[Fryballin]

I had my windows tinted in my lightning today, front 2 to match the back and the front glass with 70% ceramic tint. Apparently sometime during or after the tint was finished the instrument cluster screen and the 15 inch screen went black. The truck was still able to be drove to the dealership which is what the tinting company did. This was at the end of the day so nothing has been discovered yet but I have some ideas as to what is going on. Anyone have this issue or something like this happen in the Mach E? The truck was left in accessory mode for the duration of the tinting application. I would say 2-3 hours at least.

 

[Leaf to Lightning : )]

when all else fails, reboot...

12v battery reboot

 

[Fryballin]

when all else fails, reboot...

12v battery reboot

So does that mean unplug the 12 volt battery and replace with a new one?

 

[Leaf to Lightning : )]

or just remove the POSITIVE terminal lead, wait 30 secs, reattach

(it's also a good time to put a volt meter on the leads to see the status of the battery)

 

[918Nate]

Also, where is the 12V battery in the lightning? Junk in the frunk?

 

[Fryballin]

Is there an online Lightning owners manual posted anywhere, I would like to access it on my computer rather than my Ford pass app.

 

[ErichKeane]

Also, where is the 12V battery in the lightning? Junk in the frunk?

It is in the 'back' center of the frunk. There is an access panel that pulls up that has a battery symbol on it.

 

[FM_Jack]

Ooohh this is what I'm worried about. I'm kind of chuckling while I type this, not at your issue but cause this immediately brought up something for me. And I remember the anxiety and pain.

In 2017 I got a new sporty sedan and I wanted to get the windows tinted. I went into the shop that had done my last 2-3 cars. Great work, no issue. When I went to pick up my car I noticed the radio was turned down and the track listing (of about 3000+ songs) was very far down. I thought it was weird but didn't think anything of it. Rewind, the morning of I had just put my entire library on a USB to stick in the car to play music. I didn't listen to it, and it got left on track 1. Fast forward to the next day I start to have electronic transmission shifter. (which means I can't shift driving mods mainly, driving and restarting fixed it most of the time) At first no issue got to work but after work I was heading home and my car went into essentially turtle mode on the highway (NOT FUN). I called the dealer immediately cause it might have been a month. I'm thinking with the next "features" they took more juice to operate and that 12V is not up to the task.

The issue was a combo of things cause it was a new car for them (Alfa) and the auto start/stop feature didn't help but after they looked at the car they deduced...the battery was drained. So they charged it back up and no more issues. The second they said that I immediately was reminded of the audio tracks still playing. This is what I suspect happened to that other guys Lightning.

I'm not sure what they do to put on tint but my guess is the car gets left on and if the radio or some accessories are running, just like if you turn the engine off and just play the radio, your battery will drain and die. You'll need a jump. I can't imagine what that means for an EV.

I really think @Ford Motor Company should put out some additional information about how the 12V is utilized so that people are aware and it doesn't get drained unintentionally. I honestly didn't know there was one in there until one of the reviewer pulled that panel and showed it. I'm basically going to sit in the vehicle when they do the tint and baby sit them. It is easy in a gas powered car to know when the engine is off, everything is running off that 12V. It isn't that way with an EV. I didn't even think that until I saw that reviewer pull that panel. I didn't know there is one in the Mach E. I've sat in the car plenty of times with the touch screen on, radio playing after hitting the button to turn it off. I have been more mindful of that since.

 

[Fryballin]

One would assume that if the truck auto shuts down after 15-30 minutes without driver intervention to stop it continuously running, that this same feature would apply to the accessory only power for the sole purpose of preventing draining the 12 V battery. I guess it is not or the tint company had to stop the shutdown countdown every 15 minutes to keep it on.

 

[Fryballin]

Also I just read in the lightning owners manual that the high voltage battery charges the low voltage battery only when the truck is off. Is this different than with the mustang Mach E? Can anyone confirm this?
One would assume the truck would be keeping the low voltage battery charged when it’s running but I guess it does this when it’s off or charging.

 

[Fishstyx]

Also I just read in the lightning owners manual that the high voltage battery charges the low voltage battery only when the truck is off. Is this different than with the mustang Mach E? Can anyone confirm this?
One would assume the truck would be keeping the low voltage battery charged when it’s running but I guess it does this when it’s off or charging.

I can confirm this as I jump started another car from the 12v battery while the truck was off but the voltage off the battery in the frunk was over 13v.

the funny part was the driver of the vehicle I was jumping was in a hurry and was yelling at me “START THE TRUCK, START THE TRUCK” not realizing it was an ev. Anyway it started right up.

 

[ChasingCoral]

The first thing to do When the screens freeze or blank out is to reboot the Sync system.

On the steering wheel controls ... simultaneously hold the volume-down and also the "Next Track" button (just to the right of the volume control ... the arrow pointing right). Hold them until you see the center screen go black. It will take several seconds ... eventually the Sync4 system will reboot.

 

[FM_Jack]

One would assume that if the truck auto shuts down after 15-30 minutes without driver intervention to stop it continuously running, that this same feature would apply to the accessory only power for the sole purpose of preventing draining the 12 V battery. I guess it is not or the tint company had to stop the shutdown countdown every 15 minutes to keep it on.

And that's what I don't know how the tint people operate. They don't know your vehicle like you do.

 

[Fryballin]

The first thing to do When the screens freeze or blank out is to reboot the Sync system.

On the steering wheel controls ... simultaneously hold the volume-down and also the "Next Track" button (just to the right of the volume control ... the arrow pointing right). Hold them until you see the center screen go black. It will take several seconds ... eventually the Sync4 system will reboot.

I learned that technique from the lightning manual too yesterday, unfortunately I didn’t get to see my truck before the service department got it and they were gone for the day when I got to the dealership. They had the 12 volt battery off so the truck wouldn’t power on or do anything. I guess they were trying to get it to reset. I’m not sure if they will charge the 12 volt battery before hooking it back up today. Based on what I’ve read, if the 12 volt battery is the dead, just leaving the truck off for several hours with it still connected would have probably allowed the high voltage battery to charge it back up and everything would have went back to normal.

 

[Fryballin]

Also Coral,
Can you say whether the 12 volt battery charged while the truck is running? Based on the owners manual it is worded as if it does not but instead charges when the truck is off or plugged in charging. I’m not sure how the 12 V wouldn’t go dead on a long drive if the truck wasn’t charging it during that time unless the power to the accessories is coming from the high voltage battery only while driving.

 

[ChasingCoral]

I learned that technique from the lightning manual too yesterday, unfortunately I didn’t get to see my truck before the service department got it and they were gone for the day when I got to the dealership. They had the 12 volt battery off so the truck wouldn’t power on or do anything. I guess they were trying to get it to reset. I’m not sure if they will charge the 12 volt battery before hooking it back up today. Based on what I’ve read, if the 12 volt battery is the dead, just leaving the truck off for several hours with it still connected would have probably allowed the high voltage battery to charge it back up and everything would have went back to normal.

Maybe. If my 12v battery were dead I’d attach a battery charger to bring it back. Been there done that, wrote the 1st thread on the problem I’m the Mach E.

Marlin's Dead Low Voltage Battery (LVB) -- Followed by Stuck in Park

I'm starting this as a separate thread intentionally. I've heard others having similar problems (such as the Deep Sleep thread https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/deep-sleep-mode-12v-battery-drained-dead-update-mach-e-jump-started.3457/) and others. Mine may be the same or the Deep Sleep...

www.macheforum.com

 

[ChasingCoral]

Also Coral,
Can you say whether the 12 volt battery charged while the truck is running? Based on the owners manual it is worded as if it does not but instead charges when the truck is off or plugged in charging. I’m not sure how the 12 V wouldn’t go dead on a long drive if the truck wasn’t charging it during that time unless the power to the accessories is coming from the high voltage battery only while driving.

If the Lightning is like the Mach E, it charges while running. It had better!

 

[208]

Lots of speculation here, so some clarity.

The Lighting is not a "bleeding edge tech" vehicle, in fact it is pretty dated tech (I, for one, like this about the vehicle... tried & true stuff). Most, if not all of the following will apply to the Lightning.

The 12v battery is responsible for most of the standard vehicle electrical operations we are used to in vehicles. Lights, gages, climate control, stereo etc. Unlike an ICE, an EV has no alternator to maintain the 12v system. A simple DC to DC converter is used in its place taking 400v (nom) from the traction pack and stepping it down to 14.4v (ish) to run the 12v systems and charge the 12v battery.

An EV will not "start" if the 12v battery is dead. Even if your traction pack is charged.

Because the DC to DC converter is a very robust and efficient way to get a lot of 12v power, the 12v "accessory" battery in EVs is often smaller than what you would find in an ICE (plus, it does not have to start an engine). This battery is smaller and less expensive, but unfortunately more prone to failure; much like a motorcycle battery.

The DC/DC converter is always on when the vehicle is on. Otherwise, the vehicles lights and systems would quickly drain the small 12v battery. Want to charge your 12v battery? Turn your vehicle on. NOTE: Tesla drivers who travel know that they should turn on the climate control via the phone app once a month to "wake the car up" while it is stored so the 12v battery does not die. This does not work with all EVs, but hopefully it does with the Lighting.

Most EVs do not run the DC/DC converter with the vehicle off. It would cause too high of a parasitic draw (there are losses involved) on the traction pack.

It is my opinion that EVs should trigger the DC/DC converter when plugged in, to also keep the 12v battery topped off. MOST DO NOT. I travel, and both the GM EV and my Teslas will suffer 12v death if left long enough without being "awakened" as per above.

"12v death" in an EV is much more common than it should be. Fortunately, it is very easy to fix.

A final note for those wanting to do testing on your own DC/DC converters. The big wires are the low voltage side. Seems counter-intuitive, but lower volts = higher amps.

 

[Fryballin]

.
It is my opinion that EVs should trigger the DC/DC converter when plugged in, to also keep the 12v battery topped off. MOST DO NOT. I travel, and both the GM EV and my Teslas will suffer 12v death if left long enough without being "awakened" as per above.

I believe I read in the owners manual that the lightning charges the 12 volt battery when plugged in as that was an alternative recommendation in the manual for dealing with 12 volt battery issues.

Turns out my trucks issue was an “Audio Control Module”. This was likely damaged by water when they tinted the front window. Service department said when they pulled this module out everything started working again. Thankfully this component is in stock, ready to ship and they have put a major rush on it to get it in as soon as possible. Thanks everyone for your input! As much as I would have rather not had an issue, I have learned a lot about my truck and the workings of the 12 V system through this process. My dealership has been awesome.

 

[918Nate]

This has been one of the most informative threads I’ve read on this forum in some time. Thanks all! Best wishes on a speedy part recovery, Fry!