2014 Ford Edge FWD

[novi2some]

I tow a 2014 Ford Edge FWD. I use Brake Buddy brake controller. I do have the car wired to get a charge from the motor home to charge the car battery. There are times when after towing the car for 4 or 5 hours, I find the car battery dead. I use a 6-way plug on the car. There could be an issue with the split pins in the 6-way plug for the battery charge. Also, with the key in the car's ignition, the dash is still lit up. This could contribute to the drawing down of the battery. Do I need to pull the fuse for the dash, Could it be #11 fuse? What can I do to make sure I have a good connection from the motor home to the car and get rid of the split pin issue, the split pin closing up and not making a good connection.

[down_home]

We have a 2013 Edge Limited and had a 2010.
The problems, we have encountered, in dead batteries, has always been in not following the instructions. There is always the instinct, to push in, the brake pedal. Don't, while in Neutral, after stopping engine, push in the start button, with foot off the brake, until it says accessory mode.
Of course, before stopping the engine put a/c in recirculate and turn it off, even though you don't have to turn off the ac,then turn off the radio and the headlights.
Don't leave the lights on, as the headlights will come on.
The taillights and turn and marker lights run off the charge wire from the coach.
Every eight hours or so many miles you are supposed to start then engine and run it through the gears, so many minutes per gear. Don't forget the procedure to put it back into accessory mode. Don't leave an interior lights, on by accident.
On the 2010 it used a key and once or twice wife forgot to turn the key all the way back.
If it does die I have a long set of jumper cords plus I carry a battery pack, tire inflator. I have to be careful to not let it stay plugged in the Dc plug in rear too long after being charged. 🙂
We put a new higher caapacityLifeline maintenance free battery in the car this May, so if we do leave the lights on etc perhaps, it won't matter.
First time out, this year, we drove from Tn, to NC and to Myrtle Beach,S C, at night, for a long portion, and did not lose the charge.

[theoldwizard1]

Better solution ! Google "dc to dc battery charger 12 volt" !

[theoldwizard1]

I worked in automotive fuel injection design until I retired 10 years ago. At times, additional 120VAC test equipment was required for gathering data. This was mounted in the trunk along with a second battery and an inverter. Of course the battery was wired in parallel using #12 or #10 wire. Frequently, by the end of the day, the second battery was dead, even though it had been charged overnight.

Discussion with the people who designed the vehicle charging system basically said it was a losing battle. Modern charging systems are designed to recharge the vehicle battery after starting or after a very brief demand for electric power (electric power assist steering). There will be adequate power to run "continuous" loads (lighting) but there is just not enough additional power available to charge a second battery, especially one that has a load connected. Also, most light vehicle charging systems are controlled by the PCM which is optimized to only charge one battery.

To confirm this, connect a DMM up to a 12V source on the towed vehicle (12V power point). Dry the vehicle and observer the voltage. It will be >13.2V. Now connect it to your towing vehicle and start towing. I'll bet it is <13.2V.

As silly as this sounds, IMHO, the BEST solution is of these

1. Run an AC inverter in the towing vehicle through a normal AC extension cord to a battery maintainer in the towed vehicle
   
2. Use a DC-DC step up power supply to insure that the battery in the towed vehicles is getting a constant 13.2-14.4VDC

In both case, you need to carefully monitor the liquid level in the towed vehicle battery. Top off when necessary and if use method #2 adjust voltage as required.

[Corkey05]

I never found a fuse that would help with battery issues on my Edge. I simply ran a charge line through the 6 pin plug and haven't had a single issue since. I did add a 10 amp fuse to the charge line at the Edge end of the connection (at the battery).

It's kinda nice to know your battery isn't struggling or being damaged by low voltage and also it's nice to NOT have another thing to do (remember) when I hook up. Just plug it in and go. There's always advantages to keeping things simple when you can.