Stop-Start not working - battery?

[Darkman]

2011 Mk3 Titanium 1.6 TDCi

Car apparently has stop-start (Button on dash to disable it) but in the few weeks I've had the car it's never actually happened, even with aircon/nav/cd/lights off.

The button (an A with a circle round it) lights up when I turn the system off, as expected. 

battery voltage is 14.2v (off), 16.8v (idle). Pretty normal?

battery pic attached. I don't know if this is the original battery or even the correct battery. I was searching and saw some marked  as "stop-start", and some not. So, does my car require a very specific type of battery that this one isn't?

I've never had a car with this feature before so don't really know what to look at next with this!

Ta!

[StephenFord]

@unofixwill be along shortly to explain all the pitfalls of stop/start and how to get it to work, should you want it!

[unofix]

The very best advice I can give you is 'Forget about it'

Stop/Start never reliably works on 90% of Ford's. It is a total gimmick, the only purpose was the get the car through the emissions type approval.

The thousands of perfectly healthy working car batteries that have been scrapped in the name of Stop/Start and saving the dolphins will never be recouped by the couple of teaspoons of fuel saved per tank full.

There is a list of over 40 basic items that have to be just right before Start/Stop can become active, many of which you never even consider. There is a video on YouTube by 'SY diagnostics' that shows you how to use FORScan to see all the conditions that are being monitored for the Stop/Start system.

See the SY Diagnostic video below about Start/Stop.

There is an error in the video which the guy made regarding the Green 'A' which is for Auto Hold and is nothing to do with the Start/Stop symbol which is the White 'A' with the arrow round it.

SY Diagnostics

It's been brought to my attention that the green light is for auto hold, which when reviewing the footage, it is.

  

 

[unofix]

 

[Darkman]

Thanks! When I first realised the car had it, I was like "oh THAT'S gonna get annoying pretty quick", so I don't particularly mind it not happening. Just as long as it isn't not happening because of a fault.

If it isn't working by design(!) Then fair enough!

[mburdett555]

During covid my battery went completely flat , got a new EFB for around £150 and the stop start worked for a few weeks and that was it. Regardless of how far I drive, it does no longer work. Agree its just a gimmick. 

[StephenFord]

1 hour ago, mburdett555 said:

During covid my battery went completely flat , got a new EFB for around £150 and the stop start worked for a few weeks and that was it. Regardless of how far I drive, it does no longer work. Agree its just a gimmick. 

Not only that, you threw out a perfectly good battery, St Greta would not be happy with you LOL

[unofix]

1 hour ago, StephenFord said:

St Greta would not be happy with you LOL

Never mind St Greta what about the poor Dolphins ? and that's not even to mention the Tree Huggers 🤣🤣🤣

[mburdett555]

16 hours ago, StephenFord said:

Not only that, you threw out a perfectly good battery, St Greta would not be happy with you LOL

Oh don't worry about that, the battery was completely dead. It was the original one and the eye glass was black. Had to call green flag out for some charge lol but yes 2 or so weeks and the new battery was no longer stop starting but still runs fine, about 14.9v

[YOG]

On 8/18/2022 at 3:06 PM, Darkman said:

2011 Mk3 Titanium 1.6 TDCi

Car apparently has stop-start (Button on dash to disable it) but in the few weeks I've had the car it's never actually happened, even with aircon/nav/cd/lights off.

The button (an A with a circle round it) lights up when I turn the system off, as expected. 

Battery voltage is 14.2v (off), 16.8v (idle). Pretty normal?

Battery pic attached. I don't know if this is the original battery or even the correct battery. I was searching and saw some marked  as "stop-start", and some not. So, does my car require a very specific type of battery that this one isn't?

I've never had a car with this feature before so don't really know what to look at next with this!

Ta!

The YUASA YBX3110 is not for a Start/Stop Ford car. You need one from the YUASA YBX7000 EFB START STOP range.

[Darkman]

So, little update. Because things not working does my head in!

I established that, other than being the right physical dimensions, the battery in the car was completely wrong, as mentioned above.

So I bought a new Bosch one from Tayna online. "I'll just swap this over quickly now" I confidently said to the missus when it arrived.

Ha! Any of you lot ever tried swapping the battery on a Mk3 Focus? JEEZ! Had to take the entire airbox assembly out, there's a front panel bit on the battery holder that comes off, after you've unclipped about a bazillion other things from it... it goes on! I've never had such a faff swapping a battery over - why the hell would they put the battery... THERE?!

Anyway, the upshot is, stop/start works perfectly now. Looks like the original battery was replaced with this one, and whoever did it just bunged in anything that would fit, with no regard for whether it was the right battery for the car. Went for the cheapest option would be my guess.

And sorry Ms Thunberg - there are now TWO old batteries stashed in my garage waiting to go to battery heaven! Cos I still haven't got rid of the dud one that came off the old Civic.

[StephenFord]

5 minutes ago, Darkman said:

... Any of you lot ever tried swapping the battery on a Mk3 Focus?

I often wonder if car designers have ever actually worked on a car away from a Computer Aided Design screen! LOL

[unofix]

I'll give your new battery 3 months top before you notice that the pointless Stop/Start system has once again faded away. 🤔

I just don't know how you are able to sleep at night knowing that you personally are responsible for the deaths of baby dolphins all over the world as you scrap yet another working battery. Shame on you !! BTW Greta 😠 is on her way to have words with you 🤣 

[StephenFord]

2 minutes ago, unofix said:

...Shame on you !! BTW Greta 😠 is on her way to have words with you 🤣 

It's OK, she'll be a while, her battery car will have to stop 5 times for a 6 hour recharge for each leg of the journey 🤣

[unofix]

12 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

her battery car will have to stop 5 times for a 6 hour recharge for each leg of the journey 🤣

she should take a leaf out of Extinction Rebellion's climate policy. They are going to do a tour in an old diesel bus because............... "it's more environmentally sound than using a expensive electric bus"

See picture below taken from ER website:

 

[StephenFord]

2 minutes ago, unofix said:

. "it's more environmentally than using a expensive electric bus"...

Crikey, we've been saying that for years now about cars too. Suddenly I feel like gluing myself to something large and in the public eye LOL

[Darkman]

I just remembered - they have a battery recycling thing down Asda! Think most people use it for old AA and AAAs, but I don't remember seeing a size limit on it... 😁

[StephenFord]

6 minutes ago, Darkman said:

I just remembered - they have a battery recycling thing down Asda! Think most people use it for old AA and AAAs, but I don't remember seeing a size limit on it... 😁

Good luck getting your car battery into that LOL 🤣

[Eric Bloodaxe]

20 hours ago, StephenFord said:

Suddenly I feel like gluing myself to something large and in the public eye LOL

From what I hear a nice policeman would probably bring you a cuppa and a bun too!😀

[StephenFord]

52 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

From what I hear a nice policeman would probably bring you a cuppa and a bun too!😀

I do hope they have been practicing their Macarena routine too LOL

[mjt]

On 8/25/2022 at 8:44 PM, StephenFord said:

It's OK, she'll be a while, her battery car will have to stop 5 times for a 6 hour recharge for each leg of the journey

I thought she only used sailing boats .