11.8 volts while driving isn't normal.

You might occasionally see 12.8 volts for a few seconds (when the VVCS kicks in), but not 11.8.

After sitting overnight, a fully-charged battery will typically drop down to around 12.4 or 12.3 volts - So your overnight voltage is a little low, too.

Incidentally, On 2.5L and 4.0L Frontiers, cutting this wire prevents the VVCS signal from reaching the alternator's built-in voltage regulator, allowing the regulator to function just like any "normal" regulator that lacks VVCS:

After cutting the wire, typical battery voltage is 13.3-13.8 volts whenever the engine is running.

 

11.8 volts while driving isn't normal.

You might occasionally see 12.8 volts for a few seconds (when the VVCS kicks in), but not 11.8.

After sitting overnight, a fully-charged battery will typically drop down to around 12.4 or 12.3 volts - So your overnight voltage is a little low, too.

Incidentally, On 2.5L and 4.0L Frontiers, cutting this wire prevents the VVCS signal from reaching the alternator's built-in voltage regulator, allowing the regulator to function just like any "normal" regulator that lacks VVCS:

View attachment 334930
After cutting the wire, typical battery voltage is 13.3-13.8 volts whenever the engine is running.

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11.8 volts while driving isn't normal.

You might occasionally see 12.8 volts for a few seconds (when the VVCS kicks in), but not 11.8.

After sitting overnight, a fully-charged battery will typically drop down to around 12.4 or 12.3 volts - So your overnight voltage is a little low, too.

Incidentally, On 2.5L and 4.0L Frontiers, cutting this wire prevents the VVCS signal from reaching the alternator's built-in voltage regulator, allowing the regulator to function just like any "normal" regulator that lacks VVCS:

View attachment 334930
After cutting the wire, typical battery voltage is 13.3-13.8 volts whenever the engine is running.

Doesn't look quite the same on the 2020. IPDM is in the same location, but internals are different, as shown below: first is with the cover removed, second is with the back panel lifted out and photographed face-on. A few too many yellow wires to just try cutting them (and no reason to think they haven't changed the functions..). I did try removing the brown connector that has only one yellow and one black wire; No idea what it does, but it didn't affect the charging (or anything else as far as I could tell).
I wonder if there is any diagnostic that would indicate which is the CCVS control wire?

 

Thanks for the info. I was thinking about cutting the wire but it seems there might be something wrong with the battery so I'm going to take it into the dealer for warranty repair

 

According to my Scangauge, while driving I average between 13.0 and 13.4

My wife’s Buick fluctuates between 11.2 and 14.6 according to the factory gauge when driving, asked the dealer about it, he said normal, talked to a couple automotive electric specialists and they said it’s normal too, although 11.2 is a bit low.


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My wife’s Buick fluctuates between 11.2 and 14.6 according to the factory gauge when driving, asked the dealer about it, he said normal, talked to a couple automotive electric specialists and they said it’s normal too, although 11.2 is a bit low.

With no charging source present, a fully-charged battery produces around 12.5 volts - just sitting there idle.

In order to momentarily drag the voltage all the way down to 11.2, you'd need a huge electrical load on it - and still no charging source present.

Thanks for the info. I was thinking about cutting the wire but it seems there might be something wrong with the battery so I'm going to take it into the dealer for warranty repair

Since your voltages are normal part of the time - and your battery apparently is still capable of starting the engine - I'd be more inclined to suspect an intermittent problem with the charging system.

 

I would bet that it's this connector (shown in the green box):

 

There are 6 wires going into that connector, all about 22 gauge. Feeling adventurous, I unplugged the connector and tried to start the engine. Starter did not engage, dashboard read Alternator Check (amongst the other usual things), and the electric fan rev'ed up like it was trying for liftoff; plugged the connector back in and it stopped. Not a promising avenue of investigation.

 

I just unplugged the connector to the halo that's sitting on the negative terminal of the battery. No codes or CEL, and now I'm getting a constant 13.6V

 

Would you kindly post a picture of this "halo" connector; I'd like to compare it with what I have, they don't sound similar. Thanks.

 

Yeah so near the negative battery terminal there's a black thing attached to the wiring, I disconnected that from its wire harness. And put kapton tape over both ends so dirt doesnt get in. No issues and its been about a month since I unplugged.

 

Yeah so near the negative battery terminal there's a black thing attached to the wiring, I disconnected that from its wire harness. And put kapton tape over both ends so dirt doesnt get in. No issues and its been about a month since I unplugged.

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View attachment 338245

Yeah so near the negative battery terminal there's a black thing attached to the wiring, I disconnected that from its wire harness. And put kapton tape over both ends so dirt doesnt get in. No issues and its been about a month since I unplugged.

View attachment 338246
View attachment 338245

Yeah so near the negative battery terminal there's a black thing attached to the wiring, I disconnected that from its wire harness. And put kapton tape over both ends so dirt doesnt get in. No issues and its been about a month since I unplugged.

View attachment 338246
View attachment 338245

My 2020 is quite a bit different; the block on the negative terminal has a couple of high-current fuses in the top, and more on the side. Three connectors, all with high-current wires. I disconnected the middle one, which had a single wire, but that did not make a noticeable difference. The others go to important things like the starter motor.

 

I think you have your terminals confused, those pictures are of the positive (red) terminal. Check out the other one

 

Yes, that should have been obvious to even a rudimentary intelligence. They are less than 8" apart. Disconnected the connector; 13.8 V steady; we'll see how it goes. Thx.

 

With the battery current sensor disconnected, the voltage regulator inside the alternator is still measuring battery voltage, and is operating the same way as every charging system built before the advent of VVCS operated.

The only thing the current sensor does is to tell the engine computer how much current is flowing into or out of the battery. The engine computer then uses this info to occasionally instruct the alternator voltage regulator to reduce the alternator's output for a few seconds, in the interest of improving fuel economy.

With the current sensor disconnected, the engine computer never sends this instruction to the voltage regulator, so the voltage regulator operates on its own.

 

I know this is an older thread, but does disconnecting the VVCS at the negative terminal effect the battery gauge in the dash? Will I still get a voltage reading on the gauge as to how my battery condition/charging is going? Thanks in advance for the help

 

So this may fix the surging blower fan motor then? Hmmmm...

 

It could, as one of the triggers to turn the alternator off is a/c compressor running turns alternator off along with wot and accelerating. According to service manual the ECM turns alternator charging to its highest charging rate during coasting,deaccelerating, and braking.

 

According to service manual the ECM turns alternator charging to its highest charging rate during coasting,deaccelerating, and braking.

That matches when I hear the blower get faster. I notice it most when the blower speed is set to half way or more in the truck, otherwise it is too quiet to hear over the radio etc. I may give it a try this weekend and see what happens.

 

interesting info! as i noted i give ALL my rides a boost with my C-Teck charger + the 2011 fronty gets used the most BUT mainly shorter rides with a 36 mile round trip weekly on my grocery etc run, under 30 thou at purchase about 5 years ago + still under 50 thou today, so not a lot of on road charging in cold weather!!

 

No, it doesn't affect the battery gauge at all.

With the VVCS disconnected, the gauge will still be just as useless as ever.

 

🤣Well, yeah, it's not the most accurate, but I was curious nonetheless.
FYI: I know many of the new gen Ford Ranger owners where disconnecting their VVCS as well for the same battery charging issues. Guys from 2019 disconnected theirs with no issues. Seems the members in the desert areas benefitted more as the heat depleted the batteries quickly. So they kept putting on trickle charges to keep those batteries charged up fully. Then someone realized that the vehicles charging system was not fully charging the batteries when in use (I think 75% charging point). So some used the FORSCAN software to change the charging point higher...or just disconnected the VVCS and left it (like vehicles used to be years ago)

 

I created an account just to reply to this. After a very painful, multiple alternator replacement, emotionally draining couples of weekends, this stupid VVCS was the issue.

I unplugged it from the battery instead of cutting the wire, it's been running perfect for a few months now.

Unplug it or cut it.

 

Thanks for your input. Many here are "seeing the light" and unplugging as well. Sorry it took you all the hassle to figure it out. Welcome to the club

 

I too experienced low charging voltages. I unplugged the negative cable current sensor and now see voltages at 13.9. So this simple mod does work.

Since the 2020 have a different IPDM layout, has anyone confirmed as to what "yellow" wire to disconnect to fully remove the VVCS?

 

No need for that, unplugging connector Fully removes the VVC control. No use cutting wires anymore unless your worried about dealer+warranty issues. I removed and discarded the whole oem neg cable w/vvc sensor and put in a much better batt cable running all the way down to the starter mounting bolts rather than the small bracket off PS pump mounting point.

 

Would you please post pictures of this?

 

Thank God I found this thread. I installed an amp and it sounds great sometimes and like crap other times. My voltage swings from 14.4 to 11.8 as I'm driving down the road underpowering the amp. I thought my alternator was toast. Unplugging that stupid cable!

 

Did you ground the amp directly to the negative battery post or to the body/frame?