2023 - Battery dies quickly while camping

[Moeman]

Don't discount the possibility that you may have a faulty battery. We use ours similarly and have not had the issue with draining. Not sure if its due to the draw of vehicles lately, or if batteries just are not as good as they once were, but most of our recent vehicles have gone through SEVERAL batteries under warranty before finally getting one that held. Sometimes we bring it in for a specific electrical issue, other times they have told us they found the battery to be bad unrelated to anything we took it in for. If you haven't already done so, take it to the dealer and tell them its dying. See what their tester comes back with. You can choose to divulge the details of your usage or not.

 

[Fizzy]

That's where I ended up. Sort of. I bought a solar panel and a Battery Tender brand solar battery charging module. I was hoping for a more convenient solution but this seems to work.

View attachment 82964

Where is the inconvenience?

If it was me, I'd have this permanently wired in on the Output side to the battery. I'd then run a wire from the Input side to an open connector, and mount it in an easily accessible (but hidden) location - maybe somewhere under the front bumper skirt. Then I'd replace the solar panel cable end with the matching connector.

That way you could pull up, whip out the solar panel, and plug it directly into the hidden connector. Shouldn't take more than a minute...

 

[EngineerMike]

What Ugh_J said: vehicle doesn't charge your battery corvette, this is a cheat to achieve a higher MOG for EPA "fleet" mileage requirements. All vehicle mfgr's do this now, at least in the States. There is a coil on either pos or negative battery cable that reports to the ECU which in turn derates the charge voltage. My Nissan truck will run charge volts at 12.3 which is so low it'll kill an expensive battery in 2.5 years that should last 8-10 years. I unplugged that coil sensor (3-wire connector) & charge volts go up to 14.1. I'm running an expensive AGM battery that, sadly since I didn't catch this early enough, won't charge above 12.3 now, but at 14.1 charge volts & regular around town driving every 1-4 days, that damaged battery has lasted above 18 months. You could try that. I didn't notice any less mileage, so car companies are shaving hundredths of a gallon using this cheat.

 

[bb37]

I went with a DieHard battery because it had a good rating.

I used to work for a company that was, among other things, in the automotive lead-acid battery business. These batteries are basically commodities. The only difference is the warranty. When shopping for an automotive lead-acid battery, buy the one with the best warranty and the best chance of the seller standing behind it. Don't get hung up on brand names.

 

[OU sig]

I know with our Tahoe, putting it in tow/haul mode would keep the alternator charging at much higher outputs all the time. Maybe this works on the Expedition?

 

[Andy B]

Those older vehicles didn't have nearly the KOEO (key on, engine off) demand on the battery that your new 2023 does. And you are correct, every time you open the door the vehicle wakes up and everything turns on. Do that multiple times over the course of a few days without starting or driving the vehicle and you see the result, dead battery. Your solar battery tender is a really good idea. As someone else suggested, you need to start and run the vehicle for a good 15-20 min each day (or maybe more).

Maybe get one of these so you can monitor the battery voltage

https://www.amazon.com/Palumma-Charger-Adapter-Display-Battery/dp/B0773BYS6P/ref=sr_1_3?crid=WFQH6JL72KBL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.0qkhLCvyeC2m9hln0snTqyqEM2lIeBx5kzHGzHR2Y4L9dEDoorlX1y34Fv9ab_YXA8zJy-KgGyCakNGin5cFbV42rQgLP5eLQ_vN7HulOhUU375_M5Fm8NKa1bg0LiRAB-XVqxuJh3wzuXv8Z679suLxa-AmJhKPwhjN-Zlo8yWAmgx8xYLtDuivFQNDykflc84rq5TMb6qQb-IXoONTrGtYDbHs5IYeMcgnLcNlGY_frBklrYKJNY3N2m--jK8X2-r72Iwy-d0GV15bDk4TSX5aAJc6CvetFWIuPaN2bSQ.dnnzep9JIOO6eyLWW6X5DyiC6rLnVFJd4EopckDF5uY&dib_tag=se&keywords=12v%2Bplug%2Bin%2Bbattery%2Bmonitor&qid=1731959903&sprefix=12v%2Bplug%2Bin%2Bbatter%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-3&th=1

Thanks.

 

[Andy B]

Where is the inconvenience?

If it was me, I'd have this permanently wired in on the Output side to the battery. I'd then run a wire from the Input side to an open connector, and mount it in an easily accessible (but hidden) location - maybe somewhere under the front bumper skirt. Then I'd replace the solar panel cable end with the matching connector.

That way you could pull up, whip out the solar panel, and plug it directly into the hidden connector. Shouldn't take more than a minute...

Thanks. It's not really THAT much work to pop the hood and attach the solar charging clamps to the battery. Is there somewhere better to attach to avoid confusing the battery management system?

On my old 2010 Expy I made a cord to charge via the cigarette lighter but the 2023 appears to turn off the 12V outlets when the vehicle is off.

(the hassle is more packing it safely and taking up cargo space. Not really that bad)