Donn
Senior Member
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.
Plastic block (removable)
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".
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)**
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
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.
Plastic block (removable)
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".
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)**
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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