New battery; H7 or H8?

[PPK]

I haven't seen this mentioned in other posts. Is this due to 2022 (vs 2021) or model of H8 used? Did you buy an H8 sized insulation jacket?

I have not bothered with the jacket. Yep there was a small plastic piece i cut out about where the H7 battery would have fit.

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[fordhouston]

if i go up to an H8 battery, is a new blanket mandatory or optional??

 

[Buyer2021]

if i go up to an H8 battery, is a new blanket mandatory or optional??

Installing the blanket is optional of course, but if you want it the H6 version will not stretch to fit an H8 battery IME.

Don't ask me what the blanket adds to performance / longevity, if anything, I have no idea; I just paid the few bucks for it because I'm CDO and want the truck to appear original.

(CDO - it's like OCD but the letters are in alphabetical order as they should be )

 

[nosnhojm]

I ended up installing an Interstate H7 850CCA from Costco (and picked up the correct jacket from local Ford dealer). I couldn't find an H8 jacket in stock around me. Not sure if the H8's extra 50 CCA and 15 Ah would matter for my 5.0 lariat.

 

[FirstFord]

(CDO - it's like OCD but the letters are in alphabetical order as they should be )

LLOL Literally laughed out loud!

 

[Brad34]

So what's the deal with the plastic tab in the battery tray? Some are cutting it out and some aren't. Are some people just ignoring the tab or do we have different battery trays? Mine definitely has the tab that appears to help hold the H7 battery in place. An H8 would sit right on top of it if I don't cut it off.

I never really understood the point of the battery blanket. I get that it insulates the battery, but as thin as it is it can't possibly provide much beyond very short trips. Once the engine is at operating temp I can't see how it helps.

 

[Highway 11]

Do you have a photo of the tab? I didn't encounter anything when I put my H8 in.

 

[Buyer2021]

So what's the deal with the plastic tab in the battery tray? Some are cutting it out and some aren't. Are some people just ignoring the tab or do we have different battery trays? Mine definitely has the tab that appears to help hold the H7 battery in place. An H8 would sit right on top of it if I don't cut it off.

FWIW / FYI, here's what I found when installing my Everstart H8 battery ...

In order for the battery to fit under / into the molded plastic tab (on the 'engine side' of the tray) one must completely remove this long bolt with the corresponding metal battery retaining bracket on the 'fender' side of the tray:

With ^that^ bolt and its captive metal bracket completely removed my H8 Everstart replacement could be 'tipped' into the tray with the bottom sitting flat in the tray and the plastic tab on the 'engine side' fitted into the corresponding 'notch' of the battery case.

Then, the pictured 'fender side' bolt and its captive metal retaining bracket can be reinstalled, fitting the metal bracket into the 'notch' on the 'fender side' of the battery case.

No modification of the battery tray or 'plastic tab' required at all; the Everstart H8 sits flat in the tray and is retained at the base on both sides (by the plastic tab on the 'engine side' and the bolt with metal bracket on the 'fender side'). Finally, the OE webbing strap over the top.

Methinks the 'key' is completely removing the 'fender side' bolt and captive metal bracket to allow the H8 battery to go into its proper place in the tray with the 'engine side' plastic tab intact (just as the OE H8 battery does in the diesel F150 having the same battery tray and retaining hardware).

 

[Gros Ventre]

Have observed these discussions on batteries. People seem to be trying to solve what I believe to be the wrong problem. I believe that Ford either received a bad batch of batteries or they let a whole bunch of batteries sit idle for months during the chip shortage. In either case the fix is to just go get a new battery and be done with it. I had some odd warnings some 4 months after delivery while traveling for Thanksgiving famiiy dinners. So I just stopped into a nearby NAPA store and bought their off the shelf, drop in, AGM battery for the 21 F-150. Not a peep since through two Wyoming winters. Unless you're doing something heavy duty, like winching, I just don't believe that the larger battery will fix the real problem. I guess it will if it's a new battery... but the discussion on H7 vs H8 is really moot.

 

[Brad34]

FWIW / FYI, here's what I found when installing my Everstart H8 battery ...

Methinks the 'key' is completely removing the 'fender side' bolt and captive metal bracket to allow the H8 battery to go into its proper place in the tray with the 'engine side' plastic tab intact (just as the OE H8 battery does in the diesel F150 having the same battery tray and retaining hardware).

Great explanation. This is what I will do when I replace my original H6 with an H8. I incorrectly stated earlier that my truck came with an H7.

...but the discussion on H7 vs H8 is really moot.

There isn't a huge difference between an H7 and H8, but I was just looking at my nearest Costco a few days ago and they have the same price. No point in buying a smaller battery for the exact same price, unless you are extremely conscious about saving weight.

 

[Brad34]

Do you have a photo of the tab? I didn't encounter anything when I put my H8 in.

Here is the tab I'm talking about on the back side/engine side of the battery. There are actually multiple tabs as seen in the second photo.

 

[Highway 11]

I have that tab as well. If you remove the hold down bracket and tip the battery in with the rear edge under that tab, it'll all seat in place without removing the tab.



@Gros Ventre: I agree the primary benefit is getting a non-defective battery. For me, I was tired of the issues with my truck and didn't want to chance another issue with a Motorcraft battery. The truck is made to take a H8 without modification and it was $35 CAD more for 36% more capacity... when in Rome, why not?

 

[Gros Ventre]

I have that tab as well. If you remove the hold down bracket and tip the battery in with the rear edge under that tab, it'll all seat in place without removing the tab.



@Gros Ventre: I agree the primary benefit is getting a non-defective battery. For me, I was tired of the issues with my truck and didn't want to chance another issue with a Motorcraft battery. The truck is made to take a H8 without modification and it was $35 CAD more for 36% more capacity... when in Rome, why not?

Hey, no sweat... Just thinking through the trouble shooting. Seen too many folks go down what I see as rabbit holes on battery stuff. At the end of the day, despite the AGM construction, it's a lead-acid battery with voltages appropriate to the electro-chemistry. There are several ways voltages read can be skewed. 1st Key on & engine off, the HV Battery supports system voltages. 2nd when you approach the truck, or open the door, modules kick in that put a drain on the battery. 3rd the system programming adjusts system voltage depending on what you're operating (eg put the fan at 4 or higher and the voltage goes up to around 15VDC). All of these, and I suspect some others, skew readings. What you're interested in is whether the system voltage is going down with the engine running. That would mean the electrical power is coming out of the battery and thus a sick electrical system.

 

[Big Dog Daddy]

726-04-01:
H6 battery: XXXX-1C1C-XXXX
H7 battery: XXXX-1E1E-XXXX
H8 battery: XXXX-2020-XXXX

I had looked into making this change on my truck back in January. But I was told that these settings really have to do with the size of the alternator that the vehicle was equipped with. Apparently you have found out some new information here. Can you confirm that these changes relate to battery size and not alternator size?

 

[Fourthewin]

I installed a Deka 9A94R (H7) AGM battery in my truck on 1/8/2023, and I installed the correct battery cover (KL3Z-10A687-B) for that battery. I also updated the battery capacity info at 726-04-01 and I used forscan to change my target SOC from 80% to 90%. I've only driven my truck about 6400 miles since then, but I haven't had any issues since installing the H7 battery and I don't use a trickle charger either.

726-04-01:
H6 battery: XXXX-1C1C-XXXX
H7 battery: XXXX-1E1E-XXXX
H8 battery: XXXX-2020-XXXX

I just bought and installed a H8 on my 21 3.5eb. Can you explain what this forscan process is? I don’t know what the SOC is and why it’s important to modify?

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