[v12man]

I am OLD & drive just 6000 Miles a Yr in My 2020 RTL... I find my Battery is always down to 12.4 Volts or so.. With the 2 tier Charging system that shows 12.5 Volts sitting at a light its no wonder..

The Auto Stop Feature just MAKES IT WORSE... Monthly I recharge the Battery to keep it up to par.
I surely don't let my Truck start & restart numerous times at a Sign or Light.

How lame is it if I fail to disable it when I back up & shift to Drive the TRUCK IS OFF. Stupid Feature!
I don't want the Wear & Tear on my Battery or Starter..
As a 68 Yr young man with over 50 Years as a Journeyman Mechanic, Last thing I want is a Vehicle that
QUITS every time the Vehicle Stops.. (Wasn't that we hated about our Crap Cars when we were younger). If I was in Los Angeles I might tolerate it NOT here ..

Lastly Without that feature it wouldn't need a $350 Battery either.. Just saying..
Gene in Middleton

 

[zroger73]

Welcome to the Ridgeline Owners Club, @v12man!

Honda no longer uses the "2 tier" charging system that they started using in the early-1990s.

In 2013, Honda began using a "smart" charging system that can vary the charging voltage between 12.5 and 14.8 volts in 0.1-volt increments using data from an electrical load detector and other sensor data.

12.5 volts for represents around a 60-80% charge for an AGM battery. It it unnecessary for the battery to maintain a 100% state of charge. The vehicle monitors the battery's state of health and disables the auto idle stop feature if it determines that the battery might not be able to restart the engine.

Honda's service information states that the auto idle stop feature will stop working after 275,000 starter operations to help ensure the vehicle can still be started normally once the starter and starter relay near the end of their life expectancy.

To estimate how long this may be for you, leave the auto idle stop feature on and count the number of restarts you typically encounter pay day then divide that into 275,000.

 

[Harvey Wall]

Welcome to the Ridgeline Owners Club, @v12man!

Honda no longer uses the "2 tier" charging system that they started using in the early-1990s.

In 2013, Honda began using a "smart" charging system that can vary the charging voltage between 12.5 and 14.8 volts in 0.1-volt increments using data from an electrical load detector and other sensor data.

12.5 volts for represents around a 60-80% charge for an AGM battery. It it unnecessary for the battery to maintain a 100% state of charge. The vehicle monitors the battery's state of health and disables the auto idle stop feature if it determines that the battery might not be able to restart the engine.

Honda's service information states that the auto idle stop feature will stop working after 275,000 starter operations to help ensure the vehicle can still be started normally once the starter and starter relay near the end of their life expectancy.

To estimate how long this may be for you, leave the auto idle stop feature on and count the number of restarts you typically encounter pay day then divide that into 275,000.

So from the information you have from Honda, they are saying that an AGM doesn't need to be brought to a full state of charge?

 

[zroger73]

That's correct. The smart charging system's goal is to keep the battery charged enough to start the engine without charging it unnecessarily.

 

[v12man]

That explains the "Auto stop is unavailable" message I get... UNDER CHARGED is the cause.
I think a battery operated @ 40% (1st time I found it at 30% ) all the time will be PRONE to FAILURE. The Engine cranks slow & just not a good idea. To me its SMART Feature is a FAILURE since It doesn't Charge @ a better rate & keep the battery above 80% at the Least... Where I live the Truck could restart 40 times at 1 STOP SIGN.. No chance ~ it won't LEAVE ME STRANDED If I were to let it do that. Don't move near Boise its a Parking LOT.. I have been car 40 @ Middleton Rd & Linder. If it went on & OFF every stop I'd GO MAD.. Gooday Gene in Middleton..

 

[Harvey Wall]

That's correct. The smart charging system's goal is to keep the battery charged enough to start the engine without charging it unnecessarily.

I find it surprising that Honda would do that, not saying your wrong, just surprising since we are still talking about a lead acid battery. Smartphones and laptops, partial charge does not necessarily damage the batteries. This is because they use lithium batteries. In the case of AGM batteries, lead acid is what is used, and it reacts in a different way when partially charged. All Absorbent Glass Mat batteries should be fully charged to 100% percent in order to maintain their capacity. When you partially charge AGM batteries, they with time lose their capability to charge to full capacity. If you constantly charge your AGM battery to only 60% for instance, it may eventually fail to charge past 60%. This, in turn, reduces the lifespan of the battery.

Maybe that's is why when I start my vehicle with an almost 3 year old Honda battery, I still get a pre-start reading of 12.7 volt SOC. I work to keep the battery at the fullest SOC it can maintain.

 

[v12man]

I so AGREE. Leaving the Battery under charged is Not Good.... I have been doing Auto Electric for over 45 Years. I can't imagine telling my Customer that 1/2 charged is OK... Very Poor design. I wish there was a test to see how FAST the battery will FAIL if its run Constantly Discharged.
Honda KNEW it was a POOR Design or there wouldn't be a WARNING showing the Battery is
TO LOW to Operate their FANCY Start Stop System..

Mr Gene Middleton..

 

[zroger73]

I so AGREE. Leaving the Battery under charged is Not Good.... I have been doing Auto Electric for over 45 Years. I can't imagine telling my Customer that 1/2 charged is OK... Very Poor design. I wish there was a test to see how FAST the battery will FAIL if its run Constantly Discharged.
Honda KNEW it was a POOR Design or there wouldn't be a WARNING showing the Battery is
TO LOW to Operate their FANCY Start Stop System.. View attachment 428846
Mr Gene Middleton..

Honda has had models with auto idle stop and AGM batteries since 2014 and I'm not seeing evidence of batteries failing any sooner than they did previously. Battery failures within the warranty period weren't unusual even before Honda started using variable-rate charging systems, AGM batteries, and auto idle stop.

Programming a charging rate is as simple as a few keystrokes when writing the code that gets loaded into every vehicle. If Honda could extend the life of a battery by typing in a different number, don't you think they would? Or, do you think it's a conspiracy to sell more batteries?

I'll bet Honda knows more about charging systems and AGM batteries than any of us - if not all of us combined.

 

[GreginJaxFL]

A lot has changed in 45 years, a whole lot.

 

[ReefHound]

Where I live the Truck could restart 40 times at 1 STOP SIGN.. No chance ~ it won't LEAVE ME STRANDED If I were to let it do that. Don't move near Boise its a Parking LOT.. I have been car 40 @ Middleton Rd & Linder. If it went on & OFF every stop I'd GO MAD.. Gooday Gene in Middleton..

It's been discussed a few times in other threads - the engine won't stop if you press lightly on the brake. Enough to hold in place just not mashed down. I've not found where this is documented though. I've also discovered that if you stop with light pressure, after a few seconds you can press as hard as you want and it will not stop.

 

[Converted1]

Perhaps this company will release a Honda version at some point in the future