Anyone know where I can find some detailed instructions on how to install a hybrid battery?

I had the Stop Safely Now issues and Ford dealer said I need a new battery. They told me 11k and they told my wife 13k. I found one with a 3 yr warranty for 2.5k and now I need to install myself. Thanks in advance!

 

Have you already bought it? Most people are buying used batteries for $400-ish with good results.

 

What year?


It's almost self-explanatory when you see it.


and +1... $2.5K is too much for some aftermarket battery when you can pick up used ones for far less.

 

How would you know a used battery from a junkyard is as good as a reman or new one? Battery cells do not have an infinite life, and a lot of packs could have been killed by bad HV fan assemblies. Rebuilding and balancing a battery pack takes time/money/skill, which usually is not free . The OP might have paid a fair price for a fresh pack/fan assembly that has 10 years of life in it.

 

Because the failure rate of the FEH battery has been so low, there's a glut of them on the salvage market. $2500 is based purely on the replacement cost and likely entails no more than about 5-8 hours of work on the part of the organization in disassembly and testing as the lower mileage wreck almost never need anything.

 

If you're in a place that uses a lot of salt I would say get a very long ratchet and a impact wrench set. They're in there so hard that an impact unless it's like a Ingersol Rand Titanium edition ($1000 impact) isn't going to remove those bolts. I used a two and a half foot long 3/4 drive wrench, you could use a shorter wrench and a pipe.

Before you do anything remove the orange battery plug. Remove all the connectors, you'll need to remove the foam piece to get at some I believe. Remove the high voltage cable, you might have to remove a cable cover to get it off. The one connector for the instrumentation has an excessively long bolt, keep turning, it will come out.

If you have time soak the battery bolts from below with Kroil, anything else is basically crap and won't help much. Remove them with the 3/4 inch wrench unless you live in a salt free area and the truck spent the whole time there.

Get a long pry bar and come under the battery, remove the trim first though, you will have removed the wheel well trim already to get at some of the bolts I believe, it for sure has to come out for the battery to clear.

Now it is going to take a lot of pry force to free the battery. There are a bunch of rubber tabs it sits on that basically welded themselves to the pan. Keep trying it from different spots with at least an 18 inch lever, it will come.

Rock it backward and then with one person in the truck and another outside remove it. Be EXTREMELY careful of everyone's fingers at all times, it is a very heavy unit and can and will AMPUTATE. It's heavy so general lifting rules apply, but two people should be able to get it out. Myself and another guy bother weighing under 160 too the old battery up a flight of stairs, just be careful and take your time.

 

If the fans in your current pack are good and you can still return the other pack I have one that just has bad fans but ran the vehicle just fine I want to get rid of. I bought it to troubleshoot a gremlin that turned out to be elsewhere in the truck in a place still unknown. Symptoms never changed. It drives fine, just high rpm sometimes for no apparent reason.

If you're anywhere near Wisconsin I could get it to you for like $400 and even help you put it in if you have the tools, I could bring some, some of the tools like the prybar I borrowed.

 

On a side note Stop Safely Now is almost NEVER the battery and when it is that is covered by a harness recall for the 05-07, what year is your truck?

 

On a side note Stop Safely Now is almost NEVER the battery and when it is that is covered by a harness recall for the 05-07, what year is your truck?

It's an '06. Ford dealer had it for a few weeks. I bought the rebuilt battery and, shocker, didn't fix it. I'm in Idaho and there are not many hybrids out here, and few mechanics would touch the issue. They couldn't fix it and told me it was the battery. Not it's too late to return the one I bought. This FEH has been sitting unused for months, as my wife and I make other arrangements for transportation. Super annoying to say the least. I'm trying to sift through SSN posts on this forum for anything to do. I haven't heard about the harness yet. I would hope Ford checked it for a recal...I'll see if my VIN number has anything to tell me. Ford Dealer has been a total waste of time and money. No surprise. Thanks for the responses so far. Any insight is appreciated.

 

Well that's gotta suck :/
Tell me you already replaced the 12-volt battery up front.