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Battery dies after only 15 minutes in accessory mode ?


wes8398

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2011-2012 have a capacitive button, you touch/hold it for a second to turn on/off the hazards. In 2013 they changed it to a physical button.

 

I've learned this. Still, the button does not work. Anyone know how to diagnose/fix a capacitive button?

Edited by wes8398
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Nothing yet. Been working nights and haven't had time to mess around with it. Its been starting without any issues, but we haven't had it sitting in accessory mode for any period of time either. It's been really cold here (close to 0 F) and its still starting fine, so I don't know that the battery is the issue. I suspect that when I do experiment, we'll quickly kill the battery in accessory again.

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Here's yet another option on batteries. Odyssey makes incredible batteries, but they are very expensive. Sears Diehard Platinum batteries are made by Odyssey. I called Odyssey to verify since all I could find online was speculation and rumor (specs match). Anyhow, I put one in my Wrangler and have never had a problem with leaving the stereo on for lengthy periods or heavy winch usage. I have always used Optima batteries in the past, but Odyssey had a big following in the Jeep community, so I gave them a shot. The DHP is not what I would consider inexpensive, but compared to its Odyssey branded counterpart, it's a bargain. Again, just another option. Good luck!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry it took so long, but I have some very anticlimactic follow-up to this story. I had some time in the -20 degree weather the other day to fiddle around and see what was up with the battery. Turns out we're just dummies. The 2 times the battery got drained from the 10-15 minutes of sitting in accessory mode.... yah... the key was actually in the "run" position. This means the blower for the heat was running, as well as the rest of the electronic systems. I watched my multimeter drop 0.01 volts about every 3 seconds when I mimicked this agian. Obviouisly, the blower is a significant draw on the battery and this is what brought it down to a level that wouldn't start the car. When I put the key in the actual "accessory" mode - where only the radio was on - or, when I turned the blower fan off, the drain on the battery was significantly lower. Just to be sure, I left the car sitting with the radio on for a good half hour. It started just fine after that.

Now, if I could only figure out WTF is up with the rest of these annoying MFT/Sync bugs. My hazards button still doesn't work, while driving, the touchscreen randomly goes so dark you can't see anything on it, and changes I make in the settings don't seem to "save". I'll change something like turning off the automatic display dimming, or setting the ambient lighting colour... a few days later, it's all back to the previous settings. Strange piece of work, this MFT/Sync thing is...strange...

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Hi wes8399,

 

Is your MFT software version 3.6.2, and have you been to your dealer for these issues yet?

 

Rebecca

Yes, I have the most up to date software installed. I didn't have these issues until I did the update, actually. No, I haven't been to the dealer. The warranty is up, and it'll be a cold day in hell before I bring my car for service at any of my local Ford dealerships for out-of-warranty issues. Shop rates are astronomical, service is off-putting at best, and I just plain don't have any trust/faith in them.

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  • 1 month later...

Hey, while I have the attention of a couple of you guys, can I ask another question? Why can't I get the hazards to work on this damn thing? I see the "button", but it does not press/release like a button. Nor does it respond to touch. What gives?

broken switch? My best guess.

 

I just put a battery in my 90k 2011 edge. It didn't strand me. Its over 4 years old. It was 540 cca. And noticed my windows would go up slower than usual after 15 minutes on accessory . I put a meter and it has a good charge. But load test and it drops to 7 volts. So to be on the safe side, i just bought a 850 cca. From Oreilly. 120$. Now it starts up fast! And load test and it does not drop below 11v. Once any car battery hits 4 years, its best to replace it. My friends 2009 xterra with 65k miles on it finally gave up and stranded. Agonist 6years. Not bad. Stranded.. but 6years not bad.

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