H8 Battery DIY for 5.7 1500

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Donn

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My OEM battery decided to take a dive on me during the harsh cold spell we had a few weeks back. So I started researching batteries. I noticed some people inquiring about installing the bigger H8 battery the Eco-Diesels use and if they would fit a normal 1500 gasser. Some people have already switched, but I decided to do a short write-up just in case anyone had questions or doubts.

The H8 will definitely fit in the space with one small adjustment. In the picture below you can see the battery tray with the normal H7 battery size removed. On the left side of that picture you will notice a square black plastic piece sticking up. This holds the H7 size battery towards the front of the truck.

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Plastic block (removable)
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There is a tab in the hollow part of the blocking plate that you can press and it will pull straight up and out.

Here in this picture you can see the H8 battery installed after removing the blocking plate. You will notice that there is now only about a 1/2" space at the end of the tray towards the windshield with the H8 battery installed. With the original size and the block in place there was about an 1 3/4".

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In this picture you can see an empty hole about the size of a pencil erasure where I had to pull a wire loom adapter out to give me enough slack in the negative battery cables to reattach the negative side to the battery terminal. I don't see there being any problem with that being loose.

You will lose your original battery heat shield blanket. There is a blanket that will fit the H8 battery, but you will have to order the one for the Eco-diesel model. ** That part number is: 5033397AE (Battery Shield)**

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Overall it was an easy install. The H8 battery is heavier, so it had to be hefted up there, but it's got 900 Cold Cranking Amps now and allows for more battery overall if needed. I decided to go with the AGM style battery over the normal OEM battery this time. ** I aslo added the Positive Battery Post Cover because mine was missing. That part number is: 68164628AA (Battery Post Cover)**

Hope this helps someone if they are on the fence of wondering if it will really fit.


** Edited to add better pics and part information **


- Don King
 
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ToxicFire

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Great my battery has been poor before our winter and my battery charger won't fully charge it however it made it this winter but if i turn truck off music plays for about 4 minutes and then shuts down and display says start truck battery low or something.

So I need to replace and bigger is better. I'm going to give this a try next week.

Thanks for photos

Sent from my SM-N986W using Tapatalk
 

crazykid1994

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I did mine recently as well. My truck definitely needed a new battery as it was slow to crank and was acting up. I found the h8 for cheaper than a stock replacement battery. Near me they wanted 220$ for the h7 and the h8 was 170$ Not sure why they big price difference.
 
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Donn

Donn

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I found the h8 for cheaper than a stock replacement battery. Near me they wanted 220$ for the h7 and the h8 was 170$ Not sure why they big price difference.

I found this one cheaper than most of the H7's too. I've never used Everstart, but with a 4 year full replacement warranty...I'm game to try a Wal-Mart battery. This one was the same price as the H7 @ $169.00.

- Don King
 

hdoggie24

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Also went with an H8 battery. Pep boys had 25% off their Champion batteries, got the AGM one. Was cheaper and more powerful than the H7. Super easy install. I may not even use the heatshield foam anymore. Had to loosen the negative cable a bit to move it over but that was all.
 

caulk04

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My last vehicle took an H7 battery and I was annoyed at the price. It was also about due for a new battery, so when I picked up the truck I though, boy won't it be nice to not need a goofy battery size. Ugh...lol.

An H8 battery was also an option on that vehicle. I'll be sure to keep it in mind when this is due for one.
 

Bigskyroadglide

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I had to finally replace the battery in my 11 today. 10 years on the factory stock battery that came with the truck. They just don't build em like they use to. Went with the H7 vs the H8. No AGM. Truck starts and runs great now.
 

smoothee

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Just realized the battery tray in my '11 is different after already buying the H8. Going to try to do some trimming to make it fit, wonder if the battery trays are interchangeable? And yes I did snap the hold down bolt off lol, gotta love the salt belt
 

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smoothee

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Got it to BARELY fit. Noticed the pwr wire for my backup cubes had been pinched too while I was at it so repaired that too. Had to drill out that ****** bolt, no dice with the ez out and bolt was too soft for the vise grips, just need to run out and grab a new bolt and bolt. Might've had a better shot if it wasn't in such an awkward spot. Once again a quick job goes to **** in a hurry lol
 
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Treburkulosis

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Thanks for the write up and thanks @smoothee for letting us early models know that the battery box is different. Post up some pics. I am sure mine will be dead in the next year or so.
 

smoothee

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Thanks for the write up and thanks @smoothee for letting us early models know that the battery box is different. Post up some pics. I am sure mine will be dead in the next year or so.
I'll grab some pics Monday, ran out of day light today. I should've known better than to assume it was the same battery box...
 

Hemi395

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Just did this last night, pop the little spacer out near the firewall and it fit no problem. Battery cables were long enough on my truck so I didn't have to unhook them from the tray.

The H8 was actually cheaper than the H7 too, highly recommend this upgrade.
 

DILLIGAF

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Took me about 30 seconds on my 2012 to cut those fins for the H8 to fit.

I used my Milwaukee undercut saw :p lol...
 

tul9033

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My 2019 RAM Limited battery died yesterday without warning. Pumped gas, got back and clicks. Luckily I had a jump pack in my cubby. Went to Costco to get a Interstate H7 AGM and they were out. Had 2 H8's so got one stamped 12/22 (5 days old!?) Both H7 and H8 were priced at $184.
Pulled the old one, removed spacer, new H8 in place, cables back on, GTG. My radio did prompt for a security code briefly but went away.
Thanks for the detailed post!
 
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