Trickle charger thru cig lighter
01-11-2019, 02:33 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Trickle charger thru cig lighter
I've never had a draining battery issue because my climate is normally ok even thru the winter where I at least drive it once a week, but After 4 years of owning my car I finally had a few weeks of rain followed by a couple weeks out of the country... And magically the sun came out and I was ready to pop the top in January.... Dead Battery!...(yes my current batty is fairly new about 1-1/2 y. o.) .
So it is time to invest in a trickle/maintainer.... seems like the Ctek brand is all over the inner neck, and I haven't read any bad reviews... Thoughts? And which model should I choose? Or what is a better Brand/model without braking the bank.....I know it's prob not the most efficient way to get the juice to the battery, but wanted some real world feedback.... on whether using a Cig adapter had any actual side effects with these cars...
I'm not a fan of having to unhook under hood, so I thought the Cig adapter option might be a solution.... And I don't want to get in to some wiring deal thru the grill like I've seen in the past....
Also, this battery is dead.... I'm guessing the safest way back to full life is a real battery charger,......
But if I just jump it off... How long of normal diving or idling would be adequate to get it strong enough to start a trickle charger(i'm assuming trickle charges aren't meant charge a battery from dead)
And yes I tried using the search feature with marginal results..... Hehe....
Thanks guys....
So it is time to invest in a trickle/maintainer.... seems like the Ctek brand is all over the inner neck, and I haven't read any bad reviews... Thoughts? And which model should I choose? Or what is a better Brand/model without braking the bank.....I know it's prob not the most efficient way to get the juice to the battery, but wanted some real world feedback.... on whether using a Cig adapter had any actual side effects with these cars...
I'm not a fan of having to unhook under hood, so I thought the Cig adapter option might be a solution.... And I don't want to get in to some wiring deal thru the grill like I've seen in the past....
Also, this battery is dead.... I'm guessing the safest way back to full life is a real battery charger,......
But if I just jump it off... How long of normal diving or idling would be adequate to get it strong enough to start a trickle charger(i'm assuming trickle charges aren't meant charge a battery from dead)
And yes I tried using the search feature with marginal results..... Hehe....
Thanks guys....
01-11-2019, 02:44 PM
#2
Race Director
Member Since: Nov 2017
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2020 C6 of the Year Winner - Modified
I have the CTEK 3300 and it's worked great for over a year. My GS has the battery in the back so I use the little ring attachments that I leave on the battery terminals & just plug it in through the hatch. The hatch closes fine on the cable & I've had no issues. The battery in my wife's '16 Wrangler Unlimited just completely died in the driveway a couple days ago, I plugged the CTEK in using the lighter adapter and charged it for 2 days & it brought it back to full green on the CTEK.
01-11-2019, 03:48 PM
#3
Totally agree with Jabcat, have the 3300 and love it. Plug it in right after i park in garage because right when you think you'll drive it in a few days, turns out to be a few weeks. I also wouldn't try to jump start a totally dead battery, at least not in the vette, try and charge it first. Same thing happened to my bran new ac delco battery, they swapped it for free and since then always on the charger! I don't charge thru the cigerette lighter though, quick connect at the battery.
01-11-2019, 04:11 PM
#4
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I've never had a draining battery issue because my climate is normally ok even thru the winter where I at least drive it once a week, but After 4 years of owning my car I finally had a few weeks of rain followed by a couple weeks out of the country... And magically the sun came out and I was ready to pop the top in January.... Dead Battery!...(yes my current batty is fairly new about 1-1/2 y. o.) .
So it is time to invest in a trickle/maintainer.... seems like the Ctek brand is all over the inner neck, and I haven't read any bad reviews... Thoughts? And which model should I choose? Or what is a better Brand/model without braking the bank.....I know it's prob not the most efficient way to get the juice to the battery, but wanted some real world feedback.... on whether using a Cig adapter had any actual side effects with these cars...
I'm not a fan of having to unhook under hood, so I thought the Cig adapter option might be a solution.... And I don't want to get in to some wiring deal thru the grill like I've seen in the past....
Also, this battery is dead.... I'm guessing the safest way back to full life is a real battery charger,......
But if I just jump it off... How long of normal diving or idling would be adequate to get it strong enough to start a trickle charger(i'm assuming trickle charges aren't meant charge a battery from dead)
And yes I tried using the search feature with marginal results..... Hehe....
Thanks guys....
So it is time to invest in a trickle/maintainer.... seems like the Ctek brand is all over the inner neck, and I haven't read any bad reviews... Thoughts? And which model should I choose? Or what is a better Brand/model without braking the bank.....I know it's prob not the most efficient way to get the juice to the battery, but wanted some real world feedback.... on whether using a Cig adapter had any actual side effects with these cars...
I'm not a fan of having to unhook under hood, so I thought the Cig adapter option might be a solution.... And I don't want to get in to some wiring deal thru the grill like I've seen in the past....
Also, this battery is dead.... I'm guessing the safest way back to full life is a real battery charger,......
But if I just jump it off... How long of normal diving or idling would be adequate to get it strong enough to start a trickle charger(i'm assuming trickle charges aren't meant charge a battery from dead)
And yes I tried using the search feature with marginal results..... Hehe....
Thanks guys....
The magnetic snap-on grill charger thingy is the best thing since intermittent wipers, indoor plumbing, or sliced bread. Nobody believes this except those of us who have them. Ask anybody here if they regret buying one.
01-11-2019, 04:26 PM
#5
Le Mans Master
[QUOTE= The magnetic snap-on grill charger thingy is the best thing since intermittent wipers, indoor plumbing, or sliced bread. Nobody believes this except those of us who have them. Ask anybody here if they regret buying one. [/QUOTE]
I have one. My car came from the factory with it. Yes, good, no regrets having one, but I didn't get to buy it separately. It's very good, but falls just short of sliced bread.....that you cannot easily beat.
[/QUOTE]I have one. My car came from the factory with it. Yes, good, no regrets having one, but I didn't get to buy it separately. It's very good, but falls just short of sliced bread.....that you cannot easily beat.
Last edited by BlindSpot; 01-11-2019 at 04:28 PM.
01-11-2019, 04:52 PM
#7
Le Mans Master
01-11-2019, 05:09 PM
#8
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If I say "brick," then of course that will lead to describing and posting pictures of alluring females and we might get banned. 
I've seen plenty of wood outhouses, but have never really seen one made of brick. You'd think there would still be a lot of them around, because they supposedly were all very well built.
I've seen plenty of wood outhouses, but have never really seen one made of brick. You'd think there would still be a lot of them around, because they supposedly were all very well built.
01-11-2019, 05:42 PM
#9
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
You cannot bring a completely dead battery back to any kind of usable life. If it has been heavily discharged several times, it may not be "dead" but it will be forever weak and no amount of charging will change that. The capacity (amperage) you need for a car will never be there, except maybe momentarily -- as in "R-R-R . . . . click click click."
The magnetic snap-on grill charger thingy is the best thing since intermittent wipers, indoor plumbing, or sliced bread. Nobody believes this except those of us who have them. Ask anybody here if they regret buying one.
The magnetic snap-on grill charger thingy is the best thing since intermittent wipers, indoor plumbing, or sliced bread. Nobody believes this except those of us who have them. Ask anybody here if they regret buying one.
the battery is only a little over a year old, so I'm pretty sure the battery isn't ruined from one time.... I've had allot cars in the last 40 years, and had a couple of batteries that need recharging without catastrophic results, so back to the topic...
simple question....Has anyone had any bad side effects from using a Cig lighter adapter?
I don't really want a connection dangling from my grill.... And I'm too lazy to disconnect/connect at the battery every day I drive it... some weeks I drive it 3-4 days...
Any other recommendations on brand/ model?
01-11-2019, 05:55 PM
#10
Le Mans Master
the battery is only a little over a year old, so I'm pretty sure the battery isn't ruined from one time.... I've had allot cars in the last 40 years, and had a couple of batteries that need recharging without catastrophic results, so back to the topic...
simple question....Has anyone had any bad side effects from using a Cig lighter adapter?
I don't really want a connection dangling from my grill.... And I'm too lazy to disconnect/connect at the battery every day I drive it... some weeks I drive it 3-4 days...
Any other recommendations on brand/ model?
I'll take a shot on the cig lighter (and expect disputes here). I don't like this connection as there is too much resistance in the circuit back to the battery. I say that too because my cars are either running or on a conditioner.....ALL THE TIME. Only exception being when I am out with the car away from home.
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Donzo7 (03-02-2021)
01-11-2019, 09:16 PM
#13
Safety Car
I have a Battery Tender Jr. it was under $25 10 years ago and it’s still working perfectly. It didn’t come with a cigarette lighter plug, but they do sell one.
Last edited by farmington; 01-11-2019 at 09:16 PM.
01-11-2019, 11:53 PM
#14
Race Director
I have my Deltran Battery Tender connected using the cig lighter socket.
It's always plugged in when the Vette's parked in the garage and I've been using it that way for 10+ years with no issues whatsoever.
CTEK, Deltran and Schumacher are all good brands.
It's always plugged in when the Vette's parked in the garage and I've been using it that way for 10+ years with no issues whatsoever.
CTEK, Deltran and Schumacher are all good brands.
01-12-2019, 01:17 PM
#16
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I store my car from November till March & have always used a battery maintainer plugged into the cigarette lighter....works for me
01-12-2019, 04:03 PM
#17
01-12-2019, 05:44 PM
#19
Le Mans Master
They just don't get it. Most will never even look it up to see what you are talking about. Best mod I have done to my car. I use it twice every day.
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HBsurfer (01-12-2019)