Replaced my battery with an H8. My observations:

[Samson16]

I have a 2023 XLT powerboost. It's a daily driver and I have a short commute. If I put a battery tender on overnight, after my first drive the next day, the truck is working perfectly as the BMS has a chance to confirm re-activation of all the doodads. However, before my workday ends, I'm back in battery saver mode. At the end of the day, I don't care what's in the truck. It's a TRUCK. If I can't use it to haul equipment between properties in town without the battery dying, it's kinda useless to me as a work tool. I'll be taking a trip to the dealership I bought the truck from tomorrow and hopefully they'll be willing to swap out my battery. I haven't messed with FORSCAN yet to change anything but I wanted to start with a new battery. Not surviving a single day of light use kind of screams defective battery to me.

I daily drive mine and it’s our primary going somewhere together vehicle. 14k miles the first year and so far not a single issue with the battery or anything else for that matter. I would put a brand new NAPA battery in there and see how it goes.

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[Blue22]

I think it's just the nature of a 12V lead acid/AGM battery.

If it is momentarily taxed, and the voltage drops as a result, as soon as the taxing ceases, it can/will recover some percentage of the momentary voltage drop.

No differently than if you launched your Bluetooth app from a distance, then approached the truck with your FOB (especially at night), the truck will respond with multiple features like deployed running boards and zone lighting.
You will witness the tax on the battery with your app and see a significant drop in voltage.

Now go back in the house and watch the voltage slowly recover. (although with deployable running boards, it will take one additional hit on voltage as they eventually tuck back up)

I was hoping you would chime in @Snakebitten. I get the fact that the voltage rebounds after taking a dip, but what I don't understand is how it went back up further than it was before the dip. Where did that extra voltage come from?

 

[Blue22]

Now that is interesting.

Do you see other voltage drops in your history? Is this the first one that went this low?

This is really the first time I have let the truck sit unplugged for several days while remotely monitoring the voltage. What confuses me is how did I gain voltage after it dipped? I don't have another battery anywhere that could be helping out. I do have the 2kw inverter but as far as I know there isn't a battery involved with that system since it has to be running to use it.

 

[Samson16]

Where did that extra voltage come from?

When the battery gets loaded the voltage dips and then floats back up once the load is removed.

 

[Blue22]

When the battery gets loaded the voltage dips and then floats back up once the load is removed.

Sorry to be so dense, but how could I have gone from 12.24v before the dip to 12.33v after? From what I remember energy cannot be destroyed or created.

 

[Old Hat]

Sorry to be so dense, but how could I have gone from 12.24v before the dip to 12.33v after? From what I remember energy cannot be destroyed or created.

Because the brief power draw initiated activity in the cells which did in fact end up "creating" energy. If not this, then how indeed.

 

[Blue22]

Because the brief power draw initiated activity in the cells which did in fact end up "creating" energy. If not this, then how indeed.

So in layman's terms, the brief voltage demand (dip) "woke " up the glass mats and caused a chemical reaction which in turn created additional energy.?

 

[Old Hat]

So in layman's terms, the brief voltage demand (dip) "woke " up the glass mats and caused a chemical reaction which in turn created additional energy.?

If not that then I too would like to know how.

I do remember some advice, from a long time ago, (back when vehicles had zero draw when shut down) to turn your head lights on for a few seconds, turn 'em off and then wait a minute to fire it up. Supposedly this would cause the battery to do exactly what you noted giving more power to crank on a really cold morning. Is it true? I don't have proof.

 

[Samson16]

Energy is transferring from chemical to electrical in a bubbly non linear fashion

 

[Brad34]

Sorry to be so dense, but how could I have gone from 12.24v before the dip to 12.33v after? From what I remember energy cannot be destroyed or created.

Maybe your battery monitor isn't very accurate.

 

[powerboatr]

i re-read this now for the 4th time
i would like to add
the confirmation about the truck being a teenager and texting all night
my truck was having issues completing the 6.5 update
rugedraw screen shot fdrs where it showed EVERY hour it was trying to update and subsequently bringing the SOC down at each attempt. right down to the TO LOW to complete state of charge
yes EVERY HOUR for nearly 3 days
i have a service appointment monday for the battery and the recall on the axle wiring
no matter the out come of battery test, i may go get a h8 and see if it works better

as far as modules going to sleep...i am surprised if any every do
even if you walk past the truck without the key...it still makes a click noise to detect a person.
i don't want that turned off
i have my running boards to the OFF setting right now, as they draw a huge load each time you open a door, i don't understand why BOTH deploy, when only driver door is open. my 16 exp, had only the side opened would deploy. ford should put out a fix and let only the side needed deploy, the truck knows which side is open. you can see all that good stuff in forscan live data


lastly
OMG i like this forum, we have 6 pages solving the battery issue or at least developing plausible fixes, with OUTSTANDING discussion points and data.

 

[Snakebitten]

Sorry to be so dense, but how could I have gone from 12.24v before the dip to 12.33v after? From what I remember energy cannot be destroyed or created.

I personally think that a sufficient temperature change can change the voltage reading on a AGM/Lead Acid battery.

It's even an issue with the Lithium batteries and is one of the reasons that it's strongly recommended NOT to fully charge my EV in cold temperatures unless I am going to drive it right away. I think if it was fully charged (maximum intended voltage for all cells) and then the temperature warmed up, it would take the battery above intended voltage.
Or something like that.

 

[KTM753]

Why the H6 does not last long.. i think probably the start / stop. a battery has only so many heavy lifts (starts) in it. and on top of that the 10 sp auto is taking 25 amps to keep the pump running. I think you just go with as large a battery (H8) and go on.

Or eliminate Start/Stop all together...

https://www.autostopeliminator.com/collections/ford/products/2021-ford-f-150-autostop-eliminator

$90 is cheaper than a new battery...

I have one and it shuts off immediately on start up everytime. I like it better than Forscan option for my own reasons.

 

[Dadofjax]

I just replaced mine with an 800 battery. Guy at parts store had no idea what h7 or h8 was.

I knew if I brought it to the incompetent dealership they would say it's normal to go into sleep mode, normal zone lighting doesn't work, normal interior lights don't work, normal tail gate doesn't open and normal auto/start doesn't work.

Replaced batter everything works.

 

[Eyeman60]

Have a 2021 Lariat 502A. I also replaced my H6 battery with H8. I’m retired and typically only drive short distances several times a week. My auto start/stop quit working, welcome lighting wasn’t activating and interior lights weren’t coming on. I had a couple of OTA updates fail and decided to bite the bullet and replaced with H8. Since then, I’ve had two successful OTA’s and everything seems to be working as intended. I’ve only had the H8 battery a couple weeks but so far all is good.

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