https://www.harborfreight.com/15-wat...ner-64251.html

Truck is a 2018 F150 XL 3.3L 5 years old on original battery now reads 12.1 V mornings before starting. Thought if I could slow trickle charge it with this device it would help keep it somewhat higher than 12.1 V. But I read where these newer F150s have a battery BMS system so am worried about damaging the BMS or computer box with one of these? It would be plugged into cigarette lighter all the time.

So my concern is the BMS system and computer boxes. Thanks for replies.

 

Won't work on your truck. They only work on vehicles with an ALWAYS HOT power point/cigar lighter outlet. Your factory points are switched on and off by the Body Control Module. BMS doesn't apply here.

 

Thanks. I wonder if I were to attach the leads directly to the battery under the hood, that should work as long as I use the negative bar upstream the BMS sensor thing on the negative terminal, right ??

And I believe BMS here stands for Battery Monitoring System right ?

Assuming the above, could I then leave the solar charger always connected even when truck is running or would I need to dis-connect it before starting then re-connect after shutdown ?

Thanks again

 

I was looking at one of these earlier in the year. I was reading the instructions on HF site, and it needs a regulator so it wont overcharge.
I did not buy it or any other brand.

Thanks.

 

I’ve used cigarette lighter solar chargers before, and they can be handy, but you do want to be careful with compatibility. I’ve heard some stories of them overloading the system or not providing enough charge, especially on newer vehicles like your 2018 F150. I actually got some advice from solarsmart.ie when I was setting up my solar system for my car a while back. They were super helpful in explaining what’s safe and effective for different models, including vehicle chargers. After making sure everything was properly rated and matched, my setup has been working great without any issues.

 

I use a Battery Minder (that's the brand name) on my truck when it's parked. It is a battery maintainer that will not boil the battery like a trickle charger might do and, it has a desulfication function too. It's important that you connect the negative lead from the Battery Minder to the frame of the truck, not the negative battery terminal so that the charging current goes through the BMS which will allow it to accurately assess the charge state of the battery. The positive lead of the Battery Minder goes to the positive terminal of the battery.
- Jack