Battery drain ?

[SHOhobo]

2015 non PP SHO - Parked it in the garage Saturday night went to start it the next morning and it clicks gives a half hearted turn over but would not start...open the hood checked battery connection fuses etc...go back and hit the start button and it eventually started.  Took it out on the highway for a half hour at 60-80mph then went home and parked it and went back an hour or so later and it started but didn't crank very strong.  Went to the store and it started fair there and then went home and parked it.  Went back 10mins later and no start again.  Eventually did turn over and started.  I then took it to the dealership and dropped it off at that point.  It was in 3 days earlier for oil change and 10k scheduled maintenance.  They did reflash the tranny cuz my shift points were messed up. Waiting to hear back from the stealership at this point......I am wondering if they disconnected the battery to get the tranny reflashed and messed something up....I know the car was completely off when i parked it Saturday night and my headlights are in auto mode...was not in acc mode either as it was not barking at me.  What is draining the battery is what I am wondering or did the reflash mess something up?  Is that how a dealership would reflash the tranny by disconnecting the battery?  Any input is appreciated and sorry for the long post... Thanks.

[SHOdded]

Pull codes first, see what the car thinks might be wrong.  Any LEDs or electronics installed?

Sounds more like a dying battery to me.  Yeah, it sounds a bit early, but not unlikely.  The dealership shouldn't have had to disconnect the battery to flash any modules that I know of.  BUT, it is worth checking to make sure that no cabling is loose, that the terminals are firmly connected to the battery.  Get it load tested with a digital load tester, that will tell you for sure.  Because once you ran the car on the highway, it should have been charged up just fine.  Check carefully for leaks from the battery also, hopefully the case hasn't busted.  Sometimes when a reflash is done, it can mess up the battery management system, though that is rare.

There is a small possibility that the alternator is going bad, or that the sensor at the battery (used for the battery management system) is going bad.  Check the voltage of the battery with everything turned off (no load).  Should be around 12.5-12.6V.  With the engine running and revving at around 2,000 rpm, it should be around 14.5V, no greater than 15V.  That is a quick check on battery/alternator.  If those are good, the starter is worth considering.  That is an extremely rare part to go bad on the SHO, but I have noted that the frequency is increasing (though still rare) for older MY Edge vehicles.

[r1crusher]

It's been shown that the batteries in these cars are WAY under rated and lacking.  There's been TONS of '13 owners who have had to already replace their batteries, including myself last year.  It is strange that yours is basically on it's way out so soon from the description you gave.  There should not be anything that would kill the battery as most everything in the car electrical is managed in some way.  I would highly doubt they did something that would cause it to die prematurely.  Flashing anything on the car wouldn't cause this.

If your battery is 24 mo. old be lucky it's made it this far.  If the dealership determines it's bad they'll replace it with the exact same thing and you'll be back in another 24 mo. probably.  You should simply suck it up and move up to their best battery but you'll be paying out of pocket as they will not give you a credit on the bad one under warranty.

Just my $.02.  Good luck and let us know what the dealer says.

[SHOhobo]

I got it brand new a year ago..May 25...was built 3/27/15... for the battery to die that soon is ridiculous.  Still waiting to hear back from the dealer.  I had to drop it off without an appointment and it's a Monday so not even sure if they will get to it today...I would think at less than 12mos the battery would be warrantied?  What is "the battery" to have for a SHO?

[SHOdded]

If I had my way, at this time, I would step up to an Odyssey AGM battery.  You can try upgrading to the Motorcraft ToughMax 850 though if it's more budget friendly.  Apply the felt washers to the terminals like Z has on his SHO, I also advise terminal protector gel (Permatex, for example).  These steps really help cut down on the crap that normally builds up and saps power.

[r1crusher]

Batteries sometimes are just bad from the get go and don't last very long...it happens rarely but it does happen.  I'm sure we all agree they should last at least 36 mo. at a min.  If it is just the battery it will be covered under warranty but again you will get the exact same one installed as a replacement.  There is no "covered" upgrade path to the TM 850 which is the best Motorcraft batter you can get for the car.  This is the battery I went with and as I said you will have to pay for it out of pocket...the dealer will not prorate anything towards a better replacement.  If they do, then you have a damn good dealer there.  Your other option is to do as SHOdded suggests for a replacement, but at least do the felt pads and terminal protection no matter what after you get the new one.

[SHOhobo]

Yup...failed battery....said  no charging system issues....all presets were retained so obviously had enough juice to keep power to systems. Covered under warranty so will replace with big dog battery when it dies and is not covered.

  Thank you all for the info...this forum rocks.  I will check out the felt washers and the Permatex. Great advice and much appreciated!

[ZSHO]

I would just be kind and polite and simply ask for the Motorcraft BXT-850 like i did and you could even mention your part of an Awesome Forum which many have reported continuous issues with the 650,especially if you purchased your vehicle directly from them and also no worries because your covered up to 3yr-36 months on a new battery and best of luck and keep us updated on all fronts.  Z 

[SHOhobo]

Thanks Z...when this 650 pukes 12mos from now i will take your advice...I actually do have a former Boss from when I worked at Ford Credit that works at this dealership now so I will play that card...he actually gave me an X Plan on this vehicle so obviously we are still friends...wish I knew this battery info before I took da SHO in ...but hey...live and learn!

[SHOdded]

Good luck with the new battery.  Make sure they reset the battery management system before handing the SHO back 2 u.

[r1crusher]

Nice.  Glad you were able to get things resolved.  Good luck with the replacement!

[SHOhobo]

I picked it up close to closing time...I will check with them in the morning on resetting the BMS...I certainly hope that something as common sense as resetting it was done if necessary.   Only the lot guy was there to bring my baby to me at that point and it was no charge...no pun intended...so i hit the road...the other person was off somewhere on the lot.  Is it crucial to reset the BMS if the vehicle did not lose any of its memory like Sirius presets and seat position presets ...so it didn't lose all power.

[SHO Rod]

More and more systems are going to non-volatile memory, so no losing the presets isn't necessarily a sign that the system voltage was maintained. 

The battery management system is kind of like the "learned" settings for the ECM from years ago.  Resetting it will help it know that the current battery capacity is much higher than the battery that was replaced and may improve fuel economy by not engaging the charging system as frequently since the new battery has more capacity.  I haven't looked in to the 2015 Ford battery management, my comments are more generic for typical systems.

-Rod

[ZSHO]

Definitely those Battery felt washers are a must have,great preventative maintenance.  Z     http://www.amazon.com/NOCO-MC303S-Corrosion-Terminal-Protectors/dp/B001DKUTR0/ref=pd_sbs_263_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51IdhhO4ihL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0MC2C43V3086SB0G0VSF 3.79