60+ year old thread.

Morning everyone dragging ass today, late night

 

Good Morning Porch Pals & Sue! Well, I gave my tune fix more testing than I planned trying to come home, making about every mistake in Metropolis traffic I could. But it behaved perfectly; no more ghost on the gas pedal after 2/3 shift, all the shifting is much smoother, and gear seeking is non-existent, even on those Hill Country roads. So, other than taking far too long to get home, I got to test almost every driving condition.

Document my Masterbuilt controller issue today, and putz the greenhouse watering again. Hope my parts come early. Seems like a good day to test pool water too!

 

Having been in the automobile industry for decades, I've taken the opportunity to test a lot of the "common knowledge" things that are passed around in the industry. I've enjoyed doing it.

I've had batteries last for fifteen years (three year battery in my Corolla just replaced last year after eleven years), belt recommended to be replaced and they ran fine and were fine when they were replaced 80 thousand miles later... and other stuff. I've seen vehicles with the oil never changed and once discovered after 30/40K the sludge was carved out or just changed with a quart of transmission fluid added to the crankcase and the vehicle was just fine.

I don't really recommend what I did to others... but it's good information to know.

 

Forty years ago, batteries lasted a good eight years. Sears sold lifetime warranty batteries.

In the last ten years, hard to find a battery that survives Texas heat.

A simple battery tester. My daughter commented that her Tahoe's five-year-old battery was acting up, so I told her to go test it. It still started fine, but it's a good thing it didn't leave her stranded. Note 1% battery life (it was causing ABS warnig light to turn on). Topdon—$40 tester off Amazon.

 

Well ready for vacay... At San Diego Airport heading to Maui for 2 weeks and lots of Mai Tais, Pina Coladas and Kona/Maui Brewing beers.

 

I bought one since reading your post last time.

 

Enjoy the flight!

 

Have a great time. Maui one of my favorite places. Been there a dozen times. Last was just before the big fire.

I treat batteries as regular routine maintenance. I’ve found batteries in my cars, trucks, boats last at least 5 years. Every 5 years after purchase I replace my batteries part of my routine maintenance.Cost works out to be about $25 a year, $2 a month. Doesn’t matter if the battery tests fine or not. I do not want to wait for it to fail at some most inconvenient time or place. For me it isn’t worth the few cents I’d save if I extended a year or two. My wife’s car with the s..t load of electronics and electrical I’ll replace at 4 years. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

What is your brand of battery? I have bee a little stuck in an old habit of buying Die Hard's, started decades ago when Sears was a big deal here in central Kentucky. I have been wondering if I should get out of my rut, Mrs JGO's RAV4 battery is coming on four years. It is time.

 

I've had the best luck with Interstates, followed closely by the ones sold at O'Reilly's (I forget the brand), The ones I've had the least luck with are made by Exide. Don't like saying that as I prefer Napa (Exide) to O'Reilly's.

 

I've used Walmart batteries if you need warranty they are everywhere.

 

For my last couple of batteries I went with the Everstart Maxx available at Walmart. I found them to be every bit as good as a DieHard, if not better.

 

Yup. Put off the cost of a battery a few months and cost yourself a $100 tow. Not very cost effective in my book.

 

LOL, for my 2002 Accord, it had the Honda "100-Month" battery; funny thing though, I pushed it as far as it would go (I had spare vehicles available at the time) and it ended up lasting 118 months, just two months shy of 10-years.

 

I use Costco batteries and sometimes Walmart. I’ve never had a problem with any of them. I believe Costco is now made by Duracell not sure who currently makes Walmart batteries. As to how long a battery lasts it depends in part on your climate (other factors too)Here where I live in Northern California cool winters warm summers batteries tend to last longer than say in Arizona or Alaska or Minnesota or Florida……….
I didn’t use to pay much attention to my batteries but after a couple failed at most inopportune times in the past I just don’t want that to happen again.

 

3 years is about it.

 

This is the gibberish my new replacement controller for the Masterbuilt smoker is reading. Just got it, used once on Father's day, and it started with this....so, they get a note tonight.




Happily, my parts came to get the greenhouse done. I got matching power plug sets to make a new Y cord, and just got 2 new pumps so I would not have to solder the old ones I just cut off yesterday back on. Just to keep it simple. Found a couple in line flow valves, and stuck them on the clear tubes (they won't stay that way) for good measure, and cleaned up the Y on the inlet side tubing. Now, since I can't see in the tank, I can at least see the level in the tubes, and have also managed to get the shed output valve adjusted so I am not overflowing the tank in the greenhouse. (Figure that one out: ONE pump in the shed, goes out, UP to the roof level, and fills inside tank. TWO pumps on the inside tank - exactly the same - don't empty as fast as it fills!) Who cares, it's adjusted for now, more pressure to the drips for better performance.





And while it was not the WHOLE problem, putting the pumps in backwards yesterday didn't get me off to a good start. Yes, that was me. Fixing it didn't make it work yesterday, but it did make today go much better.

 

Everstart made by the company who makes interstate

 

I've got whatever Autozone has.... one in the Camry lasted 9+ years. Ones in the truck I'm lucky if I get 4 years out of it

 

Yeah we went to the Big Island and Maui last year left Maui a week before the fires.