chopper_harris
Member
Since collecting our 08/2021 T6.1 Combi, VCDS has highlighted code B1916 F2, eCall Battery Used Up.
This was a false positive as VCDS was indicating a battery charge level of 94%.
I suspect that the van had been laid up for some weeks prior to sale and the eCall / Telematics battery had dipped below a certain threshold.
I left the code, to see if it would clear itself - which it has not.
A week ago, the boss commented 'that feckin PoS has another fault on the screen'
To be fair, she was correct - an historic fault on a healthy eCall battery had now morphed into something more impactful.
A quick scan of module 75 now produced two codes - the historic B1916 F2 plus a new B1916 F4
As you can see, the battery charge is 94%, I suspect the second code is time or mileage based after the first code is set ?
There are a number of threads on the RossTech forum about clearing the code by teaching-in a new eCall battery, I thought it would be interesting to dig into the eCall battery itself.
The cell is located in the eCall unit, which is directly behind the speedo/tacho unit - there are several threads on how to access it.
The unit is held in place by two tangs on the LH side, flip it over and you will see a battery housing retained by a small cross-head screw.
Release the connx and extract the battery.
I set to with a scalpel and soon had the eCall battery opened up.
Given the price of £80-90, someone is making a LOT of profit on a unit which contains two Lithium Polymer (LiPo) cells and a 10K ohm resistor.
A healthy LiPo cell will deliver appx 3.7v, ranging from 4.2 v at full charge to 3.2v when discharged.
I was measuring 7.87v red-black, and 3.94v red-yellow and yellow-black, confirming both cells in a good state of charge as shown in VCDS.
I wrapped the terminals and sealed the two cells together with heat-shrink.
This may be useful info for anyone looking to check the health of their eCall battery.
With the battery reinstalled, eCall unit relocated and speedo/tacho in place, it is back to VCDS.
Goto: Module 75 Telematics -> Basic Settings -> Resetting the history of the emergency call battery
Press Go
You will see the message 'Not Running'; this is not an error, the task completes in mS and this would ideally say 'Completed'
Cycle the ignition, then run a full scan to check your work:
As with all online articles, you attempt this repair at your own risk.
This method worked well for me, however I accept no liability for your ham-fisted incompetence.
This was a false positive as VCDS was indicating a battery charge level of 94%.
I suspect that the van had been laid up for some weeks prior to sale and the eCall / Telematics battery had dipped below a certain threshold.
I left the code, to see if it would clear itself - which it has not.
A week ago, the boss commented 'that feckin PoS has another fault on the screen'
To be fair, she was correct - an historic fault on a healthy eCall battery had now morphed into something more impactful.
A quick scan of module 75 now produced two codes - the historic B1916 F2 plus a new B1916 F4
As you can see, the battery charge is 94%, I suspect the second code is time or mileage based after the first code is set ?
There are a number of threads on the RossTech forum about clearing the code by teaching-in a new eCall battery, I thought it would be interesting to dig into the eCall battery itself.
The cell is located in the eCall unit, which is directly behind the speedo/tacho unit - there are several threads on how to access it.
The unit is held in place by two tangs on the LH side, flip it over and you will see a battery housing retained by a small cross-head screw.
Release the connx and extract the battery.
I set to with a scalpel and soon had the eCall battery opened up.
Given the price of £80-90, someone is making a LOT of profit on a unit which contains two Lithium Polymer (LiPo) cells and a 10K ohm resistor.
A healthy LiPo cell will deliver appx 3.7v, ranging from 4.2 v at full charge to 3.2v when discharged.
I was measuring 7.87v red-black, and 3.94v red-yellow and yellow-black, confirming both cells in a good state of charge as shown in VCDS.
I wrapped the terminals and sealed the two cells together with heat-shrink.
This may be useful info for anyone looking to check the health of their eCall battery.
With the battery reinstalled, eCall unit relocated and speedo/tacho in place, it is back to VCDS.
Goto: Module 75 Telematics -> Basic Settings -> Resetting the history of the emergency call battery
Press Go
You will see the message 'Not Running'; this is not an error, the task completes in mS and this would ideally say 'Completed'
Cycle the ignition, then run a full scan to check your work:
As with all online articles, you attempt this repair at your own risk.
This method worked well for me, however I accept no liability for your ham-fisted incompetence.
