C4 Battery charger / maintainer / desulfator project
07-22-2012, 04:46 PM
#22
Drifting
What's wrong with just starting it up every week or two while in storage in the winter months? Or can't you disconnect the negative cable so the security system doesn't drain the battery? Like I do on my boat and riding lawnmower.
07-27-2012, 05:43 AM
#23
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Member Since: Jun 2012
Location: Barberton Ohio
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quick dis-connects
I don't understand why your batteries are discharging. You guys may have bigger issues at hand here. As stated, no charger will completely repair a battery that keeps getting depleted. You should figure out where discharge is coming from. And if you're letting your car sit for months at a time during the winter, do what I do, just attach a quick disconnect to the battery. I always install disconnects on my batteries to kill power fast if I ever need to and will always have a charged battery even after sitting for a couple months.
03-02-2013, 07:26 AM
#25
Racer
I too am surprised that C4 owners need a battery tender. I understand if you just leave it sit for a number of months.
But I feel you are decreasing the life of your Corvette by letting it set.
I run mine at least every thirty days. Bad weather I run it for 20 or more minutes and move my Corvette back and forth thereby exercising trans, brakes and other rotating parts and systems.
I have always bought 84 month batteries (Best I could find).
Old saying, ("If you do not use it you loose it").
But I feel you are decreasing the life of your Corvette by letting it set.
I run mine at least every thirty days. Bad weather I run it for 20 or more minutes and move my Corvette back and forth thereby exercising trans, brakes and other rotating parts and systems.
I have always bought 84 month batteries (Best I could find).
Old saying, ("If you do not use it you loose it").
12-02-2013, 01:48 PM
#26
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Location: SCMR Rat Pack'r Charter Member..Great Bend KS
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I'm not surprised that a battery tender is needed by many Corvette owners. No more than by many boat owners: both boats and Corvettes are seasonal toys for many, many folks.
Steel, aluminum, rubber, and plastic do not require exercising: they are not living muscle tissue. A Corvette that is sitting in a garage is not decreasing it's life any more than a Corvette that is on the highway going 70 miles every hour.....most likely much less.
Also, starting and letting a vehicle sit, idling, for 20 minutes every month can build up condensation inside the engine. Not good. The engine oil must be brought up to normal operating temps (+212degrees) to rid the internals of water vapor. Better to not start the engine at all.
Them's the rules I live by.
Steel, aluminum, rubber, and plastic do not require exercising: they are not living muscle tissue. A Corvette that is sitting in a garage is not decreasing it's life any more than a Corvette that is on the highway going 70 miles every hour.....most likely much less.
Also, starting and letting a vehicle sit, idling, for 20 minutes every month can build up condensation inside the engine. Not good. The engine oil must be brought up to normal operating temps (+212degrees) to rid the internals of water vapor. Better to not start the engine at all.
Them's the rules I live by.
10-31-2014, 06:45 PM
#27
6th Gear
Here's a question from the frozen north. Living in Kitchener, On,Canada, it obviously gets cold in the winter in my unheated garage, we could get well below freezing. I have always brought the battery indoors before connecting a similar battery tender for the winter months. Provided the battery tender is left connected, is it necessary to bring it indoors for the winter?
David
11-18-2014, 09:23 PM
#29
6th Gear
10-19-2015, 12:20 AM
#31
Melting Slicks
After cooking three expensive batteries in an ML430 that sits for many months at a time in my Alaska garage, I reasoned that the battery tender was continually charging it, due to the e-drains by the onboard gadgets. Now, I use a disconnect with a maintainer. Yes it gets Alzheimers, but recovers.
Never had a charged battery freeze.
Never had a charged battery freeze.
10-20-2015, 11:23 AM
#32
Burning Brakes
A charged battery will freeze about the same as good antifreeze in your engine block. It never gets really hard like ice does, just gets mushy slushy.
If it does freeze, you got bigger problems than trying to get your Vette out of the garage!
If it does freeze, you got bigger problems than trying to get your Vette out of the garage!
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BubbaKahuna (05-18-2019)
05-16-2019, 01:15 AM
#34
Racer
05-08-2020, 09:58 PM
#36
Racer
Can you post a picture and also the brand & part number of the switch or a link to it?
05-21-2020, 01:39 AM
#37
Racer
Thanks
02-21-2022, 08:38 PM
#39
Racer
10-21-2023, 08:11 AM
#40
I've had my'85 for 34 years,its a nice day car with 215,000 on it.
As the years roll on, I drive it less because of my age.
The primitive OBD1 computer exhibits a parasitic drain and Gm knew it but not how to engineer a less draw system back in the day.
So come the winter season I just disconnected the negative battery terminal and the battery is fine for the 4 to 5 months during winter without any charging or maintaining.
Every 6 or 7 years I routinely replace the battery with a new one and rotate the vette battery to one of my many other toys till it dies a natural death.
In these later years of my life, if it sits more than 2 months in summer the battery is discharged to a point is is not good for it as it is not a deep cycle battery.
All my life I have dabbled with electronics in some form or another and a 12V wall wart power supply that traditionally power a variety of small electrical items
like shavers, toys, old phones,games etc etc make a great 1/2 to 1 amp charger at no cost except to add a cigarette lighter plug to the end of the output cord.
As long as they are 12V DC output and polarity is observed.
I have an old reliable one in use since 1964, so these no/low cost home built "maintainers" do the job, just plug the "wart" into the wall outlet and the other end in the lighter socket, close the door and put on the car cover till the next cruise night.
You can't beat something that works and is free.
Just my .$.02.
As the years roll on, I drive it less because of my age.
The primitive OBD1 computer exhibits a parasitic drain and Gm knew it but not how to engineer a less draw system back in the day.
So come the winter season I just disconnected the negative battery terminal and the battery is fine for the 4 to 5 months during winter without any charging or maintaining.
Every 6 or 7 years I routinely replace the battery with a new one and rotate the vette battery to one of my many other toys till it dies a natural death.
In these later years of my life, if it sits more than 2 months in summer the battery is discharged to a point is is not good for it as it is not a deep cycle battery.
All my life I have dabbled with electronics in some form or another and a 12V wall wart power supply that traditionally power a variety of small electrical items
like shavers, toys, old phones,games etc etc make a great 1/2 to 1 amp charger at no cost except to add a cigarette lighter plug to the end of the output cord.
As long as they are 12V DC output and polarity is observed.
I have an old reliable one in use since 1964, so these no/low cost home built "maintainers" do the job, just plug the "wart" into the wall outlet and the other end in the lighter socket, close the door and put on the car cover till the next cruise night.
You can't beat something that works and is free.
Just my .$.02.
The following 2 users liked this post by ol'George:
JETS C3-C4 (10-21-2023),
VikingTrad3r (12-18-2023)