Hooking up a Battery Tender
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
Hooking up a Battery Tender
Hi,
When reading the manual, it tells you to hook the positive clamp to the remote positive connection under the fuse box cover. Doesn't look difficult and easy to get to, but the negative remote hook up doesn't appear as logical as one would think. The manual says the negative remote hook up is under the engine cover below the oil fill spout. I see a couple of bolts but none that look like they are really set up to receive a battery tender clamp.
Any thoughts?
When reading the manual, it tells you to hook the positive clamp to the remote positive connection under the fuse box cover. Doesn't look difficult and easy to get to, but the negative remote hook up doesn't appear as logical as one would think. The manual says the negative remote hook up is under the engine cover below the oil fill spout. I see a couple of bolts but none that look like they are really set up to receive a battery tender clamp.
Any thoughts?
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,422
Likes: 1,146
From: Dyer, IN
Hi,
When reading the manual, it tells you to hook the positive clamp to the remote positive connection under the fuse box cover. Doesn't look difficult and easy to get to, but the negative remote hook up doesn't appear as logical as one would think. The manual says the negative remote hook up is under the engine cover below the oil fill spout. I see a couple of bolts but none that look like they are really set up to receive a battery tender clamp.
Any thoughts?
When reading the manual, it tells you to hook the positive clamp to the remote positive connection under the fuse box cover. Doesn't look difficult and easy to get to, but the negative remote hook up doesn't appear as logical as one would think. The manual says the negative remote hook up is under the engine cover below the oil fill spout. I see a couple of bolts but none that look like they are really set up to receive a battery tender clamp.
Any thoughts?
Racer
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 443
Likes: 0
From: Bay Area/Central Valley CA California
I just went from clamping the posts to the ring terminal setup. POS at the fuse box, NEG on the firewall right behind the battery. I used the same NEG for my HI4 relay, so figure it will take the low current of a trickle charger. BTW, I did test the NEG location with my multimeter, had good circuit from battery NEG to that stud on the firewall.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,262
Likes: 122
From: Vetteville Tennessee
I use the alligator clips on the Tender. I hook the positive clip to the positive terminal on the battery and the negative clip to the frame ground directly beneath the battery box (hook to the head of the hex head bolt). The clip fits perfect on the head of the bolt. 
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,162
Likes: 81
From: Bel Air MD
I don't care for the alligator clamp connections because I prefer a permanent connection. Look at how much of the alligator clamps are actually in contact with the the battery posts. I changed the ring terminals on mine to fit the top mount battery clamp bolts on my '04 Z16 (under the oem plastic protectors). The cables run directly down from the battery where I make the male/female quick connection. The BATTERY TENDER PLUS unit is mounted to one column of my lift. The hood is left down and car covered. It's on the device for six months of winter and anytime the car isn't being driven. Not a problem maintaining the OPTIMA for almost six years in this manner.
Just don't forget to disconnect the male/female connection before you drive off. It only happened to me once...
If you have a side mount battery, or a battery with both side and top mounts, you can purchase extended battery studs from an automotive stereo shop and mount the ring terminals there. STINGER is a commonly found product...
Just don't forget to disconnect the male/female connection before you drive off. It only happened to me once...
If you have a side mount battery, or a battery with both side and top mounts, you can purchase extended battery studs from an automotive stereo shop and mount the ring terminals there. STINGER is a commonly found product...
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