12V Battery replacement with H4

[AlaskaFlash]

My 12 Volt battery went bad, bulging sides, Only 2 years old. Replaced with a new Motorcraft AGM H3 under warranty. This battery went bad after two weeks with bulging sides. Battery saver notices showing up on Ford Pass. I replaced it myself with a H4 AMG battery that says it's electric & Hybrid compatible. I also reset the BMS by using the 5 bright headlight switch followed by 3 brake pedal trick. It seemed to reset the BMS. I had to cut off the spacers in the tray so the larger battery would fit. I've attached photos.

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[Zed]

For those of you who have installed the H4 battery in your Lightning: how is it working out? I know there's been a lot of discussion here about if/how well the BMS can deal with the extra capacity of the H4. I was considering doing the swap but decided to hold off and let the intrepid folks here blaze that trail.

I'm probably not the only one wondering about his, so please respond with your experience and any thoughts about it.

Thanks!!

 

[Adventureboy]

For those of you who have installed the H4 battery in your Lightning: how is it working out? I know there's been a lot of discussion here about if/how well the BMS can deal with the extra capacity of the H4. I was considering doing the swap but decided to hold off and let the intrepid folks here blaze that trail.

I'm probably not the only one wondering about his, so please respond with your experience and any thought about it.

Thanks!!

BMS handles it no problem. I did mine in early March and no issues. 12v related messages have disappeared (although it is still summer).

 

[The Weatherman]

Martin Meeks and Zach Carpenter have a retrofit tray for this, if anyone is interested.

I personally think it’s a little pricey, but others may not.

 

[Lyle]

Martin Meeks and Zach Carpenter have a retrofit tray for this, if anyone is interested.

I personally think it’s a little pricey, but others may not.

Yeah I think it comes out in September. I’m waiting for Martin’s to get back to me on shipping costs because I’m in Hawaii and he said free shipping was to 48 only. I think the kit also comes with the battery negative terminal extension cable as well. Certainly pricey but it’s supposed to allow drop in replacement without having to remove the tub.

 

[Blochead21]

For those of you who have installed the H4 battery in your Lightning: how is it working out? I know there's been a lot of discussion here about if/how well the BMS can deal with the extra capacity of the H4. I was considering doing the swap but decided to hold off and let the intrepid folks here blaze that trail.

I'm probably not the only one wondering about his, so please respond with your experience and any thoughts about it.

Thanks!!

No issues here either. Glad I did the upgrade. Should also make a swap in the future easier with more choices while out on the road.

 

[VAL.ABAPO]

Martin Meeks and Zach Carpenter have a retrofit tray for this, if anyone is interested.

I personally think it’s a little pricey, but others may not.

I was thinking of using an H4 as well until i heard and seen Martin Meeks method.

im all for no mods on the battery tray.

 

[Rayden]

Martin Meeks and Zach Carpenter have a retrofit tray for this, if anyone is interested.

I personally think it’s a little pricey, but others may not.

This looks interesting. I watched the video on YT and didn't see any links to his store. I see that he has a few things he's made over time. Where is he selling his stuff? Google makes it look like there's just YT, FB, and maybe Instagram.

 

[The Weatherman]

He hasn’t said just yet, but your best bet to reach him is on FB. I think he post there more than YouTube.

His partner is here as @ZSC100 you might DM him.

 

[Lyle]

I couldn’t wait anymore, I looked around for a battery locally and here’s what I found. One Costco near me had a flooded lead-acid H4 for about $142. The local Ford dealership has the puny H3 for $250. Autozone had an AGM H4 for $250. Sam’s Club had an AGM H4 for $199 so I decided to get that. I would have preferred to have a Group 65 which Costco had for $179, but I couldn’t wait another month and started thinking that $159 plus shipping would almost get me another battery.

Cutting the battery tray was super easy with my OMT. I also bought a Noco Genius 2D. What’s interesting is that while I was connecting the negative terminal to the Noco (positive terminal connected first), it sparked many times. I watched a review of these kinds of trickle chargers via Project Farm and only the crappy ones sparked. So I was very surprised (shocked) to see it spark. I did not have the AC side plugged in.

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