Priority start manufactures these 120$ boxes that connect between the positive cable of battery and will disconnect the battery if the lights are left on or a battery drain. One of them disconnects at 11.7 volts and reconnects when the brake pedal is pressed or voltage spike to to start the vehicle so you dont come out to a dead battery or get stuck stranded.
Does anyone have experience with these they sell for roughly 120$-130$ for the good one and advertised for fleet vehicles. Just a postive battery terminal connect in between and a ground. My brothers saab has this issue as well as my sisters dodge journey some battry drain.
Will these work at 130$ id expect them to work that way everytime the car is cut off itll automatically disconnect battery and reconnect when trying to start. Its universal for all vehicles. This may need to be moved to a different tech section.

heres what they advertise for the good version

The 12V ProMax H.D. from PriorityStart! is the only automatic computerized on/off protection system for your battery, alternator, and electrical system on the market today. It recognizes when your battery's voltage drops to 11.7 volts, and then disconnects so that the battery's voltage can recover. The 12V ProMax H.D. offers heavier load capacity (up to 1,600 starting amps/400 continuous amps) for the effectiveness you want.

Models - PriorityStart! (mcssl.com)

 

If you have a parasitic drain get that issue fixed and then there will be no need to purchase this contraption !!…a battery with no parasitic drain and a high RC should last for close to a month without any starting issues !!

 

Yes my sisters 2014 dodge journey she bought has some kind of battery drain she keeps it on a maintainer with it not running. Havent found out the issue. Dodge has those sleep modules or current amperage draw modules right on the battery cable hers was missing it but i think they repaired it. My brothers 06 saab i swapped that bad 2 year reman alternator i talked to you a few months ago that tested bad 2k backwards with multimeter when it should read 0 to the good ls1 alternator.

Ive never had this problem on an ls1 but yes the parts car 08 114k bosch alternator the battery still drains after a month or two. I had bought a 800 amp jumpstarter from walmart but in the fineprint they say half that 400 constant amps and wouldnt even jumpstart the vehicle. Im not sure where they get 800 peak amps from. So would need a 1400amp jumpstarter and it may put out 700 constant amps. I should have checked the alternator before swapping it on the saab. It may be a common issue with saab 9-5s. The alternators run about 260$+
I seen this priority start on a facebook ad yesterday and was curious about it incase of emergency it could be used on a corvette or any vehicle. They are pricey but may actually function.

 

What is a high RC? My 99 c5 doesnt have any issues. It may be a good invention if car lights or other stuff is left on you wont come out to a dead battery.

 

you ask someone what to look for when shopping for a car battery, you'll probably get a lot of different suggestions. Price is an obvious consideration, but other advice may include the looking for the longest warranty, a specific brand, a specific type of battery or the battery with the most cold cranking amps available. Rare is the advice to consider reserve capacity, even though that is a very important consideration for some buyers.

What is reserve capacity (RC) and why do battery manufacturers bother to mention it? The Battery Council International (BCI) has created a group of standardized specifications that help give consumers an apples to apples comparison from one product to the next. Cold cranking amps is one of those specifications, as is Reserve Capacity. So what is Reserve Capacity? It is a time measurement that explains how long a fully-charged battery can deliver 25 amps of current in an 80°F-environment, before the battery is discharged down to 10.5 volts.

Shouldn't cold cranking amps be enough by itself? Not really, as CCA and RC both describe two different functions of a battery. Cold cranking amps will help you understand how much power the battery is capable of delivering in relatively-short bursts, while reserve capacity helps you understand how a battery can deliver energy over an extended period of time. Why is this important? Because sometimes vehicle charging systems fail and when that happens, the battery is then responsible for all the vehicle's electrical demands. For example, if your serpentine belts breaks in the middle of the night, your battery will power your headlights, windshield wipers, electric pumps and other electric accessories that are needed to get you to safe location.

In the case of a battery like our Group D27F YELLOWTOP® the reserve capacity is 140 minutes. For a much smaller battery, like our Group D51 YELLOWTOP, the reserve capacity is just 66 minutes. Keep in mind, both of these batteries are designed for deep-cycle use, while batteries like our REDTOP® line are not designed or warrantied in deep-cycle applications.

What the reserve capacity tells us about these two batteries is that the D27F has a lot more energy in it than the D51. While it may seem like a natural decision to simply buy the battery with more reserve capacity, it isn't always that easy. The D27F is more expensive and significantly larger in every regard (length, width, height, weight) than the D51 and may not fit in the space available. It does help illustrate how much more energy is available in a larger battery and also offers a consumer a point of comparison as they look at replacing their current battery or compare it to other brands.

So what types of applications would someone have, where reserve capacity should be an important consideration, perhaps even more important that cold cranking amps?

• Car Audio/Video
• Winching
• Race cars without alternators
• Trolling motors
• Recreational vehicles
• Reserve/emergency back-up power applications
• Any application where the battery is likely to be deep-cycled

Remember, as long at the battery's rating for cranking amps meets or exceeds the OEM requirements for that specification, there's really no need to overbuy in that regard. In the case of a tournament angler or even a soccer mom van with a DVD player, the more important consideration than cranking amps may be how long the battery can deliver power to an accessory when the engine isn't running. It's also important to remember that when any battery becomes deeply-discharged, it's always best practice to fully-recharge the battery with a battery charger as soon as possible and not the vehicle's charging system.

Learn more about OPTIMA YELLOWTOP batteries here.

 

C5Diag raises some excellent points. However, looks like you don’t necessarily have a draw, you just want some protection against it.

I’ve owned my 2001 C5 since brand new so I feel like I can give you some real life experience. I’ve dealt with a lot of battery issues over the last 20+ years.

First, always have an AGM battery. I’ve always used the 75 series red top which is the size recommended for my 2001 car. Some people go the the 78 which I believe may be the oem battery for later years.

Second, a good trickle charger is a must. I have the optima version. $150. If I leave my car sit for more than a few days I’ll hook her up. These cars have a tendency to drain quickly if they sit.

Third, the biggest issue with failing batteries is when they get completely discharged and even worse more than once. If I understand your post you want to present against this. Thus, the product you mentioned would be a good solution. In fact, the new Lithium batteries have a similar fail safe. Albeit, they are $600+. Just the other day, I accidentally left my key in the on position, got a call and distracted and a few hours later my car was totally dead. I wish I had the product you mentioned hooked up! Another option would be to have a small jump box in the trunk. But again, totally dead batteries are the death of batteries.

Fourth, as you may know a lot of techs are starting to show their expertise on social media. There is a master GM tech who specializes in Corvettes and specifically c5 corvettes on TikTok his at is “thejasonolinger”. He actually runs through several diagnostics on corvettes showing how to diagnose a battery draw, etc etc. he even uses infrared which is user cool. Just the other day he broke down a c5 bcm and showed how to fix several issues. He also does some super cool diag with zr1’s etc. go check him out. He answers questions and is super nice with his followers. It’s an amazing situation when we have access to an actual master corvette technician who’s had training with these cars.

If you’re worried about a battery drain, I say buy that product. Nevertheless, happy motoring !!

 

Master Corvette Technician on TikTok. Films his experiences on customer care fixing all sorts of issues including complicated electrical issues.

 

If this is just a temporary solution I would go with this...I may just pick one of these up for myself.

 

Thanks thats a nice item for me it'd be no problem but for my brother or his 06 saab 9-5 with this battery drain issue id prefer something that would easily operate itself like prioritystart that kills all power at 11.7 volts and reactivates battery power when the brake pedal is stepped on or headlight switch turned on. I spoke to priority start yesterday and told me a 1 year warranty.

He can change a tire or spare but to ask for him to turn that kbob or pop the hood everytime he goes to work in and out would be alot to ask. I just do some mechanical work speaking of which i need to test the alternator on that vehicle with on ohm meter continuity/resistor test to make sure thats what the problem is. Im almost positive thats why its still having that 1-2 month battery drain issue was another bad alternator diode. The car had a hole in the black no telling how long it was sitting but hard to believe to alternator would go bad or diode with just the car sitting but i guess anything is possible.

The priority start does look like a nice universal item for any vehicle until the problem was fixed.

 

These are available at most local auto and marine parts stores, too. Beware of cheap junk!!! Lyle, at C&S Corvettes, in Sarasota, Florida, told me a story about one these disconnects. He had a customer come in with one on his Vette. The car had been to two GM dealers, because it cranked over very slow, and wouldn't start when cold. This item was the first thing C&S looked at. Within 10 minutes, they bypassed the piece, and the car cranked right over, and fired right up. He told me the owner was pretty upset that 2 different dealers took his money, and didn't find the problem!! Uh, YEAH!!!! Something to do with not enough Amp capacity to crank the car fast enough to start when the engine was cold, IIRC. Rob is right, better to find the culprit! By disconnecting the battery every time, the PCM, BCM, and all memories are deleted, the PCM will have to relearn some engine parameters, the HVAC controls will be forced to relearn, and the Fobs will need reprogramming, and youll lose the saved radio stations, seat positions, etc..........