Fiesta battery swap - does it need coding?

[HankHill]

My sons 2013 Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost needs a new battery (heated screens and stop start don’t work any more).  I can’t believe the wide spread of costs I’ve been quoted for fitting.  I’m perfectly confident in fitting a new battery myself, but one garage I rang said that the new battery needs to be coded to the car – is that true?  I know that its true for more complex cars (like my own Audi A7) but find it hard to believe for a 2013 Fiesta.  Is it true, and if so is it just a combination of button presses, or via OBD?

[unofix]

Hello Hank,

Firstly are you 100% sure you need a new battery ? Charge the battery for a full 24 hours and reset the BMS before you go spending well over a £100 for a new one.

You need to use a "Smart" charger, not a 30 year old woolworths battery charger. Charge the battery on the car (Do not disconnect it). Connect the positive lead of the charger directly to the positive terminal of the battery. Then connect the negative lead of the charger to the main chassis earth point on the body near the battery. Do NOT connect the negative lead direct to the battery.

Fully charge the battery with your smart charger (you can't over charge it).

Then you need to reset the BMS (battery monitor sensor). See the video below.

If you do all this and after a couple of days things are still not working then you probably need a new battery. When buying a new battery make sure it is of the correct type for your vehicle (Normally an EFB type or AGM) do not assume that the battery fitted is the correct type, it may have already been replaced in the past.

Do NOT pay for this make believe battery coding its a fairy story. You simply need to reset the BMS if you change the battery

 

[HankHill]

Thanks.  I have charged it a couple of times with my CTEK MXS 5 trickle charger, but not for 24 hours though, just until the display says its charged (number 7 LED).  The screens then do work, but stop working again after a few days, probably because he only does short 15 minute journeys to work.  I didnt know about resetting the BMS though, so I will try a full charge and reset and see if that works.  The battery is Ford branded so could be original, which means its around 8 years old.

[unofix]

4 minutes ago, HankHill said:

which means its around 8 years old

It is probably just at the end of its life.

Remember to connect the negative charging lead to the body earth point not the battery.

[HankHill]

17 minutes ago, unofix said:

It is probably just at the end of its life.

Remember to connect the negative charging lead to the body earth point not the battery.

Ah it was on the battery, I just moved it to the body.  Whats the reason for that?

[anon]

The negative lead has a sensor in it to monitor the charge and it is extremely important. Your Fiesta will have an EFB battery. Varta make the Ford battery. Buy theirs if you need a new one but if your windscreen is actually working for a few days, try charging the battery properly as Unofix has described. It has a good chance of working.