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Is this a correct/good replacement for the OEM batteries?

Will_T

Will_T

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I had an issue with unlock/lock that I posted in another thread but that did not get any responses. However, I am thinking that at 4 years, even with only 16,000 miles, it may be OEM battery related. If I do replace the two batteries, is the below the correct size, etc.? I have seen the brand recommended here but am not familiar with the H7 size and not trusting enough of the website tool that says it will fit. There is one lead acid, (non-AGM), with 50 more cranking amps but it does not say it fits the truck. Thanks!
Walmart Battery.jpg

EDIT: I saw a photo in another thread that showed the H7 size so that is settled. I will get the OEM batteries load tested but suspect even with the battery tender, they are going bad and maybe the source of my unlock/lock issues.
 
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flan said:
Those are correct
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Thanks - When I have them install what will happen to all the electronics when the old batteries are disconnected? What will I have to re-set or re-program. Will the EVIC settings stay? What about the UConnect and the settings for things like lights, door locks, etc.?
 
Yes, some may take up to 12hrs to repopulate on the center stack. You can always live dangerously and leave one hooked up while swapping out the other, or put a charger on the truck to keep it 12v+. If the cigarette plug on the dash is switched to be hot with ignition off by moving the fuse you can also plug in a battery charger through there to keep the computers happy. (I’m pretty sure about that. it worked on my car at least, I don’t see why it won’t work on our trucks.)
 
flan said:
Yes, some may take up to 12hrs to repopulate on the center stack. You can always live dangerously and leave one hooked up while swapping out the other, or put a charger on the truck to keep it 12v+. If the cigarette plug on the dash is switched to be hot with ignition off by moving the fuse you can also plug in a battery charger through there to keep the computers happy. (I’m pretty sure about that. it worked on my car at least, I don’t see why it won’t work on our trucks.)
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I don't trust myself installing them and apologize for not understanding as completely as most here would. If I buy from Walmart, I will have them swap them.

Does center stack mean the Uconnect radio/touchscreen settings? By repopulate, do you mean it may take 12 hours for my previous settings on the Uconnect to come back. So I won't loose settings like lock, lights, safety, etc. and have to use the menu settings to put everything back to the way I had it?

What about the customizations I have on the EVIC? I have certain gauges, etc. showing in the programmable places. Will those be preserved or will I have to re-do them?

I want to know only because my aging brain will require me to take notes on the settings before the new batteries are installed or I won't remember all I have customized.

Thanks.
 
Interestingly when I called the store to make sure they had the batteries they said their computer said my truck needed the H8 size, not H7. But they have both in stock so they can figure it out if I go in.
Also interestingly, I was originally going to get the batteries from Costco. But thought maybe Walmart instead since there are more Walmart stores when travelling just in case. However, only a small percentage of Walmart stores, even not all super stores, install the batteries. Costco said they don't install batteries, only sell them.
 
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H7 is correct but with your truck being on a maintainer often I would have the batteries tested as they may not be the issue. Im on the OEM batteries in my 19 and they are still testing strong as of the fall. I will be testing them again soon now that plow season is over
 
H3LZSN1P3R said:
H7 is correct but with your truck being on a maintainer often I would have the batteries tested as they may not be the issue. Im on the OEM batteries in my 19 and they are still testing strong as of the fall. I will be testing them again soon now that plow season is over
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Yeah, maybe. But before the batteries went on the maintainer a couple of years ago, they ran down once or twice to where the truck would not start. That is what educated me on the need for the NOCO. But by then some level of damage may have been done. Until now I have had no issues, but in addition to the lock/unlock issue two days ago, there was this: I noticed that even though the NOCO had been connected as usual, the LEDs were on the one red level. The truck started fine so I let it run for a few minutes. Several hours later when I checked the LED had gone back to the green level. I just checked now and it is still green so I don't know what could have been up with the red LED night before? Why would the NOCO think the charge level was low when it had been constantly connected and the truck started right up even with the draw of the grid heater?

I have to take our TT in to our Les Schwab for wheel bearing service this week. I will have them test the batteries. Not sure about getting batteries from them though as I cannot find out much about who makes their L.S. branded batteries, (Les Schwab customer service says Les Schwab manufactures the batteries but that can't be right), or find any reviews from anyone who has used the LS brand in these trucks. Plus they want $250.00 each for the H7 plus $50.00 installation!
 
Rockcrawlindude said:
As a travel trailer guy you really should brush up on general automotive things like being able to change a car battery, etc. I Would really hate to see you guys in trouble out there on the road due to something simple
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Yeah, I probably could do it fine as I have changed batteries before and I installed batteries, the 1000W Victron solar system, etc. on our TT. But now at 70 I am not sure my back would let me lift one of these batteries up into the engine. Plus I am a bit gun shy because this truck has two batteries and because of all the computers and electronics. Is it really as simple as disconnecting both batteries and reconnecting the new ones?

I guess over the past few years I have changed to the point where I just pay people to do more and more of the things I used to not think twice about. Park of getting old, sore, and maybe a bit lazy I guess.
 
Will_T said:
Yeah, maybe. But before the batteries went on the maintainer a couple of years ago, they ran down once or twice to where the truck would not start. That is what educated me on the need for the NOCO. But by then some level of damage may have been done. Until now I have had no issues, but in addition to the lock/unlock issue two days ago, there was this: I noticed that even though the NOCO had been connected as usual, the LEDs were on the one red level. The truck started fine so I let it run for a few minutes. Several hours later when I checked the LED had gone back to the green level. I just checked now and it is still green so I don't know what could have been up with the red LED night before? Why would the NOCO think the charge level was low when it had been constantly connected and the truck started right up even with the draw of the grid heater?

I have to take our TT in to our Les Schwab for wheel bearing service this week. I will have them test the batteries. Not sure about getting batteries from them though as I cannot find out much about who makes their L.S. branded batteries, (Les Schwab customer service says Les Schwab manufactures the batteries but that can't be right), or find any reviews from anyone who has used the LS brand in these trucks. Plus they want $250.00 each for the H7 plus $50.00 installation!
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There are 3 main battery manufactures im guessing they are using Johnson controls with their label. The NOCO has a battery maintenance mode likely and it was desulphating the batteries possibly.
 
I was just out at the truck, unlocked the doors and had the door open for maybe 3 minutes with the interior lights on and noticed the NOCO went down to one red LED. So must be the batteries are bad and probably should not delay any longer. Hopefully driving the 10 miles to the Walmart will be fine. Seems like once the truck starts and the alternator is going, even with weak batteries it should be OK?
 
Will_T said:
I have seen many posts saying they really are not any better, not worth even the $40.00 difference for two batteries at Walmart.
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While its your choice, this is not really true - from the google comparing lead acid and AGM (and from my experience):

    • Performance:
        • Deep Cycling: AGM batteries are better suited for deep cycling applications, meaning they can be discharged to a greater extent before needing to be recharged.
        • Charging: AGM batteries charge faster than traditional lead-acid batteries.
        • Vibration Resistance: AGM batteries are more resistant to vibration than traditional lead-acid batteries.
        • Durability: AGM batteries are known for their durability and longer lifespan than traditional lead-acid batteries.
and AGM is maintenance free.
 
The Sam’s club Duracell AGM (also at batteries plus) are made by east penn. they also make deka etc high quality AGM batts.
 
Will_T said:
I was just out at the truck, unlocked the doors and had the door open for maybe 3 minutes with the interior lights on and noticed the NOCO went down to one red LED. So must be the batteries are bad and probably should not delay any longer. Hopefully driving the 10 miles to the Walmart will be fine. Seems like once the truck starts and the alternator is going, even with weak batteries it should be OK?
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That’s not uncommon for the NOCO to go to a red LED with battery use as it’s pushing max amps again to top the batteries off. It would likely only be there a few minutes after you stop using the batteries.

Your earlier red LED’s could simply be from a loose connection to the battery.

Does your NOCO have a recovery mode? If so, try that.
 
AH64ID said:
That’s not uncommon for the NOCO to go to a red LED with battery use as it’s pushing max amps again to top the batteries off. It would likely only be there a few minutes after you stop using the batteries.

Your earlier red LED’s could simply be from a loose connection to the battery.

Does your NOCO have a recovery mode? If so, try that.
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If I have been driving the truck for an hour, park it and connect the NOCO Genius 2, would you expect the NOCO to be red for a while? Or, because the alternator has been running for an hour, should the batteries already be 100%?

Not sure about the recovery mode. It says it has auto repair. Maybe that is the same as recovery. This is the NOCO I have: https://amzn.to/3FOfJ2Z

I need to replace the trickle charger on our tractor so I am thinking of moving this one to that and replacing for the truck. I like the NOCO so far I guess although you just need to take on faith that it is working properly at all times. I may spend the extra $15.00 for the Genius 5 just so I have a more powerful one if needed in the future. I assume there is no reason why the 5 would be bad for the truck vs. the 2? In other words a NOCO may be overkill for a specific need but won't do any harm? If I get the NOCO 5 I may hook it up temporarily to our duel 6 volt TT batteries. Those could probably use some repair even though they are on solar full time and the Victron controller is supposed to be taking care of that. I do equalize those periodically also. EDIT: Just noticed that for a two six-volt battery RV system a different NOCO might be needed. That is OK as I am sure the Victron is doing a good job.
 
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Will_T said:
If I have been driving the truck for an hour, park it and connect the NOCO Genius 2, would you expect the NOCO to be red for a while? Or, because the alternator has been running for an hour, should the batteries already be 100%?
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It depends, but generally one hour is insufficient to get a battery to 100%. A battery above 90% at 14.1-14.4V isn't going to accept much of a charge. For example my camper batteries will charge from 50-90% in approx 4 hours, but then it takes 24-36 hours to get them to 100%. With your Genius 2 it may be applying full amps for a while to get to indicate more than one red LED.

My NOCO always indicates red for bit, even after long drives. It does get to 75% failry quickly after a long drive, but doesn't always start there.
Will_T said:
Not sure about the recovery mode. It says it has auto repair. Maybe that is the same as recovery. This is the NOCO I have: https://amzn.to/3FOfJ2Z
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The Genius 2 doesn't support manual recovery/repair mode. The Genius 5, what I have, is the smallest charger that has manual recovery/repair mode.
Will_T said:
I need to replace the trickle charger on our tractor so I am thinking of moving this one to that and replacing for the truck. I like the NOCO so far I guess although you just need to take on faith that it is working properly at all times. I may spend the extra $15.00 for the Genius 5 just so I have a more powerful one if needed in the future. I assume there is no reason why the 5 would be bad for the truck vs. the 2? In other words a NOCO may be overkill for a specific need but won't do any harm? If I get the NOCO 5 I may hook it up temporarily to our duel 6 volt TT batteries. Those could probably use some repair even though they are on solar full time and the Victron controller is supposed to be taking care of that. I do equalize those periodically also.
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I think the 5 is the proper size for our battery bank. If the batteries are at all depleted the 2 is too small for a decent recharge rate.
 
AH64ID said:
I think the 5 is the proper size for our battery bank. If the batteries are at all depleted the 2 is too small for a decent recharge rate.
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Got a NOCO 5 and repurposed my old NOCO 2. But I was not confident that the 5 was going to perform too much magic on my abused 4+ year old OEM batteries.

The OEM batteries tested marginally, one a little worse than the other, but not dead by any means. But when I thought about how much they were down from an already marginal starting point when new, I decided to put in two new Walmart EverStart Maxx batteries. They are starting from a place the OEMs could only dream of so a big improvement and with the NOCO 5 to take care of them, hopefully will have a long life. At least the locks, etc. are behaving now.
 
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