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Trickle charging a battery for extended down time

3DogKnight

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I have an upcoming surgery this winter and I'll be house bound for about a month. I won't have access to my truck during this time because I have a detached garage. My question is this... Is it safe to use a trickle charger/battery maintainer to keep the battery charged up or can my truck go for that time frame without a charge? I can use remote start once in a while but I don't think idling would charge the battery sufficiently.
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Snakebitten

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Safe? I would think so.
I've put every vehicle I own on them at one time or another. Never had a problem with the strategy.

I actually recommend doing so with these crazy computerized trucks.

Good luck with your surgery
 

Viper

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I left my truck for 4 weeks. After 2 weeks it went into deep sleep mode, but when I got home it started right up!
Good luck with your surgery
 

My 2ND Ford

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Get yourself a good trickle charger and hook it up. I use a Battery Tender brand, 1.25 amp and I hook it up at least 24 hrs in advance of me leaving the truck. You can get stronger units that will bring the battery to maintainer status sooner, but this is the size I use on my truck and on my wife's Volvo suv. Works great. Good luck with the surgery.
 

FrankThompson

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Any concerns with the fact that by default the truck itself only charges the battery to 80%?
 

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Snakebitten

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Any concerns with the fact that by default the truck itself only charges the battery to 80%?
That seems so odd, doesn't it?

There's gotta be more to it than what we are assuming. At least I have to believe that. It's hard for me to believe Ford wants the 12V battery to be at 80% charge.
 

FrankThompson

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That seems so odd, doesn't it?

There's gotta be more to it than what we are assuming. At least I have to believe that. It's hard for me to believe Ford wants the 12V battery to be at 80% charge.
It does seem odd and honestly I'm only going off of what I've read on the forums. With my truck sitting for up to a week at a time, sometimes longer (not normally near a power source), I would really prefer to have more battery to keep it up.

Because it doesn't always like to be left sitting for too long I'm considering moving the truck to the driveway where I can plug it in and keep it topped off. My wife isn't exactly happy about that (she uses a lot of the driveway as a patio out front)
 

LD50

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A lot of what I've read says that AGM batteries like to be slightly overcharged and stored at a 100% charge state and that keeping them at consistently lower charge states can cause some loss of capacity. I wonder if the 80% state that our trucks supposedly keep the starting battery at could be a contributing factor to the bad battery issue a lot of folks had or if it may be a programming change resulting from that issue.
 

towpro

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It takes engine power (thus fuel) to charge a battery.
I expect the engineers feel that since 99% of the vehicles get driven every day, why use that extra power to charge the battery to 100% when 80% will be enough.
I bet its all part of the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) math.
here are some of the other ideas they have come up with:

Auto Stop Start.
Light weight viscosity engine oil.
lower rolling resistance tires.

Each little bit saves a little bit of fuel, you and I might not see the difference but if you add up that savings across the whole fleet Ford produces every year you see a difference.


March 31, 2022: NHTSA Finalizes CAFE Standards for MYs 2024-2026

After reviewing the tens of thousands of public comments submitted on NHTSA’s August 2021 Proposal for MYs 2024-2026 CAFE Standards and accompanying Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, NHTSA finalizes CAFE Standards for MYs 2024-2026. The final rule establishes standards that would require an industry-wide fleet average of approximately 49 mpg for passenger cars and light trucks in model year 2026, by increasing fuel efficiency by 8% annually for model years 2024 and 2025, and 10% annually for model year 2026. The agency projects the final standards will save consumers nearly $1,400 in total fuel expenses over the lifetimes of vehicles produced in these model years and avoid the consumption of about 234 billion gallons of gas between model years 2030 to 2050. The agency also projects the standards will cut greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, reduce air pollution, and reduce the country’s dependence on oil.
 

Wasatch

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I left my truck parked near the airport for 6 weeks with no nearby outlet for trickle charging. I used the battery tender brand solar trickle charger (about $60) and it worked great.

If you do this, I recommend the version with the OBD II connector - not the cigarette lighter connection. The truck won't shut off the OBD II port and you are assured that the battery will be getting the juice.
 

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Nasto

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Get yourself a good trickle charger and hook it up. I use a Battery Tender brand, 1.25 amp and I hook it up at least 24 hrs in advance of me leaving the truck. You can get stronger units that will bring the battery to maintainer status sooner, but this is the size I use on my truck and on my wife's Volvo suv. Works great. Good luck with the surgery.
Thanks for the tip. Just bought one from Amazon for my backup 1997 Nissan King Cab XE that doesn’t get a lot of drive time these days but still want to keep.
 

Calson

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Why do you think that the battery is only charged to 80% SOC? Makes no sense as a battery loses its charge capacity in cold weather and stopping at 80% could result in a battery being unable to start the engine.

Ford recommends charging only to 90% SOC with its hybrid vehicles but that is a very different matter.
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