400W built in inverter issues
 

Since I got my new F150 XLT supercab with the 302a package, I have had issues with the inverter. The 2nd day having it I noticed a blinking light on the inverter plug in the dash. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not, so I took it in, first time they saw it and said it was a loose connection. Well continued to do it, so I brought it in again, and of course, it was working and they couldn't re-produce it not working, so I picked it up, sure enough by Monday it was doing the same thing again, I brought it up there and they took it in that afternoon and said well it needs a new inverter, so they ordered it. I waited a few weeks, it came in and I got it installed last week. Well next day I went out of town, was driving all day, did about 800km that day, but near supper time I stopped to grab some food, got out of the truck for about 10 min, get back in and again the inverter was not working. Drove up the road for about another hour and stopped at a gas station for a few min, get back in the truck and well the inverter is working again... Thats how random this is. So all weekend the inverter didn't work either, but I had booked an appointment for today, took it in, it was not working on the drive to the dealer, and well when they took it in, it was working and they couldn't find anything.

Their only answer at this point is maybe the battery is getting too low and when the truck is starting up its not booting up the inverter...I would accept that answer if it was not for the fact that I drove all day and like I said above only stopped for a few min to get food and then on the road again, so unless a battery drains that much in like 10 minutes with nothing else running that does not make sense as an answer. This is also a work truck and they were trying to go down the rabbit hole of it maybe being because there has been some upfitting done, but I was like the problem started before any of that was done, and had already been in the shop a couple of times before that stuff was installed.

I am wondering if anyone else has seen this happening, if there are any solutions, or if I really have to accept this problem because I would assume that this should work pretty much every time the truck is started...

In my experience the built in 400w inverters trip with anything over 200w. My solution was a 1000w inverter that plugs into the cigarette lighter

Ya but its doing it without even anything plugged in, and what I am plugging in there is really low wattage stuff like a cell phone charger, or a 15W power supply for a wireless radio, so nothing crazy. The upfitting I was referring too was having a cap added to the truck bed and a 3000W inverter added back there, but I would still like the in truck one to work for light stuff... But again that inverter was added after the truck had already been in a couple of times for the problem.

I always had my 40W phone charger plugged in my 2016 and it never tripped on me. iPhone's wattage is even less. You need to get that looked at.

hi there I have a 2022 with 302a package as well and the inverter was doing what thread described and now it’s not working at all… is there a reset or is is toast?

Just FYI - math tells us 1000w is not possible from the cigarette lighter. Assuming a modest 90% efficiency that would need to pull 80 amps at 14V. Most of them are good for (fused at) 15 amps max.
So careful not to overload the 12v outlet.

I know some don't like me to offer extended explanations but there is a need to understand Inverter operation.
The term Inverter is a change from one level to another.
Here, its 14 volts [engine running] to 110 volts at the max level of 400 watts.
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How do we do that?
14 volts will draw 28.25 amps = 395.5 watts from the Alternator/ Battery combination. Close enough for this explanation.
An Inverter changes this to 110 volts at 3.6 amps AC to equal the same power at about 400-watt level from the low voltage end to the output AC end.
The Inverter is not 100 % efficient doing this power conversion, such that the input power may be a bit higher to account of the efficiency losses through the Inverter.
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Bottomline is, no more than 400 watts of >>POWER<< can be drawn through the Inverter without a drop in AC voltage, without the Inverter trying to draw more current, overheating, blowing fuses/ckt bkr etc.
Said another way, it's 28 + amp in, for 3.6 amps out, max. and still be considered a very high efficiency conversion on a wattage basis.
A hair dryer, coffee maker etc. cannot be powered from the stock system. Check their AC current draw.
It cannot be defeated. It is electrical power law, in force.
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Doesn't make any difference what the 14-volt input fuse size to the Inverter is, as long as it is over a 30-amp rating.
Fuse size does not determine the Inverter capacity in or out as long as it is enough over size to be reliable for the >>system design level of operation.
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Only way to increase power is a larger Inverter that requires larger fusing, larger wire size on the DC side and appropriate install hookup and being sure the AC outlets will handle the extra power to be drawn.
For example, if considering 2000 watts, it takes 14volts times 145 amps to = about 2000 watts. AT 110 volts out the current limit would be 18 amps AC to produce near 2000 watts.
This requires a complete re-engineering of the system to be safe and reliable not to mention the Truck's power system being able to offer this power level.
As a reference, engine cranking at 100 amps out of the Battery, would drop the voltage into the 11 volt range, even on a good Battery and is equal to about 1100 watts of power.
For an Alternator to generate these power levels >>over an extended time interval<< is not feasible without total up grade and re-engineering.
An Alternator, while rated at currents of 130 amps cannot do this extended time without over-heating because they are not designed to do so on a long-time basis and still live in the heat of the engine bay.

Have the techs look at the rear 120 volt plug in the box along with the plug in connector under the rear driver side of the bed for it.

The forgotten / unknown place for the 2nd 120 volt outlet.
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22,XLT,302a

I think the inverter has its own battery, presumably fed while the truck is running. I only plug stuff into it once the truck has been started and always power off the computer etc. before shutting the truck down. I keep the continuous load under 200W, and all laptops start on their own battery before being plugged into the truck.