I bought three maintainers from Harbor freight stores for about $9 apiece on
sale. They have the electronic box to charge as needed, and when I put my
voltmeter on the battery to see if such a cheap gadget actually worked, I
found it maintained the battery at about 14 volts. I also bought a solar
charger without the fancy electronics for about $10 on sale, and it does the
same. It plugs into a lighter outlet in the car, so no wiring hassles. The
only thing is, they are made in China, probably by convicted U.S. spies or
child labor or something, so pinkocommiehippyliberalbleedingheartoneworlders
can't buy them.
About the anti-drainback tube in the oil filter. Tom Walter machined them
from stock tubing and sold them. He donated all the profits to his favorite
charity, a form of cancer research, I think. Many oil places throw them
away, as do unknowing owners. Tom needed a batch order to make the lathe
setup worthwhile. One of the suppliers sells them for $5-$10, if you ask
around.
Leisure Suit Terry
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