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NEVER - NEVER use a true trickle charger, it will ruin your battery.
A trickle charger runs constantly, no matter what the state of the battery is, and will eventually boil the battery.
What you need is a battery MAINTAINER, a float style charger, this style charger mimics the alternator on your car, brings the charge up to a full level and then it stops charging, until the battery level drops to a point at which the charger starts charging again.
This way your battery maintains a charge level just like you are driving the car all the time.
This is a much better way to maintain the battery health than disconnecting it.
When winter is over, hop in the car and it will turn over just like you just parked it a few minutes before.
I usa a trickle charger, if you unhook the battery for storage and need to pass a state inspection when the car is put back on the road, the GM driving cycle(s) might have to be done to pass inspection.
NEVER - NEVER use a true trickle charger, it will ruin your battery.
A trickle charger runs constantly, no matter what the state of the battery is, and will eventually boil the battery.
What you need is a battery MAINTAINER, a float style charger, this style charger mimics the alternator on your car, brings the charge up to a full level and then it stops charging, until the battery level drops to a point at which the charger starts charging again.
This way your battery maintains a charge level just like you are driving the car all the time.
This is a much better way to maintain the battery health than disconnecting it.
When winter is over, hop in the car and it will turn over just like you just parked it a few minutes before.
If your battery is healthy, you can simply disconnect it for months. An older tired battery will freeze and crack if it goes dead in a cold climate. I've used tenders or disconnect but never go to the trouble to remove it and put it inside my home. Heat is the enemy of battery longevity. They last much longer in colder climates.
Had a tender on mine for 14 yrs, no problems and the batteries always fully charged. That's what the maintainer is designed to do. Have them on 2 Corvettes, 2 quads, a dirt bile and riding mower. Never a problem.
What in the swiss cheese is all that wiring for? Inquiring minds want to know.
I understand the need for the big lines. Why not run a remote pos / neg node to the interior and connect all your wires off those or a fused power block?
What in the swiss cheese is all that wiring for? Inquiring minds want to know.
I understand the need for the big lines. Why not run a remote pos / neg node to the interior and connect all your wires off those or a fused power block?
And there's no reason to have the tender attached to the battery. It's better and more logical to leave the tender on the bench and run a NOCO output extension cord to the battery.
I picked up a Viking box when I tried to resurrect the Odyssey which came with the coupe but had no luck. I did try also running a fresh battery in line with it but that did not help.
I hooked it up to the ANCIENT Yellow Top which has sat and came with the Z06. It must have been parked since 2019, but it began taking charge. I'll check on it tomorrow. Fingers crossed.
I also have a CTEK MUS 4.3 which I have trusted for many years. It was unable to address either battery, likewise with a freshly charged unit inline.
The idea of running dongles off the battery for easy maintenance is a solid one. No question from me. I just like running terminal blocks for organization purposes, but also for ease of diagnosis. These MGI power terminals below are very handy in a C5 as well when you being adding electronics. I have a habit now of applying No-Ox-Id to any exposed connections and grounds as well.
Yes - via an extension cord if the battery is too far from the tender with the standard output wire. Underhood is no place for the tender, and it's kinda hard to use it for something else while it's in there. The better way is to get one ( or even two, like I did) of their extension cords, connect it to the red/black leads we see attached to the battery, and have the tender outside on the bench or under the car, or whatever. Then there is no tender under the hood, no 120v primary power cord under the hood, etc.
I got a NOCO free at a car show. It is good but I just plug it in and not attach it to the battery,
I generally use my Battery Tender Brands and have the harness tot he battery they provide hooked up. This way I just plug and charge. I leave the tender out on the floor of the garage.
If a tender of any kind goes bad and over heats we have a lot of plastic car around this unit and it could be a spectacular fire. I know rare but not fun when it does happen.
I have run a ctek and a noco on a few cars and my ctek has lasted over ten years no issues ever. I got the orange cased one to handle the cold weather when the vette needed to be covered and tarped outside for a few years and worked flawlessly. My NOCO was a 24v system and it died on me but it would be a better product as a 12v I couldn't say. Ive since moved over to a 24v Ctek.
