Solar charger - where to connect?

[Andy B]

When I camp I want to use a solar panel and battery tender to keep my battery from draining. It drains from me going in and out of the car since EVERYTHING seems to boot up each time I open the door.

On my 2010 I connected right to the battery. But I understand the 2023 has a battery management system. Should I still connect to the battery or is there a better spot? I am thinking POS on the battery and NEG on a grounded metal piece. But will I confuse the BMS?

Thanks in advance for advice.

 

[Left Coast Geek]

attach the plus to the battery +, and the - to either a chassis ground, or the 'outside' of the voltage shunt on the negative terminal. thats the bottom red arrow here...




when I used a solar panel with my rarely driven F250 diesel, I ran a SAE connector pigtail from the battery to the cowl on the drivers side near the wiper, and plugged the solar panel in there. I made sure the cable was right in front of the drivers view so I wouldn't drive off without remembering to stow the panel

 

[DieselMonk]

The later Expeditions like 23 and 24 don’t do that. They know and the computers won’t boot up like the others and drain the battery.

I have to add to the post above: While this is correct what @Left Coast Geek said, I like to see 2 fuses, one on the negative and another one on the positive somewhere close to the battery. Don’t ask why, all I say is “my experience” with add ons. You may want to invest a few coins into a block terminal that goes on to the battery post and or put a heavier battery (H8 instead of an H6) into the Expedition, like I did.

 

[HILLY]

What others have said with the ground, have to charge downstream of that BMS sensor. I also did a writeup (https://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/how-to-ground-stud-install.57135/) where I added a ground stud at the end of the ground strap going to the fender. When I did this I also hardwired the negative lead to my battery charger disconnect.

I also bought this Littelfuse block for my positive terminal. Never personally seen anybody use one of these but it piqued my interest for adding high-draw accessories (stereo, power block, etc.). I have to mess with it a little bit as I mocked it up on the battery terminal, but having to shift the stock positive cable to the side of the battery even a little bit seems to be a struggle, so I have to science out how I can relieve the tension or go about a longer one.

 

[Andy B]

attach the plus to the battery +, and the - to either a chassis ground, or the 'outside' of the voltage shunt on the negative terminal. thats the bottom red arrow here...

View attachment 86220


when I used a solar panel with my rarely driven F250 diesel, I ran a SAE connector pigtail from the battery to the cowl on the drivers side near the wiper, and plugged the solar panel in there. I made sure the cable was right in front of the drivers view so I wouldn't drive off without remembering to stow the panel

Thanks

 

[Left Coast Geek]

I really like the setup on my wife's 2016 Mercedes E350... There's a big brass stud on the fender at the main ground terminal, for clamping grounds to, and under a red sliding cover nearby also a plus terminal for jumpstarting and battery charging. The battery itself is under a cover that keeps it protected and encourages airflow. On the V8 mercedes, the battery is often relocated to the trunk, but these terminals remain under the hood as thats a direct connection to the starter etc.

I should take a picture of this, but its dark out right now.

 

[Left Coast Geek]

btw, while my primary career was software engineering, I was also pretty darn competent as an electronics engineer. speaking from 45 years of experience, on a DC system, fusing ground is silly and even potentially bad.

 

[DieselMonk]

btw, while my primary career was software engineering, I was also pretty darn competent as an electronics engineer. speaking from 45 years of experience, on a DC system, fusing ground is silly and even potentially bad.

Fusing the ground does make sense, if you know where to use it or not. Certain things I do fuse the ground too. Obviously for a light bulb I will not.