Cummins battery time...

[VANDAN]

I need 2 for my '05 this spring, going with the NAPA's. I have to look at the dates, but I think they're the originals to the truck. It's got around 80K on it, had the original tires when I bought it, and sees little usage, except for towing, or hauling.
Also need batteries for my Challenger, Van, '63 MW, and both mowers. Might have to "un-retire" just to cover the bill...

 

[Triplegreen500]

Well, my budget got a stay of execution. Maybe.

NoCo battery tender for 24 hours, starts right up. Have to tow a friend's dead Dakota an hour after work today so I had the truck out getting the dolly out, organized, tires inflated, test tow...got back, parked the truck. Checked under the tonneau to make sure I had space for a spare, a jack, and some tools for the tow - my work lights were on under the cover.

Most of the truck's use is my sound company. I do shows that end well after dark, so under the flip-up tonneau cover I have an LED light strip so I can see what I'm loading. It hasn't worked the last couple gigs (I need to troubleshoot the wiring)...but apparently I left the switch on last time, because those lights were on when I opened the tailgate yesterday.

DOH.

Turned them off, put the truck back on the NoCo overnight...fired right up for work today.

As an aside - the FlowKooler water pump I just installed is definitely working. Used to be I'd hit 190 on the way to work, easy, and the thermostat would do the regulating. Today? Barely cracked 150, and that's with the cold front 3/4 closed.

 

[chargervert]

I put the Walmart ones in my 2005 Cummins Ram. The original ones lasted over ten years. They were made by Johnson Controls for Mopar who also used to make the Walmart batteries. Johnson Controls has since sold off their battery division so the quality of the Walmart batteries has dropped off some. My wife's 2009 Challenger R/T still has its original Mopar/Johnson Controls made battery in it,and the car has sat for 13 winters unused,and driven the rest of the seasons yearly with no problems. The current batteries Mopar uses barely made 5 years. The one in our 2016 Jeep Cherokee was only 4 years old when it failed and the one in my 2014 Ram was five years old when it failed.

 

[5.7 hemi]

You guys keep talking about gas cars/trucks/SUV’s which don’t require the higher amperage to start. Nor do they have the higher compression the pistons are fighting.

 

[Triplegreen500]

My '14 Grand Cherokee diesel (I'm gonna jinx it here) is still on the original battery, 98k miles. I suspect that's because it lives in the interior, not under the hood (it's under the passenger seat), so there's much less temperature variation on it.

 

[QuickBpBp]

Our '03 Ram 2500 Battery lasted 17 years.. I put one in it in the fall of 2020 and 2 months ago had to replace that one. Luckily it was still under warranty so it was replaced for free.. They don't make NOTHING like they use to..