xpoc454

I like to take my battery out of the car in the winter time and put it on a trickle charger to keep it on good shape. I don't like to keep it in the car in case something bad happened to the charger or battery. I've seen people talk about battery quick disconnects and they are all over the internet and parts stores.

But it looks to me like these disconnects are used to just disconnect the power from the battery to keep you from shorting something electrical out while working on it. Am I misunderstanding most of these quick disconnects?

What I would like is something that will allow me to quickly disconnect the terminals and be able to pull the battery out of the car. Reaching back behind the seat and trying to remove and install the side post battery one of the previous owners put in can be a pain in the rear.

Do they make something like what I am looking for?


thanks
jim

pmr2000

You could put a quick disconnect round **** type on each terminal and unscrew the **** completely to remove the battery.

Not sure it there are any other ways to do it.

On the flip side batteries are much better than they used to be especially if you buy a AGM or new one you are probably good to go for 5 years no issues.

Tiger Joe

I would say just about all of the battery quick disconnects you see are designed to simply break the flow of current, not aid in removing the cable completely.


like pmr said, they do make a round **** with two sort of ***** on it that you can use to replace the bolts. that would allow you to remove the cables by hand without a tool.


i do agree with him though that you probably have nothing to worry about. I personally have never had a battery explode/go bad in any vehicle in a way that would have caused damaged.


I have heard of it happening once, but that was when someone went to hook up a battery charger.

Revi

Even if you had quick disconnects for the cables, doesn't your battery still have a small bolted hold down bracket on the bottom? How much time are you saving by not unbolting two cables?

I use to live in the North East and the car was parked all winter in the garage. I simply used a quick disconnect to break the battery circuit and let the battery sit in the car. I never used any type of battery charger and the car always started in the Spring, never had any problems.

xpoc454

No I dont have it bolted down so that isn't a factor.
I could have sworn on here in the past people said if you were unable to start your car for the winter it was a good idea to put a trickle charger on it to keep the battery in good health?
jim

See Three

I have used 'smart' battery tenders like Optimate and Noco for my snowmobile, they claim to do more than charge (desulphate?) and even rejuvenate sick batteries but I'm not sure how true that is. When batteries are on a fast charge they produce enough hydrogen to explode if there is a spark and I experienced that first hand, really ruined my day. The top of the battery blew off and hit the 20 foot high shop ceiling and I got covered in acid. Luckily I was right next to a sink so no personal injury, just a shrivelled up coat. On a slow charge I'm not sure that a dangerous level of hydrogen would be generated but I would still allow ventilation. And the little chargers come with their own quick disconnect that you can add to the battery so they just plug in when needed.

Torqued Off

How hard is it to remove the normal clamps?? Takes a couple minutes.

Paul L

For some reason I had the same thought. It takes a few minutes to get the battery out of the compartment. I don't see the issue here.

redvetracr

do a search for electric forklift battery connectors

Sunstroked

We had a battery explode in my wifes Honda accord. Of course it was in PHX, where its about 150 degrees on the pavement. But that was the only one Ive seen. Ive been using a motorcycle battery tender for my bikes, and occasionally just put a charger on the 2 amp mode for a day with the corvette.

Alan 71

Hi Jim,
I understand your 'concern' but have no real advice.
I don't drive my car but I still keep the battery charged and in the car, but with a disconnect on the ground connection.
About every four to six weeks, year round, I hook the charger up with the battery in the car and run the charger. I do this while I'm doing something else on the car so I stay in the garage while it's charging.
I won't say how old the battery is because that will jinx it…. but it's not new by any stretch.
I agree that getting the battery in and out of the compartment isn't easy under the best of circumstances!
???
Regards,
Alan

slofut

Jim,
I wouldn't risk a quick connection solution at the battery. It's a very high current carrying point and needs to be a solid, clean connection for several reasons. Spend a few bucks on a nice wrench to get the cables off when needed. I would maintenance charge it in the car actually.
Bill

aussiejohn

Yes, I'm amazed that everyone seems to think that the battery charger has to be connected to the battery. It does not! Just think what charges the battery when you are driving the car. Yes, the alternator, and where is that located? On the front of the engine, of course. On my Corvettes, I use a Granite Digital (Union City California) charger and their cables, all of which are modular. I have a two foot extension cable wired into the horn relay on the firewall and a nearby ground that has a two-pole plug on the other end that sits in the cowl near the wiper. I plug this into a six foot cable that is connected to the charger, which can sit anywhere within six feet of the car.

So no need to remove the battery, that's just stupid. Sorry if that offends.

Regards from Down Under.

aussiejohn

jswilke

If you are saying your battery is not bolted down at all, THAT is a real issue. In an accident there is no telling where a loose battery will end up.

I have a small battery tender installed next to battery out of site hard wired to my posts. All I need to do is plug in an extension cord to maintain my charge without removing my battery at all. My AGM battery is vented to the outside via vent hose.

The Hot Rod Grille

You might look into what the NASCAR guys use. I've seen them do a battery swap during a 13 second pit stop. The battery is situated in a compartment located in the driver-side rear wheel well. The crew member removes the wheel/tire, and a small access door before sliding the battery out and pulling the disconnect harness and replacing with a new battery that had another disconnect plug attached. Seems like it could work for what you want.