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2013 Ford Focus - Low Battery

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goric

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
I have a 2013 Ford Focus Hatchback. The car runs well and has no problems starting. I work in my car and often run the ac/heat and radio without leaving the car fully running. This car, which I was just given, will run the heat/ac and radio for under 5 minutes, then display a low battery warning and shut off - unless I leave it running the entire time I want to use either. Previous owner did not run heat/radio with engine off.

I had the battery and alternator tested today:
Voltage: 12.31U
Measured: 536 CCA
Rated: 500 CCA
Temperature: 23C

Battery is good but low on charge, charge battery and return to vehicle.

Average Life in Battery: 46 MO

Check for causes of low charge:
-Charging System
-Alternator Belt
-Cables and Connections
-Excessive Power Drains

Starter Test
Cranking Normal
Voltage: 11.23U
Time: 1.70S

Charging System Test
No Problems
No Load: 14.34U
Loaded: 14.350U

Charging System Output Test Normal

Any ideas on what to do from here? I have called 6 different mechanics. Two said buy a new battery, two said it's the alternator and one said it's the BMS that needs to be reset. Another said this car is totally unable to be used this way.
 
#2 ·
Values are all normal, charging system is good and battery is good. I hope you understand heat/ac will do nothing but blow outside air into your car, engine has to be running for both of these to work. If you really are using them with your engine off, I would assume this means they key has to be in the on position, which would also make your automatic headlights come on. In other words what is happening is normal, the car is idiot proofed to shut anything off that it doesn't need to run once voltage gets low enough. Running blower motor/headlights/radio/PCM will drain a battery very quickly.
 
#3 ·
The battery may be marginal, 12.31 volts is right at the line. Good batteries run from 12.5 to 12.8. 12.4 is acceptable. You have no battery overhead left, it then runs down quick.

And WHY on earth would you try to run a/c with engine off, it's OFF then. Even heat will only last a minute maybe with zero water circulation going on there.

You as a user have some really goofy ideas about how to use a car.
 
#6 ·
This car you can't run headlights/blower motor/radio/PCM for very long. Same on any car out there with the factory battery setup. Diesels could do it longer because of 2 batteries but that's a different thing
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
Byron King said:
This car you can't run headlights/blower motor/radio/PCM for very long. Same on any car out there with the factory battery setup. Diesels could do it longer because of 2 batteries but that's a different thing
Click to expand...
Would a different battery fix the issue? Running the car for 5 hours straight multiple times a week won't be good for it.

On another note, is there a way to turn off the headlights while having the car on? We frequent a drive-in movie theater and our lights are required to be off but the car needs to be on to play the radio (sound for the movie comes through radio station).

(Apologies for my poor english with car terms, not my first language and though I speak the language well I dont in all areas).
 
#8 ·
A bigger one could gain you a little time, don't know of any negatives to that off of the top of my head.

I absolutely hate automatic headlights, especially o es where you cant shut them off without unplugging something. It's possible but not simple
 
#9 ·
My 2014 has been doing this since the very beginning. been back 2 or 3 times and I'm told charging system & battery are fine. sometimes it powers down in the aux position with only radio on after 1 minute. I have almost always had to leave the car running when I wax it to listen to the radio. The manual says 1 hour before power off but I rarely get past 15 minutes.
 
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#10 ·
So here is an interesting bit for you

When I got my 2012 Escape (Used) someone had replaced the battery with some weird sized battery that was not the correct size for the tray. When I had that battery, I could use the radio forever, I would NEVER get that message on the screen about battery

Then, I got Ford to replace the battery for the OEM one. I was going to do it myself, but I learned you need to reset the computer which I can't do. After that, I can only go 5 mins without the message popping up

The dealer confirmed the last person to swap the battery didnt do the reset
 
#12 ·
The car must sit for a long time to introduce the new battery to the PCM but there may be software there that sets when the Ford new battery procedure is not followed, Wouldn't be surprised at that at all. The effort to force users to go to them alone and growing. Gonna see a LOT more of that crap.

A normal plain jane low dog radio pulls 1000th the power of like HVAC and the cars run radio forever with engine off but the ones they use now with super amps and big power hogs use much more power than a plain jane one ever did. You can't power up a small town without the engine running.
 
#14 ·
My personal experience with my 2013 is that when the battery gets close to being marginal, the car will shut down. My battery (OEM) tested ok by normal standards, with charging system output within the normal range, however, though it would start the vehicle okay, the car would over time slowly decrease the time the radio would be on without the car running.

Replacing the battery with a new one ( less than a month old from its manufacturing date) corrected the issue. Now the radio will play the full one hour before shutting down.

Don't forget that you need to reset the charging system/computer with a scan program, otherwise the battery may never get back to a full charge. A half way decent consumer scan tool will reset the battery/charging system monitor without any problem. Just don't expect those sub $100 USD scanners to this. Just letting you know, a car nut.
 
#15 ·
I hate newer cars, I can run my radio(loudly) with a subwoofer for an hour on my lunch break, put windows down then back up, leave my phone plugged in for a couple hours and itll still be over 12 volts at the ens of the day and starts perfectly normal. I'm going to keep this SVT till I literally can't fix it anymore
 
#16 ·
X2. The need for a dealer now just to change a battery because of all the designed things that fault due to engineers doing that stuff on purpose should have people looking hard at what brand of car they buy...................

I don't think people are going to do that much though, the state of things in the country now pretty much indicates people don't really look out ahead much for themselves at all.
 
#17 ·
As my lab instructor said, some people know how to put gas in their car, very few know how to drive, and almost none know anything about their car. People don't think like we do about buying cars, they just care about driving it then get very annoyed when they are smacked with a huge bill from a dealership
 
#18 ·
I have met the enemy..................and he is me.

No one says all people have to be like us, BUT you'd think they would at least light up a synapse or two in their own best interest.

Not much danger of that happening at all............
 
#19 ·
Byron King said:
Values are all normal, charging system is good and battery is good. I hope you understand heat/ac will do nothing but blow outside air into your car, engine has to be running for both of these to work. If you really are using them with your engine off, I would assume this means they key has to be in the on position, which would also make your automatic headlights come on. In other words what is happening is normal, the car is idiot proofed to shut anything off that it doesn't need to run once voltage gets low enough. Running blower motor/headlights/radio/PCM will drain a battery very quickly.
Click to expand...
My Focus shuts the radio off after 90 seconds in the AUX position, even when EVERYTHING else is shut off. This is NOT normal.
 
#20 ·
goric said:
I have a 2013 Ford Focus Hatchback. The car runs well and has no problems starting. I work in my car and often run the ac/heat and radio without leaving the car fully running. This car, which I was just given, will run the heat/ac and radio for under 5 minutes, then display a low battery warning and shut off - unless I leave it running the entire time I want to use either. Previous owner did not run heat/radio with engine off.

I had the battery and alternator tested today:
Voltage: 12.31U
Measured: 536 CCA
Rated: 500 CCA
Temperature: 23C

Battery is good but low on charge, charge battery and return to vehicle.

Average Life in Battery: 46 MO

Check for causes of low charge:
-Charging System
-Alternator Belt
-Cables and Connections
-Excessive Power Drains

Starter Test
Cranking Normal
Voltage: 11.23U
Time: 1.70S

Charging System Test
No Problems
No Load: 14.34U
Loaded: 14.350U

Charging System Output Test Normal

Any ideas on what to do from here? I have called 6 different mechanics. Two said buy a new battery, two said it's the alternator and one said it's the BMS that needs to be reset. Another said this car is totally unable to be used this way.
Click to expand...
This is an interesting entry. Haven't ever heard of running heat without running the engine, but I live in Florida so isn't ever really bitter cold. Guess you would get warmth until the coolant cooled down. As far as the AC, not going to work at all without the engine running: reason, no compressor running. Unless it's a hybrid, and I'm not sure of all of the different applications that are out there. What would run, in both instances, Heat mode or AC, would be the blower fan. Which would draw a bit from the battery, definitely more than just the radio by itself. Which also, the radio will play in accessory position, where as for the blower fan to operate, the key would have to be in the run position. There is a battery saver installed on Ford. It may be what is causing the vehicle to shut down to keep from overly discharging the battery. The radio alone, (without aftermarket amplifiers installed), should normally run for an hour or more, with no issues.
 
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