Sunday, July 07, 2024

My Saturday began with the truck making that rattley sound

a vehicle makes when the battery doesn't have enough power to actually try starting.  Which, since I was going to work, was extra not fun.

Son was free, so was able to give me a ride, and a new battery was procured and installed.  Only about an hour late to work, too.

And it happened in the driveway, not in the parking lot at work or crapping out while I was driving.  So could've been worse.

The timing: when last changed oil they'd tested it and said "It's on the low end of 'good' range, so you really ought to change it soon."  And the day before, while getting to sleep, I'd thought "Next week I need to go ahead and get a new one."

It lasted five years, not bad for a battery around here.

5 comments:

Rob said...

Those lithium jump starters (not the old huge/heavy ones) work really well and they keep well too.

Anonymous said...

5 years for a battery isn’t bad and at least it had the courtesy of dying in the driveway. I once had a battery cell decide to short out in front of the supermarket as I was getting groceries. I had to get a tow to a gas station.
Ed

Sailorcurt said...

I recommend Gooloo jump starters. I keep one in the car and the truck. I think I paid about $40 each for them. The one in my wife's car had been in her trunk for probably about three years when her battery quit on her. It started her car right up.

I use the same one for my 6.2l V8 in my truck. It has plenty of power even for a big engine like that.

They came in a case that's about 3" thick, 5" wide and 8" long. That includes cables and connectors and everything...the unit itself is smaller. Blows my mind that so much power can be packed into such a small package.

Mine are 1200 peak amps and 18,000mAh but they don't make that model any more.

Looks like the smallest Gooloo jump box now is 2000 peak amps and is $54.99. Not bad considering inflation. It looks pretty much the same as mine:

Gooloo Jump Box on Amazon

Highly recommended.

Anonymous said...

Mine was at 5 yrs too. Looked a *little* swollen so I changed it out before it left me stranded in the desert. Peace of mind and reliability cost $220.

B said...

Second the lithium Jump starters. Pretty cheap too.