Useful Info For Current And Future Moates Quarterhorse Users

NIKwoaC

中國製造
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Oct 31, 2006
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Pay heed, ye users and potential future users of the Horses of Quarters.


Uh…. *Clears throat*


After about a year and a half of usage, my Quarterhorse fell victim to the dreaded deadly dead memory battery of death. For those of you not aware, some amount of QHs were sold in 2012 with an incorrectly sized resistor installed on the board, which leads to an early and untimely death of the permanently-installed coin cell battery. Because the QH uses “volatile” memory, this battery is what keeps your custom tune in the QH’s memory. Without it, the QH goes brain dead soon after you turn the car off (no outside power supplied to the QH) and you won’t be able to restart the car without plugging in your computer and re-uploading the tune.


You’ll know instantly that you’ve lost your tune if the fuel pump continuously runs with the key in the “on” position. For some reason that is a common denominator with these cars if your tune goes blank.


The good news is that Moates is eager to make good on this mistake, and they will take your “bad” QH and replace both the battery and the incorrect resistor with good ones at no cost to you (you just have to pay to ship it back to them, which is only a few bucks being that it’s so small).


Oddly enough, Moates has stated that in a WORST CASE scenario, a “good” QH (correct resistor) battery will only last about 2 and a half years (with best case being closer to 10 years). This depends on usage and environment; see below links for more info.


Even better news: Through my communications with them, I was told that Moates has been experimenting with a “non-volatile” memory version of the Quarterhorse, which would mean the unit could remember your tune for many, many years without need of a battery. No release date has been announced, but it did sound like it would come to market in the next year or so. I’m not sure that I’m supposed to be sharing that, but I figured it can’t hurt to get people excited about Moates’ products. I have been pleased with my QH, and I would gladly change my battery every 5 years or so if that was what it took to keep using it (though a non-volatile QH would be baller).


Now if only the Ford EEC-IV programming weren't so dern cumbersome and complex… Unfortunately Moates can't fix that.


Links for more info:

http://support.moates.net/quarterhorse-battery-life/

http://support.moates.net/quarterhorse-battery-and-resistor-check/
 
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Unless you have memory powered by other means.

90+% of the issue is knowing exactly what went wrong. You guys now know that piece. After that... Hell, I'd probably replace the resistor myself and slave a small rechargeable battery into place over that coin battery.

Problem solved... FOREVER.
 
so my car sitting in the garage with the negative battery cable disconnected is no good for the moates battery eh?


I'm honestly not sure, but I don't think that one has anything to do with the other. What I mean is that I don't know if the MOATS battery is rechargeable or if it's just like a watch battery and runs as long as it runs.


If it is just a simple coin battery, then it would be simple to modify the MOATS and install a rechargeable one with a simple charging circuit.

Oh... and you should have a battery tender (I chuckle at this because I've still not picked one up for my stored car. hehe).
 
i've got a battery tender, but left it off as i'm tearing down the top half to replace some gaskets and decided its one less thing in the way!

...and, it can't keep up with my failing old Optima redtop... time for a Motorcraft battery?
 
i've got a battery tender, but left it off as i'm tearing down the top half to replace some gaskets and decided its one less thing in the way!

...and, it can't keep up with my failing old Optima redtop... time for a Motorcraft battery?


The best bang for the buck in car batteries that I'm aware of right now is from NAPA. Their branded battery (though comparatively expensive) is considerably better than their price tag suggests. Troll the interwbz for reviews.

Optima has gained itself a reputation for dying in colder winter temps.

http://www.carsdirect.com/car-maintenance/best-car-battery-reviews-top-value-reviews-and-ratings

http://bestbatterytips.com/brand-name/who-makes-napa-brand-batteries/

http://www.ehow.com/list_5838967_automotive-batteries.html
 
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1. The Moates battery is not rechargeable, as far as I know.
2. Just turning the ignition key "off" severs 12V power to the QH, thus why an uploaded tune is lost shortly after the car is turned off.
3. Replacing the battery means removing the QH from the EEC, which means you have to cut power to it anyway, so I don't know that there is any safe way to replace the battery without also losing the tune. If you have a QH but don't tune your own car, you're hosed.
 
1. The Moates battery is not rechargeable, as far as I know.
2. Just turning the ignition key "off" severs 12V power to the QH, thus why an uploaded tune is lost shortly after the car is turned off.
3. Replacing the battery means removing the QH from the EEC, which means you have to cut power to it anyway, so I don't know that there is any safe way to replace the battery without also losing the tune. If you have a QH but don't tune your own car, you're hosed.


This for the most part, is also correct. To do the modification would WOULD indeed lose the tune. If the mods are done correctly however, it is the LAST time you would lose a tune.
 
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This for the most part, is also correct. To do the modification would WOULD indeed lose the tune. If the mods are done correctly however, it is the LAST time you would lose a tune.

Correct me if I'm wrong (because I know just enough about this stuff to be dangerous) but wouldn't most varieties of rechargeable batteries still have some sort of finite life? Would a rechargeable battery really last much longer than 10 years?
 
Correct me if I'm wrong (because I know just enough about this stuff to be dangerous) but wouldn't most varieties of rechargeable batteries still have some sort of finite life? Would a rechargeable battery really last much longer than 10 years?

Under these conditions, probably much longer. Look at all the charging cycles you have on your phone battery. It's completely insane the thing still takes a charge at all!

Take that same battery and put it into a super low draw condition. It charges only when the car is started up. It would last a VERY long time.