Battery swaps on the 13th-gen F-150 are about as easy as it gets: everything is 8 mm, the battery is right at the front passenger corner of the engine bay, and there is no airbox or cowl to remove. The only awkward part is the hold-down, a J-hook clamp whose bolt sits low on the front face of the battery - you need a ratchet with a 10-12 inch extension, and ideally a wobble, to reach it cleanly.
The thing people get wrong is the electronics side. These trucks have a Battery Monitoring Sensor on the negative cable, and if your truck has auto start-stop it came with an AGM battery. Dropping in a cheap flooded battery and never resetting the BMS is why some owners end up with start-stop that never activates, a battery-saver message, or a battery that dies in two years from the wrong charging profile. A FORScan BMS reset takes two minutes and is worth doing.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Memory saver / OBD power maintainer 9V or 12V OBD-II memory saver Keeps radio presets, HVAC and PCM adaptive memory alive while the battery is out. | Recommended | shop |
| Socket set 8 mm 6-point socket, 1/4 in drive Loosens both battery terminal clamp bolts. | Required | shop |
| Ratchet with long extension 3/8 in drive ratchet, 10-12 in extension, 8 mm socket Reaches the hold-down clamp bolt at the bottom front of the battery tray. | Required | shop |
| Swivel/wobble extension or universal joint 3/8 in drive Helps angle onto the hold-down bolt past the fender and coolant hoses. | Recommended | shop |
| Terminal spreader or small flat screwdriver Gently spreads the clamp so it lifts off the post without prying on the post. | Recommended | shop |
| Battery terminal brush Post and clamp wire brush Cleans corrosion off the cable clamps for a solid connection. | Required | shop |
| Battery carry strap Universal lift strap Group 65 batteries weigh 45-55 lb and there is no top handle on many. | Recommended | shop |
| Shop towels and baking soda solution Neutralizes and cleans acid residue in the tray. | Consumables | shop |
| Battery terminal protector Spray or felt anti-corrosion washers Slows corrosion on the posts after reassembly. | Consumables | shop |
| Dielectric grease Light coat on clamp exteriors and hold-down threads. | Consumables | shop |
| Replacement battery Group 65 (H7/94R AGM on start-stop trucks), 650-850 CCA Must match the original type; AGM required if the truck has auto start-stop. | Parts | shop |
| FORScan with OBD-II adapter Windows laptop or phone + MS-CAN/HS-CAN adapter Resets the Battery Monitoring Sensor / BMS learned state so charging strategy matches the new battery. | Recommended | shop |
| Battery charger / maintainer AGM-capable smart charger Tops off a new battery that has been sitting and verifies the old one is truly dead. | Recommended | shop |
| Nitrile gloves and safety glasses Protects against acid residue and accidental sparks. | Safety | shop |
Tool sizes are the same across 3.3 V6, 5.0 V8, 2.7 and 3.5 EcoBoost - 8 mm terminals and 8 mm hold-down. What changes is the battery: base 3.3/5.0 trucks typically use a flooded Group 65 around 650-750 CCA, while 2.7/3.5 EcoBoost trucks with auto start-stop (mostly 2018-2020) use an AGM Group 65 (H7/94R equivalent) at 750-850 CCA and must be replaced with AGM.
| Battery cable terminal clamp bolts (8 mm) | about 7 Nm (62 in-lb) - verify in the service manual |
| Battery hold-down clamp bolt | verify in the service manual (snug only, roughly 8-10 Nm) |
The 8 mm terminal bolts and 8 mm hold-down bolt with a long extension cover the vast majority of 2015-2020 F-150s, but check yours - a few have a 10 mm hold-down head - and confirm whether your truck needs an AGM by checking for auto start-stop and the battery label.
Group 65 for essentially the whole generation, typically 650-850 CCA depending on engine and options. Trucks with auto start-stop (common on 2018-2020 EcoBoost) require an AGM Group 65 / H7-94R type - check the label on the old battery before buying.
An 8 mm socket on a 3/8 in ratchet with a 10-12 inch extension. The J-hook clamp bolt is at the bottom front of the battery, so a plain ratchet will not reach it.
Yes on start-stop trucks: run a Battery Monitoring Sensor (BMS) reset with FORScan or a Ford-capable scan tool so the PCM charges the new battery correctly. On all trucks, reset the clock and radio, let it idle 5-10 minutes to relearn idle, and cycle the windows to restore one-touch.
Nothing permanent, but you lose radio presets, the clock, window one-touch and transmission/idle adaptives, so the truck may idle rough and shift firmly for the first few miles. An OBD-II memory saver avoids most of that.