H8 Battery Upgrade May Not Quite Be the Solution That I Hoped For

[gwb82]

I have replaced my H6 with a H7 about a year ago. The H6 was not holding a charge. I also mounted onto the top of the fuse cover a Noco 5 amp maintainer that if I know the truck is going to sit for awhile, even 4 or 5 days, I plug it in. Not a big deal in my opinion.

Side note..
Just replaced my 7 year old, 12 volt 12 AH, zero trun mower battery. It is plugged into a Noco 2 amp maintainer when ever I finish cutting the grass and all winter. 7 years out of a battery with a 6 month warranty. I got 11 years out of my quad battery doing the same thing.

I tend to drive my truck less these days. I have a NOCO 10A Velcroed to my under hood fuse cover. Eliminated messages/warnings.

Sponsored

 

[tomcaudell]

It’s just not right, I have Cadillac suv 4x4 luxury addition, and a GMC 2500 HD duramax 4x4 Denali. The Truck sits for up to 6 months at a time and even with every. Option available it never gives me any warning or goes in to battery saver mode neither does the Caddy that sits for months at a time. It just doesn’t seem like you should have to put your f/:;(ing truck on a battery tender after spending 50k plus for it. It’s a joke a bad joke. Unfortunately it need the Ford from time to time to haul lumber or tow my backhoe and I’m stuck with the aggravation . I’m also upgrading to a Walmart H-8 but I promise if there is no quality is job 1 any more I’ll buy a dodge next time and save 15 k on the price. At least when I have to spend money on it to keep it running there won’t be an electrical bill attached to it as well.

 

[Buyer2021]

I was shocked when I saw the SOC was at 45%

Then - and out of chance - I started using the OBD II PIDs. ONLY THEN did I see my low SOC.

FYI / FWIW ....

When I installed an H8 in my almost identical 2022 3.5EB 500A I used FORScan to edit as follows:

726-08-02 ........ xxxx xx05 A0--

^That^ changed my charging system's target SOC from 80% to 90%.

It takes a fair bit of continuous driving to reach 90% SOC as reported by OBD Link, but I commonly see over 80% in normal use. I don't recall ever seeing lower than ~60% SOC even after the truck sits for an extended period or suffers a period of frequent short-drives.

Just for your consideration, you might try using the NOCO to push the battery above 90% SOC (which can take a long while with a NOCO Genius 10, BTDT), adjusting that target SOC up to 90% with FORScan, then see if your normal use keeps the SOC any higher than before.

 

[jewc75]

You definitely need to change the SOC with forscan.

 

[PaulGrun]

Warning - an unconventional opinion follows...

I am struck by the number of posts along the lines of, "everything was fine and I was happy, until I started looking at PIDs. Now I'm worried and wanting to put my truck on life support..."

There's an old saw among engineers along the lines of "giving the customer too much information can be a bad thing". I think this may be happening here. To be perfectly blunt, how many folks here actually know what SOC means, and how to interpret the current value?

The state of charge on any battery is always going to rise and fall over time; does anyone know what the Ford specs are for the acceptable range for the battery? Who's to say that a 45% SOC isn't perfectly normal given that the next time the truck is driven the BMS will undoubtedly oversee the maintenance of the battery, bringing it back up or letting it fade according to a charging algorithm to which I bet none of us are privy. On a similar note, why do we all seem to believe that a healthy battery / BMS system means the battery is "full" most or all of the time? Aren't these things designed to operate within a nominal operating range?

Personally, I don't think a modern vehicle, even one with a plethora of electronic geegaws, should require regular plugging into a battery maintainer. This is pure anecdotal evidence on my part, but my usage of my truck ('22 PB) is about the worst thing you can imagine from a battery perspective...sits in the driveway for long periods of time (when I get home this time, it will have been sitting in the driveway for more than three weeks ... let's see if it starts right up or not), often gets driven less than 2 miles to the grocery store and back with periodic long trips in the mix. I've never had a problem with the electrical system and am still on the original OEM batteries. Sure, once in a while I get "low power mode" when shutting the truck down, but so what? It still starts right up the next time I get in. I hope I haven't just jinxed myself.

Don't get me wrong, I am ALL IN on understanding these complex beasts and doing everything we reasonably can to maintain them at a high level so they don't leave us stranded by the side of the road.

My earnest advice? Disconnect the OBD unless there seems to be something truly going wrong. Otherwise, drive the truck and be happy.

 

[PB2021]

I’ve noticed in OBD Link that manually turning the headlights on while driving pushes the charging way up. I can be showing 12.7v and 0 amps or even negative amps coming off the 12v battery if SOC is high. As soon as turn the lights on I’m seeing 13.8 to 14.1V and upwards of 28amps of charging. Even just on shorter drives I can go from 90 to 96-97% SOC

 

[PB2021]

Paul I read your reply and chuckled. Not because I disagree but because my very next comment is again ODB related .

 

[PaulGrun]

You definitely need to change the SOC with forscan.

Why? Is there some value in keeping the SOC at a high level? Remember, the BMS is pretty good at keeping the SOC within some defined nominal range.

 

[PaulGrun]

Paul I read your reply and chuckled. Not because I disagree but because my very next comment is again ODB related .

LOL! Again, don't misunderstand me ... diagnostic tools like OBD can be a godsend, and in many cases can give you good and useful information on a variety of topics. The caveat is you have to know how to interpret the results.
On the plus side, time spent fooling around with OBD is time we're not out getting in trouble somehow. So it's all good.

 

[jewc75]

Why? Is there some value in keeping the SOC at a high level? Remember, the BMS is pretty good at keeping the SOC within some defined nominal range.

Some are set very low from the factory. My maverick was at 70% and my F150 was at 80%. First thing I did was bump them up to 95%.

 

[FirstFord]

You may want to leave the charger on regularly to avoid any similar dips in charge.

And that's the irony of it all - that used to be my daily practice, and the reason to ultimately upgrade to an H8 size. The point of my post was that the "solution" (which I am still quite happy with, BTW), was not quite the solution that I assumed that it was going to be....

When I installed an H8 in my almost identical 2022 3.5EB 500A I used FORScan to edit as follows:

726-08-02 ........ xxxx xx05 A0--

^That^ changed my charging system's target SOC from 80% to 90%.

You definitely need to change the SOC with forscan.

Yes sir, I made that FORScan change on March 3 of this year.

Warning - an unconventional opinion follows...

Loved the different perspective! And not to put too fine of a point on it, but I'm not "unhappy" per se, overall (although I thought that the point of getting the larger battery would be to get me off of the regiment of regularly using a battery maintainer), as much as it was an unexpected surprise - a real surprise.

Who's to say that a 45% SOC isn't perfectly normal given that the next time the truck is driven the BMS will undoubtedly oversee the maintenance of the battery, bringing it back up or letting it fade according to a charging algorithm to which I bet none of us are privy.

Understood, and point taken. I've read on this forum that Ford had the AGM charging set to be 80% as ("full" - and yes, I know I'm misusing the description), which is why I raised to 90%.

Personally, I don't think a modern vehicle, even one with a plethora of electronic geegaws, should require regular plugging into a battery maintainer.

I couldn't agree more! (And why I tried the H8 battery size upgrade.)

I can be showing 12.7v and 0 amps or even negative amps coming off the 12v battery if SOC is high. As soon as turn the lights on I’m seeing 13.8 to 14.1V and upwards of 28amps of charging.

When I drove the truck to take care of a task - and which was the trigger for this thread - I was charging pretty consistently at 13.8V. I know that was because the SOC was low enough that it demanded a higher voltage charge to raise the SOC.

 

[Tilstad]

As an alternative if you park outdoors, how about a small solar panel in the windshield?

We got an additional vehicle meant for a child soon getting drivers license, but meanwhile, it's sitting. So we added this low cost $19 solar panel and hooked it up directly to the battery. Suction cup'd it under the rear view mirror. A little large to drive with, but can still see adequately.

Has kept the battery topped up for 9-10 months. Mostly we just move the car up and down the street , as it's on a public street so it doesn't look abandoned. Don't drive it enough to charge it, and too far for an extension cord from the house.

Its usually parked under some trees for shade, but the solar panel have still managed to keep the battery so it cranks eagerly.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07RXKN9MF?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[gwb82]

And that's the irony of it all - that used to be my daily practice, and the reason to ultimately upgrade to an H8 size. The point of my post was that the "solution" (which I am still quite happy with, BTW), was not quite the solution that I assumed that it was going to be....





Yes sir, I made that FORScan change on March 3 of this year.



Loved the different perspective! And not to put too fine of a point on it, but I'm not "unhappy" per se, overall (although I thought that the point of getting the larger battery would be to get me off of the regiment of regularly using a battery maintainer), as much as it was an unexpected surprise - a real surprise.



Understood, and point taken. I've read on this forum that Ford had the AGM charging set to be 80% as ("full" - and yes, I know I'm misusing the description), which is why I raised to 90%.


I couldn't agree more! (And why I tried the H8 battery size upgrade.)


When I drove the truck to take care of a task - and which was the trigger for this thread - I was charging pretty consistently at 13.8V. I know that was because the SOC was low enough that it demanded a higher voltage charge to raise the SOC.

Well. My post was to say I was supplementing my H7 and aux with the NOCO 10A to eliminate low state of charge/sleep messages. Did not mean to get people upset. I love my 2024 PB and agree with Paul about not getting into worrying about every issue. I think I am much better listening and not commenting because as you say I am not an expert and don’t know everything about how these trucks work.

 

[PaulGrun]

Some are set very low from the factory. My maverick was at 70% and my F150 was at 80%. First thing I did was bump them up to 95%.

I truly don't intend to be snarky, but do you have insight as to why the engineers who designed the system set the SOC threshold at the level they did? How did you settle on 95% as the right value? Somehow it seems highly unlikely that number was chosen at random, or set incorrectly at the factory.
Again, not wanting to be snarky, but I doubt that any of us truly understand the reasoning and tradeoffs that went into choosing the parameters that were ultimately chosen. Beyond speculating, we don't even have a handle on the tradeoffs being weighed ... battery lifetime? reliability? cost? target usage model? Who knows?

Not saying that engineers never make a mistake - that's why parameters like this are programmable. After all, Ford revamped the entire charging strategy sometime in 2022/2023 (although I forget exactly when) and miraculously a raft of battery/charging problems being discussed here just went away. Part of the problem is that Ford did this quietly, undercover, never acknowledging that there had been a problem with the original strategy much less telling us when they revamped it ... just another OTA came down the pike.

 

[CowboyUP2022]

Could've sworn H8 was not meant for PBs. I think others have said it wouldn't fit. Interesting. It's not that uncommon to see vehicles not in constant use be put on battery maintainers. I have an onboard tender on mine that's quick and easy to plug in. Which tender do you have? I have a kit that utilizes a male outlet on the bottom of the front bumper (so it's a quick & easy plug/unplug without popping the hood, but I haven't installed it yet). Which tender do you have?

Curious as to what kit you are using on the front bumper. I am looking for a solution where i do not have to pop the hood.
Thanks!

Sponsored