Hi Everyone,

I am going to replace the battery in my 98 this spring and I have a question on what type of battery I should buy. Not so much what brand, what type. I know the suggested battery is an AGM battery, which I prefer, however, the car will be stored in the winter without a battery tender for 6 months ( I know you should have one, however where the car is stored it just isn't possible). I've read it really isn't good for an AGM battery to let it die without a tender, so would I be better off just getting a regular battery and then put a battery mat under it in the event it were to leak? Thanks for your opinions in advance.

 

Can you take the battery out during storage and put a tender on it somewhere else until put back in car ?

 

I'm planning to run a braile battery, although I don't think that answers your question exactly.

If you are going to let the car sit for 6 months you could remove the battery and put it on a tender somewhere.. to avoid killing it.

If that's not an option for some reason then I'd just pick up the standard replacement battery and consider it a disposable item

 

Remove the battery from the car.

 

You could just disconnect it to remove the constant parasitic drain. It might last 6 months if fully charged first. And batteries very seldom leak these days, altho it's not out of the realm of possibility.
If it were to freeze, from a lack of charge, then the case could crack and it could leak. Otherwise it most likely will not. just from sitting there.
Is this car going to be stored inside, out of the light? Otherwise you could use a solar panel if there's no source of 120V.
The surest way to solve your problem for long term storage is just to remove the battery and keep it on a trickle charger somewhere else.

 

I am a BIG fan of battery "tenders" that maintain the proper voltage without additional worry.

I drive my AE a few times during the winter months so I just hook up the tender and let it do its thing. I also feel that these things need to be DRIVEN as often as possible to circulate fluids etc and maintain tires. The worst thing that you can do is to not drive.

 

You will lose any memory settings, like your Radio security code and other presets.

The fix for this is an inexpensive way to keep some voltage present to retain the memory. This device plugs into your cigarette lighter and provides 9V to the system. all you need is a fresh 9V battery



https://www.amazon.com/CTA-Tools-300...v+memory+saver


This one is a little cheaper from a 3rd party Amazon vendor with free shipping...12 dollars to your door.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...A1AUFI5NHGNZ61

Just an FYI
Bill aka ET

 

Doesn't matter the brand if your going to leave it unmaintained for 6 months. Definitely unplug it.

I will tell you though that there is nothing wrong with the OEM battery made by ACDelco.
They changed manufactures five years ago and their batteries are really good.

A battery tender is a must though.

 

Waste of time. I take my battery out every year for 6 months and the only thing I have to reset is the clock. Even radio presets are still there.

 

So sad.

 

Sad, but true. I have removed my battery for the last 4 years and the clock is the only thing I have to reset. Fact.

 

Just get the battery fully charged, take it out of the car and store it in your house. If you want to keep a battery tender on it that would be good, but it should still be OK even without one.

 

Not true, but I wont argue the point...
your clock? how about the radio lock?
how about the PCM it needs to do do a self diag relearn which can take up to 50 miles to achieve an ideal open loop configuration.
How about the fobs, anything that has memory needs a source of power, in many cases a capacitor integral to the component is charged enough to hold the memory, but in some case the capacitance is not charged enough to maintain the memory.. that is why Every certified GM Technician and certified ASE technician uses one of these devices. Waste of money indeed.
But then what do I know and what does GM teach its technicians.

I don't pull this advice out of my ***, as you suggest but then, you seem to always be UP my ***.
Bill aka ET a Senior member of SAE for 40 years.

 

I recently pulled my battery to replace it.I set the clock is the only thing.

But it also made my HVAC display work.

 

I just did a little research on that 9v memory saver device shown above.
First off, how long is the 9v battery going to last to supply power for all the memories it's supposed to keep? Will that still be working after 4-6 months of storage? If that 9v battery will last that long, then certainly the car's 12v battery will still be putting out enough juice to keep the memories alive. Those things are meant for short term use, not long term storage.
Secondly, if there is no diode in that little device to prevent reverse current flow, there is a possibility of having the 9v battery explode when the car's much larger 12v battery is reconnected to it, and there have been a report or two of that happening.
So you must know what you want this for and be aware of the dangers vs. benefit of it.

 

there is no danger of back flow since its a 9V battery in a 12 v system.. what else you got ???

Secondly. memory need very little currant. just an impulse. I have 5 high end Digital SLRs. each camera has 10 to 12 pages of set up screens. The lithium Iron batteries hold a charge for about 900 frames... my cameras can shoot 15 to 25 frames a second. each of these cameras have an internal battery 3Volts, there is no access to these internal batteries.. my oldest DSLR MY Minolta 7D is 12 years old.. I have NOT shot that camera in about 3 years, lithium iron batteries removed... a few months ago I charged up the batteries for that camera and all the memory after 12 years was still there, same with all of my cameras.. I usually shoot in the field with two cameras one a wide angle and one a long fast lens.. sine I've been sick I haven't been doing more than what I shoot off my back deck into the woods.. none of my cameras have lost their internal memory. and all over three years old. SO you see, keeping the memory impulse is not like turning on the lights... So to say you did research and challenge what I absolutely know to be true , is just a typical intent forum slap in the face.. At least many people still contact me daily to support the information I offer here freely and with authority.

Any one with a DSLR camera, will attest to this internal battery specific to the memory of their cameras, even when the actual function batteries are out of the camera for years. Many portable devices that require a battery charger, have an internal power source to keep the memory of that device. otherwise you would have to reset them each time they died.

 

Oh, Great One, Lord of the Forum, forgive me I have sinned. To ever, ever, question anything you say as the absolute incontrovertible truth.

You said "there is no danger of back flow since its a 9V battery in a 12 v system.. what else you got ???"

That is 1000% WRONG and I'd like to know where you got that from, that higher voltage electricity will not flow into a lower voltage system. How do you think battery chargers work? By magic? Without a diode in the circuit and the 12v battery connected to the 9v battery, there is a very real possibility this can occur and that is what I said, you are not paying attention. If the 12v battery was totally removed, then the 9v battery can sit there and do whatever it wants all by itself, but not if the 12v battery is still connected at the same time. Get it?
As soon as you disconnect the car's 12v battery some of the memory may be lost, and faster than you can hook up the 9v to maintain it. So then what's the point of using that? The danger comes from hooking up the 9v before disconnecting the 12v, so again, do you want to risk that?

There are innumerable reports of 9V batteries overheating and even starting fires or exploding from doing this and I'm not going to list all the sources I've seen. You can do your own search. It has to do with the internal resistance of the battery as the higher voltage and current is applied and the smaller battery overheating to the point of failure and possibly disaster.

And, for your own elucidification, the memory in your DSLR does NOT rely on battery power to maintain it, it uses flash memory, and will still be there in 1000+ years without any battery power or even if taken out of the camera. So your argument is totally ridiculous and invalid. The same holds true for your picture memory card, flash, SD, or whatever it is.
You may know a lot of things, but you do not know about many others, but you are quick to defend yourself against perceived insults to your intelligence.
As I indicated above, a word of caution is to be advised. So don't get into such a paranoid uproar about nothing.

 

Here is a different 9v memory saver device and in the description it states there is a diode in it.
KH295A Features: -Plugs into cigarette lights. -Memor-Eze Computer Memory. Product Type: -Tools. Use: -Computer. Quanitity: -Single. Generic Specifications: -Contains internal diode for longer 9 volt life and safety. Dimensions: Overall Height - Top to Bottom: -1.3 Inches. Overall Width - Side to Side: -3.4 Inches. Overall Depth - Front to Back: -7.7 Inches. Overall Product Weight: -0.05 Pounds.

Why is the diode in there? - for safety, like it says. Why else would they waste money and put that in there?
And just to reiterate, those devices are meant for short term use, not for long term vehicle storage. Don't forget the car's computers have about a 20 milliamp constant drain, so how long will the 9v battery last? Certainly not many months if your 12v battery wont.
And all memory is not lost, there are different types of storage in the car's computers. The odometer reading in the EEPROM of The IPC is retained, you can remove the PCM, send it out to be reprogrammed and get it back and the settings are retained, but other memories like the radio presets, seat positions and FOB training will be lost.Big deal.
Here's and old post from Bill Curlee on this from many years ago.

"NO it will NOT effect the tune or hurt the BCM/PCM or any other module. In FACT,,, the OWNERS MANUAL recommends "Disconnecting the Battery" for long periods of stowage.

8VETTE7


When you disconnect the battery you will resert the learned LTFT data, all the FOB Memory data and fuel efficiency data will all reset & default to the factory settings. You will also have to re-sync your FOBS. You also cause the PCM to set all of the EMISSIONS NOT READY flage and if you have to get an emissions check, you will have to go thru a number of drive cycles before the FLAGS set to ready.

The LTFT Data will regenerate and learn after a short drive. You just have to reprogram all the seat/dash memory settings manually.

Why not just FIX the problems that are causing your battery to drain??? Its not all that difficult. Insert an AMP meter in series with the NEG Battery Cable and read the DC Amperage that the BCM and PCM draw after the system goes into sleep mode. It should be very close to 0.020 AMPS or 20 milliamps. At that minimum current draw, the car should be able to sit idle for inexcess of 30 days (seen it start without any issues after 2 months of storrage if the battery is in good condition and fully charged!)"

Getting back to my original point in this discussion - that 9v "memory saver" is not all that it's cracked up to be and may be dangerous. If you want one of those for short term work on your car with a disconnected battery, make sure it has a diode in it.

Maybe Bill Curlee or 8VETTE7 can chime in on the car's computers and what types of memory they have if they see fit.

 

Our C5 will sit (parked) at our condo in FL until late May. With no way to plug in a tender I have resigned myself to expect a dead battery (even if Neg. disconnected). Thinking to just get someone to jump it and go.... Any problems with that?

 

I can't understand why people don't just spend $40-$60 and get a reasonably decent battery tender. Removing batteries, resetting clocks, etc. What a waste of time.