[olehoss]

I have a 2011 F150 with the ecoboost and when it gets below -5 or more when I shut the ignition off it has a message on the radio that says the "system is shutting down to protect battery life". I have replaced the battery under warrenty but still get the warning. When it warms up a bit 20 degrees or so the notice goes away. Any body have any ideas.

 

[Mike Tritle]

I think there's something in the owners manual on that. Take a look in yours and see if its there for a 2011. I'll check mine first chance I get.

 

[MATTWAYNE07]

My truck has started doing the same thing over the past two weeks and it hasn’t been below 40* here in Houston...... The truck cranks fine and shows no sign of a weak battery so i have no clue what could be causing it.....

 

[MG Rider]

Often times I dont get a chance to drive my Eco for a week or so at a time. With previous trucks / cars I have stuck a Battery Tender (trickle charger) on it with no problems. Am wondering if it's OK to do that given all the electronics on this thing?
I looked in the manual and they indicate that the Battery Management System ("If Equipped") will "monitor the battery conditions and take actions to extend battery life". I dont know if mine "is equipped" or not. Does have some extra thng hanging off the positive post.
That makes me very apprehensive to stick the Tender on it.
Your all thoughts??
Thanks

 

[Mike Tritle]

I would think connecting anything that doesn't raise the voltage above boiling (13.2 volts) would not be detrimental. I was involved in the Auto Meter Battery Extender development and testing and we were careful to not apply more than 1.5 amps in charge mode then only demand amperage at 13.1 volts in maintain mode. Have several in my garage and other places keeping batteries up and running. I thing Battery Tender does the same by only providing what's demanded in maintain mode. Over voltage, voltage spikes and reverse current are quite another story!

 

[MG Rider]

Thanks Mike. Am sure Battery Tender had done due diligence as well. I have a couple el cheapo Harbor Frieght trickle chagers but don't trust it on anything other than lawn mower battery.

 

[Mike Tritle]

Edited my previous post. Should have read "NOT detrimental" in the first line.

Just check the voltage at the battery from time to time when the charger is on, Ryder. I've seen 18+ volts out of some of these on a fully charged battery and that IS a battery and systems killer! All its doing at that point is overheating the battery.

Now, the charging system in the vehicle might have similar output but the difference is motors and electronics and lights and ignition are all drawing current or are voltage regulated. The battery works like a hydraulic accumulator when things are running and the alternator is charging.

 

[MG Rider]

Mike - Charger during initial charge as well as during float runs right around 12.4 to 12.7. Seems like it will be OK
Olehoss - thinkin your 2011 has the "Battery Management System" thats causin your messages. If you are like me and dont put many miles on it, might be benifical to put a charger on it. I had an 06 F350 with dual batteries and it's on it's 7th year with original batteries. Granted it doesnt have the same electrical drain at static that the new ones do.

 

[Elbysha]

I had the same problem saying that system is off to save battery power. My 2011 F150 Eco SCREW had not been driven in two weeks and when I did drive it I got the message. It says in the owners manual that it thinks the battery is below normal charge but after it has been driven a little it will recharge back to normal level. After you have driven and recharged the battey to normal level, when you shut off the ignition you will still get the message, but it has to sit without being started for eight hours then the message will clear.
That is whatI did and after it sat for eight hours the message cleared.

 

[CoreyMS]

Mine was showing that message...i thought it was the battery and did some reading. Turns out if the truck sees the battery drop over time while sitting the next time its going to say something. I had a flashlight recharger plugged in for two weeks at the time. I left it that night all unplugged so minimal battery drain, the next day the message was gone.

 

[Isdaako]

Sounds like a worthwhile feature.

 

[emerick53]

I, too, get the System turning off to save battery power message and have noticed that it happens more often after running electric heating elements. Both the heated seats and rear window/side mirror defroster get their heat from the battery and not from the engine (right?). This must draw enough juice from the battery during short trips that the battery management system doesn't like it.

 

[Red whoosh]

My 2013 does that but it's part of the GEM module logrythm, If I leave the headlights on for any length of time the truck discontinues everything, if I sit in the truck doing paperwork, key off and after the delayed power feature has timed out and forget that the lights are on (I drive with them on as a matter of practice) I get this notice when the truck "saves itself"

 

[vavistine]

i have 2012 eco boost f150 xlt, 2 years old. never had batter saver message until dealer changed my oil. i usually change my own oil. called my dealer and they told me on phone how to clear the message out.was fine until i went back for 12 volt issue to my trailer. they are doing some kind of update that causes this message. i suspect they are giving me a 2013 update causing this problem. i went 2 years without this until they did update. called back today and they cant remember fix. will find out tomorrow.

 

[agentjohnson]

How much are you driving your truck? I left mine for a week without driving and then took a small trip and tried to leave the radio on, it shut off immediately to save battery life. After a 10 minute drive I was back to normal. Its a bit colder up here than in Houston.

 

[Sherman]

Mine was doing this as well. warrantied the battery and havent seen it since.

 

[outlaw25]

Mine did this the first month owning it. Dealer found batter defective and replaced it with a larger 850cca one.

 

[Vozaday]

Ok so after tuning my lightbar for probably about an hour last night driving, connected to highbeams so it wasn't left on or anything after vehicle was shut off. This morning I was going to swap tunes and got the battery protection again. So I hooked up the charger to do tune and noticed the battery draw was higher than normal for tuning. When I put the key on I had almost 20a draw. So my question is, does say a 15a draw with the ignition on sound about right? I have fuses for everything just wonder if I have a leaking relay or something like that.

I wouldn't think a 180w bar would exceed the normal charging system with no other accessories attached. But I could be wrong.

 

[Vozaday]

Nevermind. Disconnected the bar and my amp draw disappeared. Now to find out where.