I have been using a for the last couple years and have been pleased. I keep the dongle plugged into the OBDII port 24/7. I also have the OBDLink in my F250, but it's more tedious to reconnect to. Money wasted IMO.

 

Survival kit, inc's first aid and batteries.
Crank position sensor (7.3L)
Basic tools
Belt
Tire inflator
Jumper cables
Trans Fluid
DSL 911
Fuel Treatment
Towel/Blanket
Rags
Fuses/electrical/zip ties
Tow strap
Gerber multi tool
Flat repair kit
Water/energy bars (for long trips)
Starter and alternator (for long trips)
Emergency light/flashlight
California dash duster (in driver seat pocket)...for when Im bored in traffic. Hey, I keep my rig clean!

This is all in a Plano sealed bin. Stays pretty still in the back and is really sturdy against hockey gear and players.

 

I have quite a few electrical mods on my Excursion as part of an overland build. With all of those changes (and past experience) I carry a spare alternator, a Schumacher diesel jumper box and some electrical tools and parts.

Scotty

 

I'm covered in the event of Alternator failure at least for a short to medium distance, I have a large 36 inch by 15 inch solar panel on the roof rack of the Excursion that is wired into a solar charger, we use the same setup on our shipping container forklift at the ranch and it does not actually have an alternator, its a big diesel and the alternator is un-available anywhere, so we just bypassed it, and put a solar panel on top, it keeps the battery's topped off and its been running like that for several years now without issue.

 

MasterX

That is a very clever way to keep the battery charged. I have a solar panel system for the third battery in the back that is used for all of the auxiliary electrical items, e.g., ARB air compressor, ARB fridge/freezer, inverters, but had not considered wiring it up directly to the primary batteries.

This thread inspired me to buy a spare cam sensor and Navistar water pump. Thanks.

Scotty

 

I just last night swapped my Excursion over from a Red Top Optima to a Blue Top.

The red top has a weak cell because I have deep cycled it way to many times, It will become an accessory battery for my trailer for now until it croaks, and be hooked up to solar full time, so it should live decently, it still starts the truck but it was beginning to show a slightly hard start, It pre-dates the solar install in the truck and was allowed to drain pretty deep countless times and then be charged back up which is really not good for them long term. It was showing signs of not maintaining standard voltage already when I put the solar panel setup on about 6 months ago, but the solar panels resurrected it for a while and held the voltage up so it averaged 12.5 to 12.6v, they are supposed to be 12.6-12.8 in new condition, but lately I've begun finding it at 12.4 to 12.5 which told me the cell is slowly getting weaker, so rather than keep hitting it with asks to start up a V10 engine and further weaken the cell, I put in a new battery and this one can go to light duty running trailer crap with full time solar connected.

The Blue Tops I recently read work really well for Solar Power and there is actually a racing team who setup their racing trailer 100% solar including all their tools, etc, so they no longer require parking at a power hookup, and they used a stack of Optima Blue Tops to pull it off, they are also supposed to be much better for Deep Cycle, and accessory loads, which my truck is heavy with. My Yellow Top in my GT is also going on 6 years old now and even though the car has not been driven but maybe 3 miles in the last 2 years, its still fully charged, all thanks to a 6x6 solar panel sitting in the windshield. I drove it around the block 2 weeks ago and it fired instantly without any hesitation. And the Blue Top is essentially a Yellow Top, but geared for Marine Use as it has easy hookup bolt points on top in addition to the posts, so you can connect trolling motors, and other accessories. Gives me somewhere to connect my own accessories and not have to pile more wires onto the main battery cable. And Ace Hardware has some nice Wing Nuts that fit the battery posts so it makes for easy disconnect of said accessories.

I think there are quite a few people using the blue tops in vehicles because I have seen a number of photos where they are clearly seen under the hood, even on Super Duty's, so it's obviously not a new idea to use them for this.

 

I have two 100 watt solar panels on the roof that charge two 100 wh batteries. The batteries are also connected to the alternator via a battery isolator. The isolator will charge the auxiliary batteries only after the main batter is charged. And the current will only run one way unless jump it. I put a switch in so if my main battery was dead I could start the truck with the other batteries. I also run a 12v fridge/freezer and front and rear dash cameras 24/7.

 

This 4th of July holiday, the starter on our Ex failed right after the entire family stopped for burgers after loading our 34ft boat out of the water.

changing the starter in a gravel lot is not fun but doable. All you need is 13mm and 10mm bolts. I’d recommend keeping a pipe or breaker bar in the car too.

 

Can we get some pics, please?

 

I carry a basic socket set, pliers, channel locks and a multi tip screw driver. I also have a small air compressor and bluetooth obd adapter.

For parts i have a spare belt, rad hoses and clamps, really sticky tape, cps, fluids.

I also carry a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher.

Try to keep it to a minimum as i need the space for all the stuff my family needs to bring.

I need a nice bin to put it all in though.