Hi folks,

My daughter's 2014 Titanium X Ecoboost 1L 125 has done 63,500 miles.

It still has the original battery and as it is a stop/start system, I'm guessing that it is a AGM battery.

It has been bomb-proof reliable up until Tuesday of last week when it wouldn't start.

A jump start got it going.  I took the car to my local KwikFit fully-expecting a new battery to be needed.  They tested it and said it was fine.

I bought a new battery charger (you should have seen my old one!) and charged the battery until it said "full".

The following day, the engine wouldn't turn over again so I used the charger to do a "repair charge" (whatever THAT is).  Took 12hrs.

Battery was fully charged (multimeter said 12.25V with no load) but again wouldn't start.

Jump-started it, fired up and ran fine.

Sooo, despite KwikFit saying the battery is okay, I'm guessing (because jump starts work like a charm) that it does indeed require a new battery.

KwikFit have quoted £183 (they say it is the same battery that goes in a Transit) - does that sound right?

Any advice/info gladly received.

Zaph

I have another question about this car regarding the wet belt.

 

 

20 minutes ago, Zaphod_B said:

Battery was fully charged (multimeter said 12.25V with no load) but again wouldn't start.

Your battery is dead !!

12.65V + is fully charged

It will be an EFB stop/start battery. Do not fit an AGM the car charging algorithm is not set up for it. Replacment battery (fitting your self) should cost about £110 for a good quality Yuasa.

Tayna Batteries https://www.tayna.co.uk/

Make sure to charge your new battery for at least 12 hours. You will need to reset the Battery Monitoring System (BMS). No tools are requires and takes just a couple of minutes.

Remember when charging the battery, it should be done while it is connected to the car. Battery charger positive lead on to the battery, and the negative lead on to the chassis earth point not the battery.

27 minutes ago, Zaphod_B said:

KwikFit have quoted £183 (they say it is the same battery that goes in a Transit) - does that sound right?

I would say they are speaking with forked tongue !! 🙁

Your daughters car is a little 1.0 Petrol engine, and Transit vans in the UK are usually a 2.2 or 2.0 Diesel so absolutely not going to have the same battery.

A 2014 Fiesta is known as a Mk7 facelift, or Mk7.5, in the UK.

The Transit name is also used on the smaller vans, which do use the same engines as Fiesta & Focus (1.0 EcoBoost, 1.5 TDCi, etc) so it's perfectly possible that the same battery is used on both, albeit a bizarre comparison to make, presumably trying the justify the cost.

Thank you all for taking the time to reply, much appreciated.

I'm taking the car to an Auto Electrical Services company recommended to me by my local independent garage (they can't look at the car until next week).

If the cost is eye-watering there too, I'll look at DIY as it seems to be straightforward.

I wasn't aware that there was a Battery Monitoring System that needs to be re-set, but it doesn't surprise me.  How does a DIYer go about doing this without any 'electronics boxes' that plug into CANBUS (or am I totally confused here)?

Cheers

Zaph

Thought I'd posted the previous comment - but I hadn't.

Local company mentioned above charged £110 + Vat incl labour and new battery was fitted in around seven and a half minutes!

All good, car fires up (as expected) first time.

Happy lad!

Zaph

1 hour ago, Zaphod_B said:

new battery was fitted in around seven and a half minutes!

Did they, or have you, reset the BMS ?

On 3/29/2023 at 8:14 PM, unofix said:

How to reset the BMS method 2

 

 

6 hours ago, unofix said:

Did they, or have you, reset the BMS ?

Not to my knowledge.

I see that you have posted a link to a video on how to do it - many thanks.

Video says 8th Gen Fiesta.  My daughter's is the face-lifted Mk 7 (so 7.5?).  Does this have a BMS??

Zaph

24 minutes ago, Zaphod_B said:

My daughter's is the face-lifted Mk 7 (so 7.5?).  Does this have a BMS??

Yes it will have BMS. 👍

Most Fords 2013 and onwards have BMS.

On 4/22/2024 at 11:58 PM, unofix said:

Yes it will have BMS. 👍

Most Fords 2013 and onwards have BMS.

Followed the procedure to re-set the BMS:  Flash main beam x 5, press brake pedal x 3, battery warning light flashes x 3.

Job done.

Having said that, the car was giving no indication that this needed doing - for example after the initial 'check' of the warning lights, the battery warning light went out.  Did this mean that the BMS didn't need re-setting??

Zaph

19 minutes ago, Zaphod_B said:

Followed the procedure to re-set the BMS:  Flash main beam x 5, press brake pedal x 3, battery warning light flashes x 3.

Job done.

Having said that, the car was giving no indication that this needed doing - for example after the initial 'check' of the warning lights, the battery warning light went out.  Did this mean that the BMS didn't need re-setting??

Zaph

You’ll get no warning if you don’t reset the BMS. The only important bit it does is reset the stored battery age counter. 
 

It will then adapt the charging and protection profiles depending on the age of the battery.