Parasitic battery draw from radio?

[Cummins12V98]

I have had great luck with anything made by East Penn.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Bottom line the Costco warranty is attached to each battery. Last I looked for our truck it was three years plain snd dimple. Other batteries were different coverage.

 

[bcbender]

My truck is currently in the shop having ceramic coating done, but I'll try to remember checking the batteries when I get it back. I only paid $250 out the door for both AGMs ( I think they made a mistake as they were $150ea on the shelf I think)... so worth the shot to me, had decent luck with all my Costco batteries especially the old Kirklands (JCI) ones, my last Kirkland died last month, 100mo battery in my Chevelle that I got 120 out of... I forgot to check WM, if these die early I'll look into it I guess.

 

[sag2]

I did not look at the individual battery, just all the signs by the batteries said 3 year pro-rated. I asked the guy behind the counter and he said warranty was changed. I will check next time in.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Stan you are correct once again !!!

Stopped by Costco this am. Sure enough battery warranty is pro rated on ALL now.

 

[Cummins2014]

Stan you are correct once again !!!

Stopped by Costco this am. Sure enough battery warranty is pro rated on ALL now.
View attachment 139797 View attachment 139798

That makes those 4 year free replacement Everstart AGM’s even more attractive at Wamart .
That Costco automotive warranty is about as bad as it gets now , used to be one of the better ones . Although I believe the Everstart has always been a bit better.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Who makes Everstart?

 

[Cummins2014]

Who makes Everstart?

It sounds like Exide makes most of them , but another mentioned is East Penn . Hard to say who makes the particular ones for our trucks . I would think it depends on whether you buy the regular lead acid or the AGM , both could be from different sources.

 

[Topzide]

From a 2022 article, it looks like there are 3;
https://www.motorbiscuit.com/walmart-brand-car-batteries-who-makes-them/

"Walmart brand batteries are known as EverStart batteries, but Walmart does not manufacture these car batteries. Instead, Drivin’ & Vibin’ states that multiple manufacturers produce EverStart batteries for Walmart. This sets Walmart apart from other retailers with car battery brands, as other stores typically have a single manufacturer that produces batteries.

One manufacturer responsible for Walmart brand batteries is Clarios. This name may be unfamiliar, but its previous name Johnson Controls may be more recognizable. Clarios is a major manufacturer of car batteries, and the Drivin’ & Vibin’ article states that up to a third of the world’s cars have Clarios batteries.

East Penn Manufacturing is another EverStart battery producer. Walmart has worked with East Penn Manufacturing for a long time, and the manufacturer may be the most well-known company that makes Walmart batteries.

Lastly, Exide manufactures Walmart EverStart batteries. Exide is an Indian company that is one of the world’s largest lead-acid battery manufacturers. They are famous for producing submarine batteries for the Indian Navy."

 

[Cummins12V98]

Next set I buy may be EverStart but they will be East Penn or Johnson Controls.

 

[Cummins2014]

Next set I buy may be EverStart but they will be East Penn or Johnson Controls.

Never have looked to see who made mine . Maybe Topzide knows who made the AGM’s he has .

 

[Topzide]

I'll look to see who made them. They're labeled as Champion and had a 3 year warranty when I bought from Pep Boys.

 

[Cummins2014]

I'll look to see who made them. They're labeled as Champion and had a 3 year warranty when I bought from Pep Boys.

Thanks. I was thinking you had the Everstart AGM from Walmart .

 

[Topzide]

No, but have some lead acid Everstart. I'll look to see who makes those, and next time in Walmart, will look at those. I'll have to Check DW SUV, hers has an AGM and might be a Everstart. Will make a list. Maybe we all ought to look and see who makes what and then we'll know what and where we want to buy. Wonder how much factor will weigh in on location?

 

[kthaxton]

Just and FYI, because I am persnickety .........

AGM batteries are also "lead acid" batteries, it's just that the acid is absorbed in a fiberglass matte, and not a free liquid....and they still have lead plates, either flat, or coiled up with the matte like an Optima.

 

[Topzide]

Champion AGM's that I bought in 2019 for truck say made by Clarios (ie Johnson Controls)
Everstart flooded cell 2017 say made in South Korea
Duralast flooded cell 2013 say made in Tennessee
Everstart Maxx AGM 2021 nothing stated as where they're made but have 3yr free replacement warranty

 

[firefighter_2000]

Yes some radios are known for this, there is a procedure in the manual to diagnose this and provides a bunch of tests and checks.

We chased it down on @firefighter_2000 's rig, pretty sure we isolated it to the Radio.

From what I recall he did a work around, and was having issues. Isolated it to the radio, did the work around and was not having issues.

But these are odd at times and maybe he made it further then that and figured out a more direct root cause to his issues.

While the currents and draws noted are small somehow its enough on some trucks to cause issues.

Plus the currents you can catch on a typical DVMM might also miss the pulsing effect some of these draws have.

I'm surprised they have not made DVMM that read watts by using an additional lead, probably just due to the more complex hook up and do it wrong will clear a fuse internal to the meter. So with that you have to use the mA draw.

And I fully get when you look at the mA draw and the entire capacity of the batteries, and it should take months to drain down using conventional math. It appeared to me it was a pulsing effect so that while the meter said, say 60mA it could be much higher pulsing effect.

I forget but I feel you could watch the mA switch on and off, and it was like taking a switch and just going ON/OFF/ON/OFF.......

There are versions of the radio updates we had access too that listed problems, unfortunately the information is outdated and his radio was already on a newer version then what the sheet called out.

I ended up placing a relay at the fuse (on the passenger firewall) for the 8.4 radio. So far I haven’t had any more problems. The relay setup was cheaper than replacing the radio. Maybe someday I’ll replace it. The only caveat is that once I shut my truck down, if it’s more than just a few minutes, the clock resets to 12, and it forgets my last radio station. I just hit the preset and since the clock works off of GPS it corrects itself within about 2 minutes.