Original battery on my 2018 F150 5.0 56,000 miles.
Occasionally tow a travel trailer and I feel that maybe I should consider replacing my battery. I have read there are certain procedures that need to be followed other than just taking the old battery out and hooking up a new one. Is there any truth to this?
Also, do you feel a new battery should be considered due to age and conditions under which it is used?
All opinions and info appreciated.
Thanks in advance

 

Not sure where you are but here in the South if a battery makes it to 3 years you are on the good side. Heat is a killer.

You will want to get an H7 AGM. Ford recommends AGM because auto stop/start places an additional load on the battery. You will pay about $180 at Costco or Sam's, or a few bucks more if you go to the auto parts store. It will take you longer to get your tools out then it will to actually replace the battery.

You should reset the BMS (battery management system) after you replace the battery. If you are Forscan savvy you can do it in the program quickly. Otherwise there is a process involving locking the truck, taking your keys far enough away from it that it doesn't try to find them, and letting the truck "sleep" for 8 hours. Google is your friend on the exact process to reset it through the "sleep" mode.

 

Take it to an Autozone, dealer or independent mechanic and have your battery tested instead of guessing. Many will test if for free. If you do replace your battery, check the manufacture date to make sure it's not already old. There is a procedure you can look up to reset the control module to recognize that you have a new battery and adjust the charging level accordingly, but you can accomplish the same thing by parking the truck for at least 8 hours with no disturbances whatsoever (don't open any doors, don't lock with the remote, nothing). It will detect the new battery.

 

That's a fine long time for an original battery, and good idea to go ahead and replace it...summer heat is far harder on them than winter cold. If you have a simple 12v power supply like a Battery Tender, etc...just clip the leads onto the cables prior to removing them from the original battery, and leave them on whilst attaching to the new. The vehicle will never sense an interruption in power.

 

My battery's get replaced every 3 years, its too hot here so not worth getting stranded somewhere since batteries only get worse not better. (ask me how I know) JMO

 

I have our Ford dealer replace the battery every 3 years with an exact replica of the Ford OEM, regardless of mileage. I’m on my second battery, getting third this month. Many see it as overkill, but I see it as a maintenance item because of the beating the truck takes with towing and climbing in our mountainous environment. 2018 F150 4x4 SCREW 5.0 10R80 @ 78k miles now.

 

So I am not so sure resetting the BLM is necessary. See the below post, specifically post# 27, from a Ford battery engineer. I do think it is important to install a fully charged battery, and let it sit overnight to learn the state of charge. If I had Forscan, I would reset it. If not, I would try the manual reset as discussed, if not I wouldn't worry.
https://www.f150forum.com/f118/new-b...bms-no-460039/

 

When replacing mine, I did the high beam x5 and brake x3 in accessory mode as others have done. The battery light then flashed several times.

That was 2 years ago and I’ve never had an issue.

Did that procedure do anything? I don’t know. But like I said, everything still works as it should. Auto s/s always works even though I only drive my truck once or twice a month, though, that feature is usually shut off.

 

Replaced original battery on 2017 in January. 65211 miles. Old one was getting weak but still functional. Although it went into energy saving mode occasionally and also disabled auto start stop. Didn't do any "procedure". Bought it myself at O'rielly and replaced with similar agm battery. Been fine since.

 

I thought mine sounded weak so I tested it with the below tester and it tested out fine so I left it be. That was over a year ago. Original from 2018.