wal mart Batterys
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From: Bryan Texas
wal mart Batterys
Here's The problem 12 days ago i came home from hunting and very tired left my dome light on killed the battery. Swaped with brand new battery started fine for three days then acted like the starter was hanging so i changed starter and solinoid didnt fix it . Took the battery back had a dead cell got another battery truck starts fine till tonight i leave my house drive 3 miles to work and shut it off dead.Roll start it home, The strnge thing is radio lost no power and headlights still work . I think a dead cell again but two dead cells in two weeks do they have a bad lot of batterys or is my electrical system bad the, truck is a 85 f150 300 with 4 speed does anyone have any ideas?
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From: Broken Arrow, OK
Wal Mart's Never Start batteries are rebadged AC Delco batteries, so they are actually a decent part.
Does it crank at all, or do nothing? When you try to start do the lights dim? If it does nothing the solenoid isn't getting power from the ignition switch. How old are your battery cables? Has the charging system been tested?
Does it crank at all, or do nothing? When you try to start do the lights dim? If it does nothing the solenoid isn't getting power from the ignition switch. How old are your battery cables? Has the charging system been tested?
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I've had pretty good luck with Wal Mart batteries in my vehicles. My dad had a problem quite similar, he went thru 3 batteries in a month in his Ranger. Turned out that there was a batch of batteries that were manfactured wrong, causing the cells to go bad when exposed to excessive vibration. He was farming and drove thru a lot of pastures and fields and down a lot of dirt roads.
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From: Rose City, MI
i put a Walmart battery in my 85 last winter and i havent had a problem at all. I got the short fat one that is for the 87 or 88 i think it was anyway it is a little shorter in height longer in legnth and fatter in width. it cost me about 85 dollars with 3 year free replacement and 9 year prorate. check your cable ends for corrrosion. and get ur charging system tested. my old battery was ruined by my shorting out alternator which i think fried the v.r. so i put a new one of them in to along with starter cable from syleniod down and from battery to sylenoid and i cut the ends off the ground wire and put a clamp one on it. did a lot of good for them cold starts..
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From: Colorado
I've been running a Walmart battery for two years now, and my only problem was due to a corroded battery cable (just last week). I DID go for the highest amp cold start battery they offered.
I believe Napa will test your alternator ( mine does). Electrical problems can be a real PITA but, as long as you don't have a short somewhere, they are usually caused by poor cable connections, a failing alternator or starter, or (lastly in my experience) a defective battery.
I have an amp gauge (stock dash instrument cluster) & it will always show an elevated charge right after startup, followed by a step down to "normal" within a minute or so. This is an indication of a normally funtioning alternator & battery.
In my experience, a poor battery is often the result of, or will cause, a failing alternator. One problem tends to lead to the other. A poor alternator can't charge a good battery, a poor battery will overwork the alternator, sometimes causing it to fail.
Broncr
I believe Napa will test your alternator ( mine does). Electrical problems can be a real PITA but, as long as you don't have a short somewhere, they are usually caused by poor cable connections, a failing alternator or starter, or (lastly in my experience) a defective battery.
I have an amp gauge (stock dash instrument cluster) & it will always show an elevated charge right after startup, followed by a step down to "normal" within a minute or so. This is an indication of a normally funtioning alternator & battery.
In my experience, a poor battery is often the result of, or will cause, a failing alternator. One problem tends to lead to the other. A poor alternator can't charge a good battery, a poor battery will overwork the alternator, sometimes causing it to fail.
Broncr
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Also check your ground at the body. I chased an intermitant start for a year on my 64' and after replacing the ignition switch, starter, and solinoid finally figured out it was the rusty ground at the body giving me all the problems. Needless to say its the first thing I check anymore when I have starting problems.
An easy way to test is when it won't start, run one side of a set of jumpers from the neg side to the block and try it again.
Also as said: Theres only 3 companies making batteries and walmarts are a Delco battery just different stickers.
An easy way to test is when it won't start, run one side of a set of jumpers from the neg side to the block and try it again.
Also as said: Theres only 3 companies making batteries and walmarts are a Delco battery just different stickers.
Last edited by TruckDrivinFool; Dec 7, 2003 at 12:36 PM.
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From: Bryan Texas
Thanks for all the input, after swaping out battery on saturday morning in the parking lot. The battery right off the shelf was dead. I mean 8 Minutes and I went right back in and had a wonderful chat and 2 minutes latter new battery not dead. Went straight to the zone and got voltage regulator and alternator tested, regulator was good alternator was puting out enough juice to outpass the gauge. I guess the alternator was overcharging then cooking the battery.
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From: Colorado
That's the body grounding strap & you should fix it. Generally there is enough metal to metal grounding elsewhere, but Ford probably wouldn't have wasted money installing it if it weren't doing some good.
On the other hand, my '82 doesn't have one & hasn't in the 12 years since I bought it, so apparently it isn't a big deal in my case...I haven't had any associated problems.
Broncr
BTW - I had to follow my own diagnostic advice and replace my alternator last week... my battery went dead for the second time in a week and I noticed that the amp gauge wasn't showing any charge upon startup. Other symptoms included slow wipers, turn signals & rear power window.
On the other hand, my '82 doesn't have one & hasn't in the 12 years since I bought it, so apparently it isn't a big deal in my case...I haven't had any associated problems.
Broncr
BTW - I had to follow my own diagnostic advice and replace my alternator last week... my battery went dead for the second time in a week and I noticed that the amp gauge wasn't showing any charge upon startup. Other symptoms included slow wipers, turn signals & rear power window.
Last edited by broncr; Dec 12, 2003 at 08:33 AM.