MME STRANDS ME IN A BLIZZARD!!

GoGoGadgetMachE

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oh no you didn't get the joke either
I got it right away but it was admittedly a bit subtle given the level of emotion in this and similar threads at the moment.

a "?" would have gone a long way.
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ChasingCoral

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dtbaker61

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ok.... I've read thru all 5 pages of this thread, and a couple others reporting problems... My semi-educated guess as a Solar/battery/DIY ev person is that the temp sensor/charge circuit for the 12v battery is not allowing the HV to charge the LV if the Frunk temp is 'too low'. Combined with the relatively small capacity of the 12v battery, the 'background electronics' drain the 12v, it can't initiate a bump charge from HV, and the 12v drops to a voltage that causes problems.

I have a short-term solution I'd suggest if your MME will be left below 32F / 0C for more than a couple hours. buy a 12v battery warming pad, or a small 12v heating pad like for your back.... and connect it to the 12v battery terminals.

these little pads/warmers will draw 15-40 watts of power, but if they keep the sensors and HV charge circuit active, the 12v battery *should* periodically top up from the HV.

a quick search yields at least two options:

- fix for possible problem w cold 12v battery drain,
battery pad
$40 - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077VLB1KK/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?
elec blanket
$20 - https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Blanket-Tailgating-Emergency-Stalwart-BLUE/dp/B001QJQ22O/ref=sr_1_3


...if you live in a super cold place, it's not a bad idea to have a blanket in the car anyway... you can store it wrapped around the 12v battery. Although you may have to add an easy-access 'hatch' to extract it from the battery if you want to use it yourself. ;)
 

Maquis

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I have a short-term solution I'd suggest if your MME will be left below 32F / 0C for more than a couple hours. buy a 12v battery warming pad, or a small 12v heating pad like for your back.... and connect it to the 12v battery terminals.

these little pads/warmers will draw 15-40 watts of power, but if they keep the sensors and HV charge circuit active, the 12v battery *should* periodically top up from the HV.

a quick search yields at least two options:

- fix for possible problem w cold 12v battery drain,
battery pad
$40 - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077VLB1KK/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?
elec blanket
$20 - https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Blanket-Tailgating-Emergency-Stalwart-BLUE/dp/B001QJQ22O/ref=sr_1_3
40 watts is about 3.5 amps at 12V. You 35 AH battery will last 10 hours powering this heater. Adding more load to a battery that is going dead is not a solution.

If the 12V battery is properly being charged from the HVB, heat isn't needed; If it's not being properly charged, adding a heater will just kill it faster.

I'd stand pat until Ford responds.
 


dbsb3233

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I think one thing that would be helpful is for the Ford App to display the 12v battery voltage.
Agreed. Or at minimum, it should display on the screen in the car.

Fortunately there's a ~$10 workaround (a cigarette lighter voltage meter).
 

dtbaker61

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40 watts is about 3.5 amps at 12V. You 35 AH battery will last 10 hours powering this heater. Adding more load to a battery that is going dead is not a solution.
it *might be* a solution if warming the battery and sensors on the terminals enable the HV to charge the LV.

My suspicion is that the 12v charge controller is not allowing the HV charge when it detects a 'frozen frunk'. This suggestion *may* fool the sensors/controller and enable the HV to charge the LV the way it is supposed to.....
 

theRealDevo

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I've read through a few of these threads and they all seem to be happening under extreme cold conditions, well below 0? I am not knowledgeable on these batteries but if this is only happening under those types of conditions than I am not overly concerned about this issue. Here in Colorado we rarely see these temps we saw this past week and it does not last long....now if there is an expert here that tells me that this will be an issue the other 360 days out of the year then I would have to pause and think about ordering one. But for me, I drove one this past weekend when it was a high of 9 degrees and I was extremely impressed by this vehicle and wish I had it right now even with these issues popping up. Till something comes out that this is in-fact a long-term or bigger issue....I am still planning on placing my order within the next month or two.
 

Maquis

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it *might be* a solution if warming the battery and sensors on the terminals enable the HV to charge the LV.

My suspicion is that the 12v charge controller is not allowing the HV charge when it detects a 'frozen frunk'. This suggestion *may* fool the sensors/controller and enable the HV to charge the LV the way it is supposed to.....
If your intent is to simply load the 12V battery in hopes that it will trigger the HVB to kick into charge mode, just plug a lamp into the 12V power socket. No need to go to the trouble of installing a battery heater.
 
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eponyinIL

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I think I seen somewhere that the high voltage to low voltage doesn't run when the vehicle is being charged. Just to confirm, it wasn't plugged into the charger over night while the issue fixed itself?
That is right. I wasn't plugged in overnight when it fixed itself. It also wasn't plugged in all day before the issue happened. It was charged to 100% the night before. I drove to work - about 7 miles - stayed at work all day without leaving or starting the car. It was snowing all day, and the temp hovered around zero, but it has been around zero for over a week. The issue started when I went to leave work - it still showed the charge at 100%. In hindsight, I wish I had taken a video. The car appeared somewhat possessed with all of the lights and error messages.

It is running fine now. Took it out for a drive at lunch just to make sure. I also let the dealer know, but they don't think they need to do anything since it isn't currently having any issues.
 

dtbaker61

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Agreed. Or at minimum, it should display on the screen in the car.

Fortunately there's a ~$10 workaround (a cigarette lighter voltage meter).
I have one in my eMiata so I can watch to make sure the dc-dc is doing it's job. In my eMiata, I do not have a 12v battery at all.... I just have an 'always-on' 600watt dc-dc that draws on the main HV (165vDC) and feeds the vehicle 12v in place of the ICE battery/alternator.

https://www.amazon.com/LIHAN-Charger-Display-Voltage-Compatible/dp/B01JA627KU/ref=sr_1_4?
 

dtbaker61

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If your intent is to simply load the 12V battery in hopes that it will trigger the HVB to kick into charge mode, just plug a lamp into the 12V power socket. No need to go to the trouble of installing a battery heater.
the goal is NOT to apply a load, but rather to actually warm the 12v battery, and the sensors on the terminals that are informing the charge controller that the Frunk is nice and warm and safe to charge the 12v
 

dbsb3233

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it *might be* a solution if warming the battery and sensors on the terminals enable the HV to charge the LV.

My suspicion is that the 12v charge controller is not allowing the HV charge when it detects a 'frozen frunk'. This suggestion *may* fool the sensors/controller and enable the HV to charge the LV the way it is supposed to.....
I couple of other ideas we discussed elsewhere to try and trigger a 12V battery charge from the HVB...
  • Schedule a departure time for the middle of the night to precondition the car.
  • Schedule a 2nd charge to start in the middle of the night (if plugged in).
No idea if either will work, but maybe.
 

Maquis

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the goal is NOT to apply a load, but rather to actually warm the 12v battery, and the sensors on the terminals that are informing the charge controller that the Frunk is nice and warm and safe to charge the 12v
I don't think we have any evidence that there is any temp sensing of either the frunk or the 12V battery.
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