pluggedin Posted September 3, 2013 at 03:34 PM Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 at 03:34 PM As most of you know I had a problem last week with a low battery and Sync not working right. The Dealer finally disconnected the battery and did a hard reboot and Sync seems to be operating normally except for my Average Fuel Mileage because the tents per gallon still spin like the second hand on a watch and my average mpg are way out of proportion to my actual miles per gallon. Before I reset my average miles per gallon to zero a couple of weeks ago, thinking I was resetting Trip 1 & 2, the average miles per gallon displayed were very close to the actual mileage I was getting and the tents of miles per gallon on the display changed VERY slowly. So I think there is still something wrong. My question being this, is computing the average fuel mileage a function of Sync or is it done separately by different module, or brain? If it is not a function of Sync, I may need to make another trip to the dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy Posted September 3, 2013 at 04:16 PM Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 at 04:16 PM My question being this, is computing the average fuel mileage a function of Sync or is it done separately by different module, or brain? If it is not a function of Sync, I may need to make another trip to the dealer.It is not a function of Sync. However when the battery was disconnected all kinds of parameters were reset to zero including all of the engine tuning parameters. The car has to relearn all of its operating parameters. The fuel mileage will stabilize once the average stops changing drastically with each new calculation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluggedin Posted September 3, 2013 at 04:28 PM Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 at 04:28 PM It is not a function of Sync. However when the battery was disconnected all kinds of parameters were reset to zero including all of the engine tuning parameters. The car has to relearn all of its operating parameters. The fuel mileage will stabilize once the average stops changing drastically with each new calculation.Thanks murphy, I knew I could count on you for an answer. Would it help any to reset the average again or should I just let it do it's own thing? By the way, when I bought my plugin battery monitor I also bought a device that plugs into the cigarette lighter and is powered by a nine volt battery. The purpose of device is to keep your system settings when your battery is disconnected for some reason. I gave that to the Service Writer when I took my car in last week and they apparently used it because my radio and phone settings where still okay when I got the car back. Oddly though, the seat positions were not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy Posted September 3, 2013 at 05:02 PM Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 at 05:02 PM I would let it do its thing. That's an interesting device but what happens when the car turns off the power ports? What happens if the car desides to send status to the web site? I have measured the initial surge in that case at over 10 amps. 10 amps are not possible from the normal 9 volt battery. I think the window settings are buggy in Fords design. Mine are always wrong. I never once had a problem in the 4 years I owned the 2010 Hybrid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluggedin Posted September 3, 2013 at 05:19 PM Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 at 05:19 PM Hmmmm, I just kinda thought the system would see the 9 volt battery so would not shut the power ports down; similar to what you said you did by connecting a smaller Gel cell battery to the posts under the hood before you disconnected your 12v battery in the trunk. I did not think about the car trying to send a status message to the website but that doesn't concern me much. While I have you, you mentioned that before you put a larger battery in your car the power ports on your dash would always shut down just as soon as you opened and closed a door on the car, once you turned the car off that is. I didn't remember mine doing that so I timed it yesterday and there is about a 30 second delay before my dash displays go out once I have turned the car off and opened and closed my driver side door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy Posted September 3, 2013 at 06:11 PM Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 at 06:11 PM That sounds about right for the dash. I'm talking about the 12 volt power ports. I have a voltmeter in the front one and the LEDs I installed in the cup holders and a two-way radio hard wired to the one in the console. With the little battery the voltmeter, the radio, and the LEDs would turn off the instant I opened the door. With the big battery they stay powered for somewhere between 75 and 90 minutes. Andre07 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluggedin Posted September 3, 2013 at 08:44 PM Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 at 08:44 PM (edited) I have my battery monitor plugged into the front power point and have decided not to unplug it so I can always see the voltage available in the battery when it is not being charged. I feel comfortable doing that in knowing the power points will be shut down at some point so the battery monitor will not drain the battery. My power points do not shut down instantly but I have never timed them. My wife got home an hour ago and the battery monitor is still lit and showing 13.2v, so the battery is currently being charged. But the 240v charger is plugged into the car and that is different a different situation from simply closing the door while the car is under its own power. I will have to time how long it takes for my power points to shut down once the car is fully charged again and unplugged from the wall charger. Edited September 3, 2013 at 08:44 PM by pluggedin Andre07 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy Posted September 3, 2013 at 09:29 PM Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 at 09:29 PM I finally got a time. The ports shut down 78 minutes and 18 seconds after opening the door. Andre07 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluggedin Posted September 4, 2013 at 01:18 AM Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 at 01:18 AM After the HVB was fully charged I unplugged the charger, put the car in run mode, to open the power points, and shut the car off. It took over an hour for the system to turn the power points off but I got caught up to other things and never did get an exact time. I know I have seen the power points shut down sooner than that before though so there must be different parameters the system will use to shut them down. The battery monitor started at 12.0v and gradually increased to 12.5v during the time I was checking on it. Oddly, after about 20-25 minutes the bad battery light came on but the display read 12.5v. I have no idea why that would occur, go figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre07 Posted September 4, 2013 at 01:31 AM Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 at 01:31 AM After the HVB was fully charged I unplugged the charger, put the car in run mode, to open the power points, and shut the car off. It took over an hour for the system to turn the power points off but I got caught up to other things and never did get an exact time. I know I have seen the power points shut down sooner than that before though so there must be different parameters the system will use to shut them down. The battery monitor started at 12.0v and gradually increased to 12.5v during the time I was checking on it. Oddly, after about 20-25 minutes the bad battery light came on but the display read 12.5v. I have no idea why that would occur, go figure.Very strange that the battery Monitor started at 12.0V then increased to 12.5V without the battery being charged. The fact that you saw the bad battery light come on, would be pointing to an incorrectly operating Battery Monitor. Which type are you using? Would be a good idea to use a Multimeter to check the real Voltage at the charge/Test points under the Hood to get a correct reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryh Posted September 4, 2013 at 01:36 AM Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 at 01:36 AM (edited) After turning the car off, it takes a while for all the electrical systems to shutdown (lights, fans, etc.). As they shutdown and the load on the battery decreases, the voltage will increase. It takes about 20 minutes for everything to stabilize. The battery is fine at 12.5 V. I frequently observe that value. Edited September 4, 2013 at 01:37 AM by larryh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluggedin Posted September 4, 2013 at 03:20 PM Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 at 03:20 PM Very strange that the battery Monitor started at 12.0V then increased to 12.5V without the battery being charged. The fact that you saw the bad battery light come on, would be pointing to an incorrectly operating Battery Monitor. Which type are you using? Would be a good idea to use a Multimeter to check the real Voltage at the charge/Test points under the Hood to get a correct reading.I'm using this battery monitor: http://answers.walmart.com/answers/1336/product/16139506/questions.htm. It was the only one for sale at Walmart at the time and was not my first choice but I needed one right away so I bought it. I don't have a multimeter but my charger has a battery test function and when I connect it to the posts under the hood the charger read out and battery monitor are within .1v of each other. I'm not too worried about the bad battery light coming on, as long as the monitor is reporting the voltage available in the battery. The light doesn't normally come on until the battery voltage drops under 11.9v. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre07 Posted September 4, 2013 at 04:51 PM Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 at 04:51 PM (edited) I'm using this battery monitor: http://answers.walmart.com/answers/1336/product/16139506/questions.htm. It was the only one for sale at Walmart at the time and was not my first choice but I needed one right away so I bought it. I don't have a multimeter but my charger has a battery test function and when I connect it to the posts under the hood the charger read out and battery monitor are within .1v of each other. I'm not too worried about the bad battery light coming on, as long as the monitor is reporting the voltage available in the battery. The light doesn't normally come on until the battery voltage drops under 11.9v.Battery Monitors are good in that they can be plugged into a Cigarette Lighter or Power port Plug as they are called now. But to check and meaure voltage , currents lower than 10A and Resistance a Multi-meter should be a tool all Homes should have. Most ppl would use the Voltage range which can be set to DC volts (Cars and Battery operated Equipment) or AC Voltage (House Voltages 110, and 240V A Digital Multimeter would be best and they are pretty in-expensive these days for Non Industrial Rated Meters. They can be had from $10 to $30., hhere are a few that are available thru Walmart http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=Multi-meter&ic=16_0&Find=Find&search_constraint=0 At $10.71 you can get this one: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Innova-3300-Equus-3300-Hands-free-Digital-Multimeter/14644665 or a better one for $26 http://www.walmart.com/ip/Innova-3320-Equus-3320-Innova-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/14644666 Edited September 4, 2013 at 04:51 PM by Andre07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluggedin Posted September 4, 2013 at 06:34 PM Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 at 06:34 PM Thanks for the info Andre07. I had a multimeter when I had a 5th wheel travel trailer years ago but I let the new owner of the trailer have it. I found my missing the meter, because it was so handy to have, so it may be time to buy another. Andre07 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluggedin Posted September 9, 2013 at 02:34 PM Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 at 02:34 PM It is not a function of Sync. However when the battery was disconnected all kinds of parameters were reset to zero including all of the engine tuning parameters. The car has to relearn all of its operating parameters. The fuel mileage will stabilize once the average stops changing drastically with each new calculation.Murphy, I thought I would let you know the average fuel mileage finally normalized. What it took was getting on the Interstate and a making a 70 mile round trip in EV Later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.