Autozone - Duralast
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 2,885
Likes: 26
From: Chino, California
I had bought my X, then a month later, the battery died. Bought a new battery from Costco. Then a month after that, my battery light on the dashboard started flickering on and off. Posted the problem on the RV.net forum and someone suggested changing the alternator.
Glad I did. The flickering went away and potentially saved my new battery from going.
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 123
Likes: 1
From: Greenbackville, VA
Good advice on the alternator. This actually happened yesterday afternoon. It was on the charger overnight. Charged to 12.67 volts, measured after being taken off the charger, which is somewhat meaningless. Truck fired right up and with blower on high and rear defroster running, was holding 14.3 volts after 10 minutes or so. The real test will be to see what the voltage is after work this afternoon. If it doesn't hold steady, I'm going to replace the battery. A bad alternator will kill a battery, but a bad battery will kill an alternator as well.
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Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2006
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Since we don't have a Costco anywhere near me, I had to resort to AutoZone to get the same "Johnson Control" battery.
I'm not going to drive 60 miles just to buy Costco.
per MSN auto --- "Most auto batteries are made by just three manufacturers, Delphi, Exide, and Johnson Controls Industries. Each makes batteries sold under several different brand names. Delphi makes ACDelco and some EverStart (Wal-Mart) models. Exide makes Champion, Exide, Napa, and some EverStart batteries. Johnson Controls makes Diehard (Sears), Duralast (AutoZone), Interstate, Kirkland (Costco), Motorcraft (Ford), and some EverStarts."
I'm not going to drive 60 miles just to buy Costco.
per MSN auto --- "Most auto batteries are made by just three manufacturers, Delphi, Exide, and Johnson Controls Industries. Each makes batteries sold under several different brand names. Delphi makes ACDelco and some EverStart (Wal-Mart) models. Exide makes Champion, Exide, Napa, and some EverStart batteries. Johnson Controls makes Diehard (Sears), Duralast (AutoZone), Interstate, Kirkland (Costco), Motorcraft (Ford), and some EverStarts."
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 450
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I could be completely wrong so feel free to correct me, but just because batteries come from the same place doesn't mean they are the same. Just because Kirkland and Diehard are made at the same place, and possibly have batteries with the same specs, doesn't mean they are the same battery. The Diehard might have all new internals while the Kirkland uses recycled. And maybe the Motorcraft uses a completly different internal design. But they are all made at the same place and stuffed inside the same style box.
Super Moderator
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 29,380
Likes: 118
From: Central Coast of CA
You may want to check your alternator as well. If your alternator is going, that new battery will not last.
I had bought my X, then a month later, the battery died. Bought a new battery from Costco. Then a month after that, my battery light on the dashboard started flickering on and off. Posted the problem on the RV.net forum and someone suggested changing the alternator.
Glad I did. The flickering went away and potentially saved my new battery from going.
I had bought my X, then a month later, the battery died. Bought a new battery from Costco. Then a month after that, my battery light on the dashboard started flickering on and off. Posted the problem on the RV.net forum and someone suggested changing the alternator.
Glad I did. The flickering went away and potentially saved my new battery from going.
I could be completely wrong so feel free to correct me, but just because batteries come from the same place doesn't mean they are the same. Just because Kirkland and Diehard are made at the same place, and possibly have batteries with the same specs, doesn't mean they are the same battery. The Diehard might have all new internals while the Kirkland uses recycled. And maybe the Motorcraft uses a completly different internal design. But they are all made at the same place and stuffed inside the same style box.
Probably because diesels need a lot of cranking power to get our compression engines rotating (hence the two batteries we need versus the one for gas engines), batteries are discussed a little bit over in the 7.3L forum and the above conclusion seems to be the general consensus regarding batteries and why some are better than others.
For what it's worth, my Kirkland batteries have been lasting longer and working better than any Die Hard battery I've had.
Stewart
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Postmaster
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But, when I bought the Duralast for the van, it's been lasting much longer and seems to have the same get-up-and-go cranking power it had when new.
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Joined: Feb 2011
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From: Chicago
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From: N.GA Mountains
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Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2006
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Thanks. It's probably the lowest mileage 1994 Ford van in the entire USA. But, even so, it's not really worth anything.
While on this topic, I also have a 2001 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor that I bought from Ford brand new, it just turned 20,000 miles the other night. People have offered me $3,000 and $3,500 for it. I laugh in their faces each time they mention it.
While on this topic, I also have a 2001 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor that I bought from Ford brand new, it just turned 20,000 miles the other night. People have offered me $3,000 and $3,500 for it. I laugh in their faces each time they mention it.
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2007
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From: Minnesota
That's a nice "family muscle" car. I've tried to find one of the Police interceptor Crown Vics, but thay all are pretty well beat. You must have a pretty big garage to keep all your vehicles in.
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Postmaster
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I have a two car garage with an attached 2 car carport on front of it. The Excursion and van will not clear the garage door openers, so they park under the carports. The Crown Victoria stays on one of the garages, the other side is storage and junk sadly enough. I still need room to cover my Impalas, the Explorer and my daughter's new Honda Civic LX-S. Or even better yet, I need to sell some of these cars, trucks and vans. I don't need all these vehicles!
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