Would hooking up a battery charger alligator clips to the pos & neg cables keep enough amps so as not to disturb any settings?
What setting would flow enough amps? i have a charger that has 2, 10, & 55 amp start mode. ( i know not to use the 55amp setting)
TIA

 

The only settings you're going to lose are the MPG and Distance info on the DIC. I had the battery out for 6 months and the radio stations are still set.

 

It does not erase the I.M. readiness emmisions memory for MV inspections?
It did on my 02' truck and i had to do 40 so called 'drive cycles' to get the comp to ok the emissions sensors, and three trips the the MV station to get a pass sticker. What a PITA.
They asked me if i had any work done to my vehicle that required the batt to be disconnected i told them i just installed a new batt,
so wondering if the vette will be the same

 

You will lose the ready state of those sensors and will need cycles to reset.

 

Also resets HUD to default. Search 9V battery, there is a plug that goes in the lighter with a 9V battery that is suposed to save your stuff. Probably still lose the emission settings though, not sure. I think the middle setting on the charger might be enough, just make sure to insulate the + side well.

 

I have seen the 9 volt cigarette lighter plug in at Walmart.

 

I lost the clock and some DIC settings, that's all when I changed the battery last month.

 

The answer is yes. If you set the charger to 2 amps and hook it up to the cables, the settings will stay the same as if the battery had not been disconnected.

 

Thanks for the help I'll give the 2 amp a try as you suggest.

 

Hang on, what you are telling him is that it's ok to put 2 amps on the car wiring while he changes the battery? That's not right. The battery cable connections will have the same live two amps on them when he disconnects & connects the battery to the car. Especially when the cables are hanging free from the battery. No one mentioned that the positive cable is hot and if touched to ground will spark. If left touching ground, it'll weld itself to whatever metal it's touching. Anytime a car battery is changed there is always a risk of accidently shorting the battery but adding live 2 amps into the equation increases the risk of having something bad happen to either the battery, the car or even your safety. Car batteries should never be changed with a current on the wiring.

 

I agree with Florida99 and I'd say just don't do it. With electrics as complex as the C5 it's just not worth leaving power on the car when you're playing with battery leads.

If you're still not convinced this is the advice from the Manual about leaving power on the ignition circuit:

Ignition OFF When Disconnecting Battery Notice

Notice

Always turn the ignition OFF when connecting or disconnecting battery cables, battery chargers, or jumper cables. Failing to do so may damage the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) or other electronic components.


If you're that worried, invest in one of the "memory saver" devices that plugs into the power socket as suggested.

You'll lose the DIC settings and memory settings but they are easily reset. The issue with the radio is that if the security feature is turned on, you'll have to input the security code on start up.

 

Finally a voice of reason in this thread.

 

First off, nobody said leave the ignition switch on. Second, you obviously don't want the positive terminal to touch ground. It would short across your charger terminals and possible kick the breaker or damage the charger. Third, two amps will not "flow" through the wiring just because you have the charger on. If it did, the full available current the battery could produce would flow all the time you have it connected. The charger will apply 12 volts to the same connections that the battery would if connected. Current would only flow based on demand, not availability. Fourth, two amps won't weld the cable to anything. The best thing to do is just disconnect the battery and reconnect the new one, but he asked a question if it can be done and yes it can. I have done it and nothing sparks or causes problems. However, the only memory lost is the seat, mirror memory so it's not really worth the effort. I used the charger connected method on a friend's Grand Prix that lost idle memory every time the battery was disconnected and that also worked fine. I stand by my "yes, you can do it".

 

I take your point Jack but I've always worked on the "Law Unto Sod". My C5 can hit a wall at 100 mph plus but I don't do it.

If a problem can occur it will; so why risk blowing electronic components when it's easier just to reset the memory functions?

 

Your answers are based on your experience and knowledge which is fine for you. However, you don't know the skill set, battery knowledge & understanding, tools being used, condition of charger &/or circuit breakers and anything else about the OP and whoever reads the post in the future and accidently shorts their battery and gets an engine compartment or worse, a face full of battery acid because they didn't understand the risks to what they were doing. I stand by my answer, don't do it.

 

Less than $10 at most automotive supply sources. Just make sure you use a fresh 9v battery with use. I used mine when I changed my battery. There was no other power supplied for approx. one hour and I lost none of the settings...

 

His original question, which I answered, was will it hold enough amps to keep the memory. The answer is yes. So will the small device from any auto store pictured above. So will a 9v battery used in smoke detectors. The car will only draw enough current to hold the memory from any source attached. He didn't ask if it was the best way. He has heard enough now to make his decision and probably has long since moved on, and we haven't.

 

I have a jumper box with a cig lighter plug on it, It came with a cable that has a male light plug on both ends. I just plugged the jump box to the cig lighter in the car and lost nothing..

 

This would be my choice.....

 

The only draw back to the 9 volt battery back up is if you leave a door open for a minute, the 9 volt will go dead real quick.. It just can't handle that big of a draw..