzzU56SwHbgF8RIk_dyCMqzKWGvJ_HypdtYDqy7VgkMhGAJYmnG1qwOf3a6d6P1wWcwkMII7SNlPNODdZo8gmF9fdLvZL6CtT9KeoplIjtIBrv45warAyISj1W2SMM3bkcDNkjxs5FUEi-N1c.7qXSGv_e4gSxms4AlQS0S2NFygMF-jCcPQ6Yr4t_rVY&dib_tag=se&keywords=battery+monitor&qid=1764356609&sprefix=battery+monitor,aps,108&sr=8-5&th=1

It was invaluable in tracking my 12v problems. I have it installed in all 3 of my vehicles now.

I see you are in Barrie. I'm Richmond Hill.

Nice! Hope you didn't get hit by the massive snowstorm today.

The dealer checked my Lightning today and gave it back right away, saying the issue was caused by the battery terminals being too loose. They said they couldn't replicate the B1616 code after driving around. I explained the problem occurred when the vehicle was parked, and they continued to say the issue was resolved and to return it if the code comes back again.

I would be surprised if the error code doesn't come back after a few hours, but I suppose I can revisit this next week. At least they didn't charge me.

I just ordered one of those 12V monitors and will try to self-diagnose.

 

[chl]

This is awesome, thanks for sharing.

In my case I was disconnecting the battery entirely from the vehicle to charge it. Then reconnecting to the vehicle and resetting the BMS.

I assume my case would have still been fine since I was resetting the BMS every time I recharged the battery?

Yes if resetting the BMS is done according to the process...they did have some issues with the BMS and/or its programming a while back, and there was an OTA that was supposed to tweak it recently as well.

Yes, much easier to have a cable handy to plug in a charger right there at the charge port:

 

[TaxmanHog]

The dealer checked my Lightning today and gave it back right away, saying the issue was caused by the battery terminals being too loose.

Odd for the terminal to come loose after three years of driving the truck, some 22's came off the assembly line with insufficiently tightened terminals, but becoming an issue at 3 years!?!?!?

 

[bmwhitetx]

Odd for the terminal to come loose after three years of driving the truck, some 22's came off the assembly line with insufficiently tightened terminals, but becoming an issue at 3 years!?!?!?

I believe the issue was on his end. He said he ”was disconnecting the battery entirely” to charge it - instead of just connecting the charger to the jump points. So very likely has not been reconnecting it tightly.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I believe the issue was on his end. He said he ”was disconnecting the battery entirely” to charge it - instead of just connecting the charger to the jump points. So very likely has not been reconnecting it tightly.

My first rule of what is wrong with any product:

"What was the last thing YOU touched????"

 

[chl]

My first rule of what is wrong with any product:

"What was the last thing YOU touched????"

Yes, there's a funny flow chart I saw years ago along those lines...and we've all been there I bet.

 

[chl]

You could also just leave the truck running a little while.

Did just that yesterday as my commute is less than 4 miles round trip and when I checked it's SOC, it was at 16%.

After about an hour give or take a few mins, back at 100% and main battery dropped maybe 2%.

Yes many ways to bring the battery back up to 100%, but I think letting it drop to 16% could be problematic over time.

The ups and downs of a deep discharge (like down to 16%) then charge with a current to bring it back to 100% in 1 hour of close to 30A (from 5.6Ah to 35Ah = 29.4Ah; 29Ah/1h=29.4A) can't be great for the battery in the long run.

A trickle charger goes much slower (lower current) which is better for battery longevity so they tell me.

Because some have reported parasitic draws of a significant level when off/idle, and my truck sits idle for a day or more sometimes depending, a trickle charger works better for my situation (nice to be mostly retired in my case).

I'd like my 12v battery to last a lot longer than the 3yr B-to-B warranty.

Now that the weather here in the N. Hemisphere is getting colder, keeping the batteries (LV and HV) on chargers when off seems prudent.

But to each their own.

 

[lister coggs]

I believe the issue was on his end. He said he ”was disconnecting the battery entirely” to charge it - instead of just connecting the charger to the jump points. So very likely has not been reconnecting it tightly.

This is correct. I didn't ratchet-tighten the terminal clamps because I kept removing and reseating them to charge it manually during troubleshooting. They were tight and making contact, just not extremely secure (they could wiggle off with some force).

Either way, last night the message (Electrical System Drain. Service Required) reappeared as expected, so this was unfortunately not the issue.

I wonder if there's a better way of finding a dealership that knows more about these vehicles? It seems like they're more used to either ICE vehicles or unfamiliar with modern systems and common errors. Looking on this forum, it seems like this is a re-occurring problem with both Lightnings and Mach-E's. Maybe I should go to a dealership in the closest major city instead? (Toronto)

The fact that they were driving the vehicle around after tightening the battery terminals, trying to replicate a parasitic drain issue, seems like they might not fully understand the problem.

 

[K6CCC]

Watching this thread. 24 Flash that I bought in February 25 with a little over 14K miles. Thursday evening drove about 18 miles round trip to dinner and plugged in the truck to my FCSP overnight. It was only down to 69%, but it was convenient to charge. Location charge set to 90%. Middle of the night I checked my phone to confirm it was completed and got an error message about no comm to the truck and it needed to be driven (sorry, don't remember the exact wording). Got up later and my phone showed the truck had completed the charge at 0247 (as expected) and all was fine. Friday I did two trips totaling 11 miles without incident. This morning, phone shows a message of "Electrical System Drain Service Required". A few hours later I needed to move the truck out of the driveway and the dash showed the same thing.
The only thing plugged in is a GPS that is plugged into a 12V outlet that the truck turns off 30 minutes after shutting off the truck. I also do have an OBD2 reader plugged in that I will use shortly to check for error messages and various electrical status.

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