81pilot

OP is Sherriff Andy's son in Mayberry, a nice kid......everyone was thinking it so don't get mad at me! Just kidding, just bein funny...

.clip it on, plug it in and forget about it until you want to drive it then reverse the steps. You won't spark anything if you unplug it before messing with any clips. Ask away we love to answer even these kind od querys!

brrujo

Amazing...Have never seen so much discussion over a battery tender!!

Yeller81USNRet

Me thinks he is pullin everyones leg...
But got some good responses.

brrujo

Yeller, I would sure hope so. Kinda scary thinking he may be on the road somewhere!!

qtlow

All you ever needed to know about battery tenders can be found on the good old Corvette Forum. And this is in just the C3 section.

optiman

thanks all, When you screw in a light bulb which way do you turn it??

rponfick

I just ordered the Battery Tender that will charge 4 vehicles at a time. Amazon had the best deal over some of the auto specific vendors (it is my Christmas present). They now have an option to permanently attach a fused pigtail to the battery (in case it is hard to get to) with a quickconnect on the end of it. They then have a 25' extension wire that plugs into the pigtail and to the charger itself. Mine hasn't come yet, so not sure how easy it is to hook up. But, I think I will be able to figure it out.

Next problem will be where to run the wires to all the cars with creating a tripping hazard (ceiling, wall, center of floor).

Ralph

Willytrash

I really never understood that setup with 4-12 volt leads off of one charger. I just bought 6 Battery Tender Jr's for $137.99 with shipping on Ebay.(I have a few motorcycles). Now I can plug those in wherever I want to without buying their 12 volt cord extensions. And I'm thinking I paid less then that rather then the 4 charger setup. Now I kind of like the charger they have that looks like a Harley Vtwin but then I see the same issue with running 12 volt cords all over the place. Of course If I could buy the 4 charger unit for maybe $75 or less I could almost see the point, but I can't buy it for that. Of course if you're only limited to one 110volt outlet in your garage then maybe.

Glassbowtie77

Just clip the leads to the appropriate terminals, plug it in and that's it.

aussiejohn

optiman,
Most cars have the battery in the engine compartment, so that is why the instructions on all (?) battery chargers tell you to connect the leads to the battery. HOWEVER, the Corvette has the battery in what many people would call a herder area to get to and there is another way to charge it. The battery positive lead is connected to the starter motor, and a red lead from there goes over to a junction box to the rear of the alternator. And a red lead from the junction box goes to the alternator.

What this means is that there are several places where you can connect your battery charger leads, all of them leading to the battery's positive terminal. It would be best to use the junction box, but you might consider the "outlet" or positive terminal of the alternator for your positive lead, then your earth lead could be placed on another part of the alternator housing.

This might seem a circuitous route for the current to flow to reach the battery, but if your wires and connecting terminals are in good condition, then you should have no troubles charging/maintaining your battery this way. And of course, no worries about igniting hydrogen gas in the interior of your car.

Anyone disagree?

Regards from Down Under.

aussiejohn

ps Hello to Mr. Ponfick, long time no see. Merry Christmas to you and your family, also the Grimsruds.

682XLR8

Aussiejohn, flush your PM box please

Sorry for the hijack, carry on

aussiejohn

Sorry Randy, didn't know that I had an "out" box. I've just found it and flushed a lot of it.

JS

lionelhutz

FYI, I ran a Ctek on my Impala for 2 winters connected all winter. It kept the battery charged and it didn't boil off the acid but I did find some signs of acid damage under the battery tray so some acid must have been bubbled out of the battery. I also have some batteries on the floor in the garage and my other Ctek does bubble the acid just a little when they are charging. Personally, I'd either take a few minutes to pull the battery or just connect the maintainer a day or 2 every month if the battery is in an area that can suffer from acid damage.

billsfan

Batteries stored on a concrete floor are a no-no. Stick a piece of 3/4" plywood under them, or stick them on a sturdy shelf or workbench. Something I was told a long time ago.

Jud Chapin

Not so today. Have a look...


http://www.cartalk.com/content/busin...loors-needs-be

69 Chevy

Yes, that myth or old wive's tale was busted. I got my answer right from the horse's mouth, the techs at the DEKA battery plant in Lyon Station, PA. And the answer was the same as that in Jud Chapin's link...all about the old rubber vs new plastic case material. They said no problem with the concrete drawing out the charge or the concrete causing the acid to leak out...not since the advent of plastic cases.

lionelhutz

I've done it for years and the batteries all manage to survive. I won't stop now because of some old wives tale.

Blue 92

I use 5 battery tenders.

One on the battery and one clipped to the rim and valve stem on each wheel.

Keep the battery charged and the tires inflated with nice warm air all winter.

bobbarry

I attached the ring-terminal connectors on my pigtail to the (+) stud on the alternator and to a mounting-bolt, then fish the lead from the battery-tender through inner-fender over the a-arm to connect to that pigtail; it lets me keep the car under-cover and the door closed through the winter out in the garage. I wouldn't try to charge a dead-battery that way, but with the minimal current needed to maintain the charge, it's no problem. Heck, it's the same circuit the alternator always uses to charge the battery in normal operation, so you know it works.