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LockedBronco

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It sounds a LOT like a backing plate... Checked those first :(



Should be, But I'd rather poke my eye out than leave it with a dealer for 3 days to diagnose it, and say it's fine... Plus when they see the terrible things I've done to the electrical system on this thing they'd probably deny me anyway :D (And they might be justified!) I've swapped out the headlight switch, for one with fogs and wired those in, Put the amps in, and several other things I've played with...
That's not good running out of parts on the outside. Are you able to put a magnet into the rear to see how much metal comes out?

Understandable but I have the same issue so don't think it's anything you added but dealer will not agree.
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zuke

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That's not good running out of parts on the outside. Are you able to put a magnet into the rear to see how much metal comes out?
Just did a drain and fill on it not long ago, and everything was good, checked the gear oil early on too, it's looking clear where I can reach from the fill plug, not even the normal silver in the oil yet... I'm kinda back to the driveshaft, and just no visual evidence and not loose.. the stock driveshafts on these things are crap, Literally made of thin sheetmetal...
Ford Bronco Alternator Upgrade PXL_20221218_232543568[1]

I really need that second set of ears or to hang a phone under it while I go for a drive, but it'll wait until later in the week.

Understandable but I have the same issue so don't think it's anything you added but dealer will not agree.
I mostly agree with you, but I do think I've done things that weren't good for the battery, like running it pretty low on full accessory while playing with the various lights I've added.. If it is the battery I don't think I'm blameless :)

Charger says I'm fully charged, Battery was at 12.89 when I disconnected the charger, now at 12.71... Gonna call it a night and drive it a few days while I monitor it... Probably just give up and buy a battery Tuesday or Wednesday ;)

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KABQ

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RHeinz

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A) Thanks for the tip on the DC current probe. I’m buying one immediately! Don’t think my AmpProbe will do that, but it’s pretty old.
B) If there is no load on the inverter (nothing’s plugged into it), it should be drawing less than 1 amp @ 12 VDC on the input/supply side.
 

da_jokker

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Your battery should be under warranty if that's the issue, I go that route first.

Also, this is 3 years old but interesting..

This channel is "project farm" And this guy does pretty good DYI scientific test comparing all sorts of things. This particular one, he did some comparisons with car batteries including AGM

 
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zuke

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This morning, 26 degrees Ambient, Battery Voltage 12.03 :(

Drove to work and the guage behaved as I would expect, 14.7v until I got to Wawa and filled up with gas, then on to work, 32Miles at speeds from 40mph to 78mph, Guage showed 13.6 for most of the trip, Hit a high of 14.3, and lowest reading of 13.2. Battery voltage on arrival at work was 12.2.

I'm calling the battery bad.

Gonna watch the video @da_jokker linked, and do some further research on batteries today before deciding on a brand, and I'm working late tonight, so probably won't get a battery until tomorrow.

My philosphy on warranties is that if it's less than about $500 and easy work, it's not worth my time to deal with the hassles involved to get the warranty honored. If my engine blows, I'll get that warrantied, but for a battery and 20 minutes to swap it out, it just isn't worth it.

@LockedBronco I'm pretty confident your battery is bad too, and you should have less hassles getting the warranty honored, I think you should take it in at this point, but that of course is your call!
 

Razorbak86

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@Jdc
@Ducati1098

I'm confused.
Is the approx. 400w the draw of the inverter? .... or the output?
Please state your hotel affiliation, Good Sir, so we may collectively judge your expertise in the devilish doodads and whimsical whatchamacallits of the electrophonical sort without embellishment. ⚡🙃
 

HoosierDaddy

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Please state your hotel affiliation, Good Sir, so we may collectively judge your expertise in the devilish doodads and whimsical whatchamacallits of the electrophonical sort without embellishment. ⚡🙃
Motel 6, I'm all about that lighting!

I am not well versed in the electrical magikery, beyond knowing about the Magic Smoke and it should be "kept in" or "don't let it out".
 

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zuke

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Two "Check Charging System" errors on the way home last night, But didn't set a permanent DTC, so I don't know if they were the same error as before, or actual low voltage alarms... This morning I made it back to work with no errors.

Watched @da_jokker's video, and it's a good video, but a lot has changed in just the last couple years in batteries, with Johnson Controls Spinning off the Car Battery business as Clarios, There seem to have been at least a few improvements in the quality control.

Still, I came back to an East Penn Battery as my first choice. I'd like to get a Deka Intimidator if I could find one local, But that's near impossible. I ordered a Duracell From Batteries Plus last night for pickup here, But most of the time when trying to do an online order of the Duracells from Batteries Plus, they seem to have trouble actually finding the battery in one of the local stores.

If Batteries Plus doesn't come through, I'll go with a Napa "The Legend" which are readily available, but could be either a East Penn or Clarios. But at least it's made to Napa's specs, and has generally good reviews.
 
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zuke

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Batteries Plus came through, picked up the Duracell on the way home from work, took out the Motorcraft right after the Bronco cooled off a bit, it was at 12.51v, (The trip both ways today was uneventful, Gauge behaved as I would expect normally). Put the old battery in the shed, and didn't hook a charger to it, I'll check it and the new battery in the morning.

Intentionally didn't start the Bronco, so that the BMS will have a chance to scan the Duracell overnight and hopefully have the charge state "learned" before I drive it tomorrow morning.
 

LockedBronco

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Batteries Plus came through, picked up the Duracell on the way home from work, took out the Motorcraft right after the Bronco cooled off a bit, it was at 12.51v, (The trip both ways today was uneventful, Gauge behaved as I would expect normally). Put the old battery in the shed, and didn't hook a charger to it, I'll check it and the new battery in the morning.

Intentionally didn't start the Bronco, so that the BMS will have a chance to scan the Duracell overnight and hopefully have the charge state "learned" before I drive it tomorrow morning.
Hopefully it works because I believe the computer needs to be reset with a scan tool when a new battery is installed.
 
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zuke

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Hopefully it works because I believe the computer needs to be reset with a scan tool when a new battery is installed.
Hmmm, You got me thinking about it after you said this, I was going by a YouTube Video that said it would rescan overnight if you replaced the battery.. This Video at about 16:20 where it talks about charging the battery incorrectly (Bypassing BMS).

But after you mentioned it, I looked for a way to reset the BMS without waiting and found this on the Ford Service Content Site;

Ford Service Content said:
RESETTING THE BATTERY SENSOR

When you install a new battery, reset the battery sensor by doing the following:

1. Switch the ignition on, and leave the engine off.

Note: Complete Steps 2 and 3 within 10 seconds.

2. Flash the high beam headlamps five times, ending with the high beams off.

3. Press and release the brake pedal three times.

The battery warning lamp flashes three times to confirm that the reset is successful.
Went out and did it, and sure enough, The battery symbol on the dash flashed 3 times about 10 or 15 seconds after doing the steps...

So I think I'm good either way :)
 

da_jokker

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Hmmm, You got me thinking about it after you said this, I was going by a YouTube Video that said it would rescan overnight if you replaced the battery.. This Video at about 16:20 where it talks about charging the battery incorrectly (Bypassing BMS).

But after you mentioned it, I looked for a way to reset the BMS without waiting and found this on the Ford Service Content Site;



Went out and did it, and sure enough, The battery symbol on the dash flashed 3 times about 10 or 15 seconds after doing the steps...

So I think I'm good either way :)

What the hell kind of voodoo is this this? Lol. Keep us updated.. really curious if it fixes your issues!
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