Replaced battery with H7 some thoughts and questions

[JohnDLG]

After about a year of truck falling into deep sleep when turned off the battery finally completely died. I never bothered to change it sooner because I figured I had a jumper box and could just jump it when needed then get a new battery. Things didnt work that way, when the battery died it was completely dead, no power for the vehicle at all and jumper didnt help at all.

The battery I bought was an H7, it fit snuggly but it did fit. The cloth cover the old one had didnt fit so I didnt bother with it. What is the purpose and how important os it? I assume its just extra insulation for cold weather.

I read some other posts about having to do a battery reset, but the truck seems to run fine without any issues and all the settings and radio channels seem to have been saved.

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[Grumpaw]

What brand/type did you go with ?

 

[airline tech]

The battery blanket helps the battery maintain its core temperature in cold weather, you can get the larger H-7 blanket to fit. Others who have upgraded have done it as well.
How much of an actual difference will it make without it, IDK but it is a rather small investment to add the larger blanket to help aid in preserving battery life.
The colder the battery is, the harder it is to accept a charge.
As far as the BMS Reset, it is supposed to be able to reset itself by reading the newer stronger voltage, however the Physical action of doing the BMS Reset via scan tool, or the headlight flash / brake pedal way forces it and a confirmation. This also will reset the time since installed date in the BCM.
The automatic way will not do this.
I prefer the scan tool way; you perform the action and have a confirmation of that action - via a message and you can verify the new Time Since Install Date as a secondary verification of it being done.

The alternate way, Headligh Flash / Brake Pedal, all you have for confirmation is a battery light going off.

 

[Frenchy]

If not mistaken I believe the reason for the bigger battery in the Lariat Trucks was simply for the few extra electronics. Other then that I don't see any reason for it

 

[JohnDLG]

What brand/type did you go with ?

I just went with an EverStart from Walmart local to me. They had an H7 available but not any H6s, so that is the main reason for me going with it. Though the extra capacity might be useful since I do have a dashcam installed.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStar...attery-Group-Size-H7-12-Volt-850-CCA/40685088

I suppose living in South Texas the battery cover won't be that big an issue. If I lived up North I would probably get one.

 

[chasvs]

I just went with an EverStart from Walmart local to me. They had an H7 available but not any H6s, so that is the main reason for me going with it. Though the extra capacity might be useful since I do have a dashcam installed.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStar...attery-Group-Size-H7-12-Volt-850-CCA/40685088

I suppose living in South Texas the battery cover won't be that big an issue. If I lived up North I would probably get one.

That's a good replacement. Sold under numerous Brand Names. Have changed my 2019 Ranger Lariat battery twice so far. Bought the Autozone Duralast version. Same battery different name.

 

[Jim C]

That's a good replacement. Sold under numerous Brand Names. Have changed my 2019 Ranger Lariat battery twice so far. Bought the Autozone Duralast version. Same battery different name.

I must be living right my 2019 still battery that came with it, no issues at all

 

[Bobby-C]

After about a year of truck falling into deep sleep when turned off the battery finally completely died. I never bothered to change it sooner because I figured I had a jumper box and could just jump it when needed then get a new battery. Things didnt work that way, when the battery died it was completely dead, no power for the vehicle at all and jumper didnt help at all.

The battery I bought was an H7, it fit snuggly but it did fit. The cloth cover the old one had didnt fit so I didnt bother with it. What is the purpose and how important os it? I assume its just extra insulation for cold weather.

I read some other posts about having to do a battery reset, but the truck seems to run fine without any issues and all the settings and radio channels seem to have been saved.

 

[Bobby-C]

There's a 3-year warrantee on the battery I believe.

 

[mr.wonderful]

Poking my nose in a couple days late because I just went through this scenario, and also have dealt with BMS woes in the past, plus have some notes from a friend who is a Ford tech. Full disclosure, I haven't read the entire thread so if I glossed over you having done something already, or already have FORScan, then it is literally me being slightly lazy while I am on vacation

The insulating blanket around the battery is exactly that, insulation. If I understand correctly, you're in Texas, which makes this doubly important as extreme heat can be incredibly damaging to AGM batteries (you did put an AGM back in correct?). These trucks are hard enough on their electrical systems as it is, so anything that can be done to protect the battery and make it last a little bit longer is worth it in my mind. I think it can be ordered for like $35 from Levittown? Don't have a part number handy, but it would be the blanket for the Lariat compared to an XLT. In my case, I see value in having the H7 (I ended up putting an H6 back in before my latest road trip as I couldn't get the H7 and blanket in time) since I have additional electrical such as my pod lights, and winch

As for the BMS, there are 2 pieces to unpack here. Charging regulation, and electrical optimization

1. Unfortunately, our trucks only charge to 70% capacity, which could be part of the reason the factory batteries aren't lasting, since AGMs have a ton in common with deep cycle batteries, which perform better when they are charged closer to full capacity then discharged down. This can be programmed up to 90% which I find super worth it
2. The BMS needs to be reset. Coming from the Audi world, the electrical systems these newer cars have tend to alter their charging strategies as battery health degrades, either by upping voltage from the alternator, or some other method. If a charging strategy for an old battery is used on a new battery, it could kill the battery life much faster. BMS reset is easy on Fords. It can be done with FORScan (which I did when I reprogrammed my BMS to 90% charge when I swapped batteries), or via a combination of the brake and turn signal (Youtube is your friend here as I can't remember the combination, but I tested it same day to see if it was truthful which IT IS). Once again, its a peace of mind protection for an investment and I highly highly recommend it
3. Since you did put an H7 in, the truck's BMS is still programmed for the H6 and will continue to use the charging strategy for the H6. While I don't think this would cause an issue, I also find it better to cover all bases. FORScan can be used to change the battery type to the H7, which will optimize the charging system for it
4. Now, earlier I side commented asking if you did replace the factory AGM with another AGM. The BMS Systems on these trucks are programmed for AGMs, which is also what enforces the charge capacity regulation. If you put a standard flooded battery back in, the BMS needs to be reprogrammed (FORScan for the win again) to recognize the flooded battery as it will charge it to 100% out of the box.

Essentially, the reason most manufacturers are telling people they need to bring their vehicles in for a battery swap (VW/Audi are NOTORIOUS for this) is because the Charging System could use some tweaks, especially for sweeping changes like an H6 to an H7. If it was H6 AGM to H6 AGM with comparable Cold Cranking Amps, then the BMS reset with the brake/turn signal dance would be sufficient, but since it sounds like this was an H6 AGM to H7 AGM, then I would highly recommend investing in FORScan, or finding a buddy who has it, and perform the following

1. Buying the correct blanket and insulating that battery
2. Updating your charging system percentage to 90%
3. Changing the Battery Type to H7 AGM
4. BMS Reset

If you were in Northern Colorado, I would be happy to help (I've helped a couple folks from the Facebook groups with stuff like this before, hell had one guy from the southern end of the state drive up to see me instead of someone closer to him because I was able to explain how it all works to him), but it sounds like you are a wee bit further away. If you have any other questions about it, feel free to shoot me a DM or reply to this post and I will try and help sort you out

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