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2016 Ford focus

peperysnow
peperysnow
in Ford Focus Club

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Hello i had a question about what would happen if i have the normal battery instead of the EFB or AGM battery as i think the last owner had put a normal one instead of the one needed. The car has start-stop system and i think the smart charging circuit too. I have had problems now that the charging system wont work sometimes if the car has stayed parked someone and not been used for a few days.

  • Quote


    There were basically 2 different charging systems available on the Focus MK3/MK3.5:


    Standard Smart-Charge:

    This system is only used on vehicles without Start-Stop. On this system the alternator is fully controlled by the PCM. The PCM controls the alternator based on an estimation regarding battery condition and State Of Charge (SOC). The PCM uses several of the already existing sensors like battery voltage, engine temperature, outside air temperature, etc. to perform an estimation. On the standard Smart-Charge system the charging strategy is based on a Silver-Calcium battery or Calcium-Calcium battery (where a Silver-Calcium battery is the preferable choice).


    Smart-Charge with Battery Management System (BMS):

    This system is basically a further development of the standard Smart-Charge system but has more intelligence and uses a physical BMS sensor to determine the battery condition and State Of Charge (SOC). This sytem uses the BCM to perform measurements and advanced calculations regarding the battery condition and State Of Charge (SOC) and the PCM to control the alternator. On the Smart-Charge system with BMS the charging strategy is based on an EFB battery. In some cases it is also possible to configure an AGM battery but this is not standard on a Focus MK3/MK3.5.


    Both the Silver-Calcium / Calcium-Calcium and EFB batteries require a different (higher) charging voltage than a conventional lead-acid battery. When using a conventional lead-acid battery the higher charging voltage will cause the battery to overcharge. This seriously affects the life expectancy of the battery.

    History showed that installing the incorrect type of battery can also result in various electrical faults, warning messages and stored DTC codes.

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      The Digestive Forum Roundup (24th May - 31st May 2026) We hope this email finds you well and enjoying your week. As always, our forum has been buzzing with activity, so we’ve compiled the highlights for you. Plenty of interesting discussions are taking place, especially around the Ford Focus and Fiesta models. Starting off with the Focus, many members have been discussing issues with the Emergency Call System, particularly in the Mk4 model. PLB raised concerns about persistent malfunctions, a se
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