I believe the V6 comes with a larger battery than the I4 and Hybrid. I would venture a guess that the holder will fit both sizes, and therefore, you should be able to "upgrade" to the V6's battery size if that is what you want.

 

I would second what WaltPA said. For these applications, find a battery that will fit on the tray that you can bolt down. A lot of the batteries from the chain stores have a much better warranty then you can get from the Motorcraft.

Too bad Optima does not make a battery small enough (at least I don't think they do). Pricey but very good batteries & warranty (in my past experience)

As I don't have a SG to confirm, but I would think that the jump start button does up convert the 12V to the HV battery pack in the back. If it can drain your 12V in 2 or 3 cycles where it needs to be charged, it is pushing some current back there. (many hand held Tazors run off a 9V battery & produce 15K+ volts)

I have been thinking of trying this one day when I get home from work to just to see if the green level in the battery goes up on the display, but it is normally near the top anyway when I get home.


For the computer settings, there are some other products that you can plug into your lighter connection (much like Mark E Smith suggested). You hook this up, remove & replace your battery & all is well!

Good luck!

 

Can the jump start button drain a fully charged 12V battery in 2 or three cycles?

And, I can get 50 KV by wrapping small guage wire around a nail and momentairly connecting the wire ends to a 9V battery (The theoretical voltage is infinite).

 

My understanding is you should be able to use the jump start two times one after the next before you need to get another source to jump start for a third time. That's what happen to the Tech that jump started my FEH also.

Carl has the SG programming that can read % below what we see on the Nav Sys energy screen (min ~40%) and he thinks the jump start should bring the SoC up to 30%. I think the workshop manual says the FEH will not start below 30%. Also, I think I read you can't move the vehicle under 32% SoC.

When Mark brought up the 9V battery idea, I recall Ron Delong (inventor) using a 9V battery to demo the SG11 at Hybridfest all day long. This is a great idea for us to retain KAM when we need to disconnect the 12V battery for any reason.

GaryG

 

Gary, CU didn't test the size group for the FEH this time, but I'll summarize some of the information that might be of interest to you:

-AGM (absorbed glass-mat) is the new battery technology that did well in their test, supposedly offering longer life, better durability, and increased safety. They are fully sealed and truly maintenance free.

-Only three companies manufacture all US sold aftermarket batteries, Johnson Controls, Exide, and East Penn. All offer AGM but not yet in all sizes.

-Not sure how relevant the CU ratings are to an FEH battery because the score is based on "life-test performance, reserve capacity, and cold-cranking-amps". However, the top scoring batteries for groups 65, 34, 78 were NAPA, Autocraft, Diehard, and Optima.

I think for the FEH my criteria would be a battery that is properly sized (no bigger/heavier than necessary), fully sealed, best warranty/price.

 

Here is the pre-made tool, available at NAPA
http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPage...er+Memory+Tool

Heres what it looks like

 

Isn't that intended to just keep the memory in the computer and the radio "alive"?

What happens when one opens the door on a hybrid, and the electric brake vacuum pump starts up. Would not that kill that little 9v battery?

 

If that can happen, then just don't open the doors while you swap batteries, IE: Open the hood, roll down the windows, plug in this little doo-dad, close the door & swap the batteries! (with key out of course!)

 

Thanks Don

We're getting some good information on the do's and don't's to keep KAM going when we disconnect the 12V battery. Now you just brought up a good point, I'm wondering if Motorcraft offered the 3yr full replacement warranty when I bought my '05 FEH. If they recently changed the design and warranty, I could be SOL.

At any rate, I've been monitoring the 12V battery like Carl said and I see the volts range from 13V to 13.8 volts. It's lower with the A/C and the heat of the day. Just got back from Pep Boys where they let me use their Load Tester for free. Normally, they charge $19.99 to check the Battery, alternator and starter, but just told me how to check the battery myself in the parking lot. Glad I didn't have to pay because the 12V battery still tested good.

Mark, I'm going to pick-up one of those 9V plug-in devices so I don't lose KAM again. Thanks for the heads up because I never knew they made such a thing.

Walt, I don't know that if the 12V battery is disconnected that any of those systems (brake pump) would work. The manual says you need to disconnect the 12V battery ground for OVER 5 Minutes to reset KAM anyway. It looks like this device is made for just what we want to prevent.

When I called the dealership part dept., they said they had the battery in stock for the FEH for $85 which was about what Sears wanted for their Gold series. Sears wanted a total of $112 installed for a battery that would not fit.

GaryG

 

Thanks. I just got one from my local Napa store, $15 out the door.