jash Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 Hi All, I've been a long time lurker on this forum and appreciate the information and time you all have put into it. I've noticed several threads about battery problems. My problem seems to be a little different; but maybe that's because I'm a rookie when it comes to these kinds of things. My Edge has 86000 miles on it and will be 4 years old in June. My car has been killing batteries about every 4 months for the last year. I've had them tested by my mechanic and the Ford dealership and they're all telling me the batteries are now bad. A new battery just went in today. Ford dealership did a drain test over night last night and report there are no drains. They tested the alternator and said that is fine. They tell me they have no idea what could be killing the battery. They put a new battery in and said if it goes bad in another 4-6 months it will take a lot of time and money to resolve the issue. The only other symptom (besides the batteries crapping out) is when I turn the car off I get a message on my Sync screen that says: System Off to Save Battery. Please turn ingnition off or start engine. This message stays on until I open the car door. Has anyone seen anything like this? Thanks! -Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 Maybe the alternator is flaky and works sometimes but not all the time. Do you drive a lot of short trips? That can do it if the battery doesn't have time to recharge after starting the vehicle. I suggest getting a good tester (SOLAR is the one a few of us have) and keeping track of both the voltage and cranking amps over time. I also got a C-Tek charger/reconditioner. Worst case you might need to use that once every 2-4 weeks. Maybe the drain doesn't always show up. Body Control Module and the Shifter Park detect mechanism are common causes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jash Posted February 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 @akirby Thanks for the response. I actually have changed my driving habits starting in the summer. I used to commute 70 miles per day and now I work from home; so yes lots of short trips. This change in driving habits came a couple months after the first battery crapped out in April. So maybe it is not the root cause but has aggravated it. I'll grab that SOLAR tester and monitor volts and crank amps. I wonder if the dealership is doing something differently than I normally do when they shut the car off for the drain test. Are the body control module and shifter park detect mechanism parts I could check on myself? Thanks -Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 If it's the shifter you should see a "shift to park" message sometimes requiring you to jiggle (technical term) the shifter. If you're not seeing that it's probably not the shifter. I don't think there are any noticeable symptoms of the BCM issue. I would just monitor it and if you're driving only a few minutes let it idle for a few minutes at home before shutting it off and see if that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbwt Posted February 18, 2016 Report Share Posted February 18, 2016 I had some of the same issues and found that the voltage regulator was charging but not charging enough to run the loads in the car and charge the battery. I am installing a new alternator this weekend and new battery. Here is a video on the solar and see my signature for my youtube channel on Ford Edge repairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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