Littleslim
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My 2017 continental destab a message on the radio screen shutting down to conserve battery what does this mean. Just bought it 2 weeks ago brand new battery
Shutting down to conserve battery On my touch screen brand battery
- Thread starter Littleslim
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Town
Senior Member
I get that message in winter listening to the radio while parked and engine turned off; also the companion message to start engine or switch off ignition when getting into car. My dealer has looked at the issue and run the diagnostics and there is no problem. In ambient temperatures above 0C (32F) it does not happen.
It occurs every winter and never in the summer. When the battery was new and now when it is more than 4 years old, so not a battery issue.
bbf2530
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Hi Littleslim. That is a normal message and means exactly what it states. Accessory power will stay on for ~10 minutes after the vehicle is turned off. The Battery Saver system will then shut off accessory power to conserve battery power. There are also other variables/factors (i.e. cold temperatures) which can lead to the system shutting down sooner than 10 minutes in order to conserve battery power. This will occur if the Battery saver system senses the state of the battery charge is low or getting low.
This information is contained in the Owners Manual for your vehicle. If you did not get a hard copy, you can download the PDF version here: https://www.fleet.ford.com/parts-service/resources/owner-manuals/
If you check the Owners Manual descriptions/explanations and still feel there is an issue, it would probably be best to have your vehicle checked.
Let us kno whow you make out and good luck.
Town
Senior Member
@Littleslim The Body Control Module (BCM) automatically monitors the battery state of charge and under certain "state of battery charge issues" will send the message you are getting. There is a note in the service manual:
NOTE: To maintain correct operation of the load shed system, any electrical devices or equipment must be grounded to the engine or chassis ground and not the negative battery terminal. A connection to the negative battery terminal may cause an inaccurate measurement of the battery state of charge and may cause incorrect load shed system operation.
You may want to check if a prior owner has connected an accessory ground wire directly to the battery neg terminal. The battery negative terminal should never be used for testing or charging the battery, just connect any such neg connection to the battery neg wire connection on the suspension tower or an engine ground. Just a thought.
NOTE: To maintain correct operation of the load shed system, any electrical devices or equipment must be grounded to the engine or chassis ground and not the negative battery terminal. A connection to the negative battery terminal may cause an inaccurate measurement of the battery state of charge and may cause incorrect load shed system operation.
You may want to check if a prior owner has connected an accessory ground wire directly to the battery neg terminal. The battery negative terminal should never be used for testing or charging the battery, just connect any such neg connection to the battery neg wire connection on the suspension tower or an engine ground. Just a thought.
Town
Senior Member
What it means is that your battery charge is 40% or less (11.90 volts). If that is not the case then you have an electrical system failure, I have the diagnostics if you need them. My battery draw (as measured by my dealer) is 300 mah while earlier cars I have owned have been 50 mah or less so the Conti is not a car to leave unused for long. The COVID-19 lockdown means my car is often left unused for 5 days, and then I get the message.
My problem with that message has gotten worse this spring and each time the battery voltage was 11.88 volts and lower. So my battery had less than 40% charge (11.9 is 40%). So the message is normal for me. Decided on a new battery, so talked to my dealer. There are 2 Motorcraft batteries that fit the stock one BXT-94RH7-730 and the AGM battery for the F150 (with auto stop/start) BAGM-94RH7-800 which has more capacity. So I decided on the BAGM battery for CDN$250 plus install. However, the Ford warranty covers this issue for the stock BXT but not the BAGM, so I went with the stock battery for no charge. It is labeled "MAX" so hope it lives up to it's name.
Time will tell if this is the solution.