Ford Th!nk Neighbor 2002 Manual

ELECTRICAL—TH!NK VEHICLES—BATTERY
RECOVERY/BALANCING AND BATTERY RANGE TIPS
THINK: 2002 TH!NK NEIGHBOR
ISSUE
Some 2002 Th!nk Neighbor vehicles may exhibit a
no start condition, inability to charge, or reduced
mileage range. This may be due to a deeply
discharged battery pack, failed battery modules, or
an unbalanced battery pack.
ACTION
Diagnose the health of battery pack and individual
battery modules to determine repair action. Follow
Flow Chart 1 (Figure 6) for direction. This TSB
outlines procedures for evaluating battery health,
replacing individual battery modules, battery
recovery, and balancing battery modules to
maximize pack performance.
SERVICE INFORMATION
Battery recovery and "top of charge" (TOC) battery
pack balancing is the main subject matter of this
article. It must be noted that the DPI smart chargers
used for recovery and battery pack balancing will
not initiate charge unless the battery is above 3Vdc.
NOTE
THE NEW VEHICLE LIMITED WARRANTY DOES
NOT COVER DAMAGE CAUSED BY FAILURE TO
MAINTAIN THE VEHICLE OR IMPROPERLY
MAINTAINING THE VEHICLE. IF THE BATTERIES
ARE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY, ALL
CAUSAL PARTS OF THE ASSOCIATED DAMAGE
TO THE BATTERIES MUST BE RETURNED PER
WARRANTY RETURN TAG INSTRUCTIONS AND
MAY BE ANALYZED FOR FAILURE. IN THE
ABSENCE OF A CASUAL PART, WHICH HAS
CAUSED THE BATTERIES TO DISCHARGE
BELOW MINIMUM VOLTAGE, IT IS PRESUMED
THAT THE BATTERIES WERE NOT MAINTAINED
CORRECTLY AND ALLOWED TO DISCHARGE.
BATTERY RECOVERY IS AT THE CUSTOMERS
DISCRETION AND IS NOT COVERED UNDER
WARRANTY.
NOTE: The information in Technical Service Bulletins is intended for use by trained, professional technicians with the knowledge, tools, and equipment to do
the job properly and safely. It informs these technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or provides information that could assist in proper
vehicle service. The procedures should not be performed by "do-it-yourselfers". Do not assume that a condition described affects your car or truck. Contact a
Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury dealership to determine whether the Bulletin applies to your vehicle.
Copyright © 2003 Ford Motor Company
If the battery pack voltage is from 68.3V to 80V, the
vehicle should enable. If it does not enable, follow
the TH!NK Neighbor no enable troubleshooting flow
chart found in TSB 02-25-9. If the battery pack is
greater than 20Vdc and less than 68.3Vdc, the
charger should charge the batteries. Refer to the
charging section of this TSB for direction. If the
pack is under 20V, the on-board charger will not
charge the pack and the battery modules must be
individually charged. Refer to the battery pack
balancing & recovery section.
If the vehicle mileage range is drastically reduced
from the normal range experienced by the
customer, the pack must be checked referencing
the vehicle range concern section. It is possible the
batteries have been discharged to a very low level
and have become unbalanced, if so, refer to the
battery pack balancing section.
DIAGNOSTICS
Follow Flow Chart 1 (Figure 6) to determine proper
repair procedures.
Use Figure 1 to assess the state of charge of the
battery pack. Verify that the charger and charging
receptacle are functioning properly, by measuring
pack voltage as shown in Figure 2 while the vehicle
is on charge. With the vehicle on charge, pack
voltage should rise above the static pack voltage. If
there is no rise in pack voltage after 15 minutes of
charging, the charger, charging circuit, charger cord,
or charging inlet receptacle is malfunctioning. If
pack voltage is less than 20 volts the batteries must
be individually charged with DPI chargers specified
within this TSB. DPI smart chargers will not activate
if the battery is below 3Vdc.
Article No.
03-8-6
PAGE 1