I just got back from my second Pep Boys battery charging trip in 8 months, and the car has been driven a total of 20 miles in that time period. The rest of the time it sits in a closed garage. Given enough time, the car eventually won't start but it will crank a couple of times. After each charge, it fires up like a champ. Now that I'm doing less work on the car and it should be running more frequently, I hope to have this problem less. However, I would like to know what kind of schedule you guys use to keep your battery charged. Is it enough to let it idle for 10 min each week? Do I need to drive it around the block? Should I invest in a battery charger or car jumper? With my schedule, there will certainly be 1-3 month periods where this car won't be taken to any events, and I don't want to have to go to Pep Boys before each event just for a charge. Thanks for any info!

 

Umm... How about picking up a battery charger, and charge it up yourself before each event, or even putting it on a trickle charge for like 1 or 2 hours a week to keep the charge up. Shouldn't cost to much for one, I have a huge floor charger, got it at a garage sale for like $20.

 

Good idea to have a charger, but it would also be a good idea to just disconnect the battery between events to prevent any current draw. Sometimes a small electrical problem or short will drain the battery within a few days.

 

Get a Battery Tender. http://www.batterytender.com

A bunch of my jetski racer buddies use these on their skis that run total loss ignition. Just connect it to your battery after a race weekend, and leave it there til the next time your run the car. Keeps the battery fully charged without boiling the battery fluids or cycling the battery voltage up and down. Good stuff!

 

Various places (like Sears, even) sell controlled trickle charges intended for boats and yard equipment. I couldn't tell you what one might cost but they would do the trick.

Kirk

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by WRXRacer111 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Get a Battery Tender. http://www.batterytender.com

A bunch of my jetski racer buddies use these on their skis that run total loss ignition. Just connect it to your battery after a race weekend, and leave it there til the next time your run the car. Keeps the battery fully charged without boiling the battery fluids or cycling the battery voltage up and down. Good stuff! </TD></TR></TABLE>

I like this idea. So there's no harm in connecting it for 3 months without any intervention? They're pretty cheap too.

 

Travis: The trickle charger from Sears that I have does either 6 or 12 volt batteries and sells for $30 or so. Very small and you can leave it plugged in without worrying about it. I have been using mine on the cars on a weekly basis, but it is designed for continuous use.

 

What you want is a "float charger." These are special battery chargers intended for long-term use. They gradually reduce the voltage as the current drain drops to avoid boiling the elecrolyte out of the battery. They cost around $30 and can be left on the battery indeifinitely without damage. Any good marine shop should have them. Note that there are trickle chargers and then there are float chargers. If you want to leave it and forget it, you want a float charger, as a standard trickle charger will end up damaging the battery if left for months at a time.
-Adam

edit: spelling.

 

My mom just picked up her new car the other day (Beetle Convertible )....any way, in the trunk, there was this device that looks like a solar panel. It plugs right into the cigarette lighter and has suction cups so it can be mounted inside the car on the window. It is basically a little trickle charger that allows the battery to be fully charged all the time.

Really neat device...I stole it from her.

aj

 

Turn your master switch off & you will golden. I don't have any problems with only running the car one weekend a month.

That said I also have a battery charger from Sears. It does 6/12 volts. It can be used manually or auto. In the auto mode, it can be used as a trickle charger. It has electronics that supposedly detect the draw & keeps the battery topped off without overcharging.

 

I have the harbor freight charger. Its $7 and it keeps the battery @ top levels..

I am impressed with it so far!

Infact my lawn mower and the racing car share the charger!

 

Im not sure why you'd like to have your battery hooked up all the time. Just disconnect it between performances. My GTI used to pull this behavior as well. Replace the existing terminal bolts with bicycle quick release hardware. You'll be good to go. Also I don't think that the charging system works at full capacity when idling either?

 

To borrow a line from Ron Popeil of various invention fame... you just "set it and forget it". Keeps the battery fully charged and ready to go, and doesn't add charge cycles to the battery as it gets discharged between races each time.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by WRXRacer111 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you just "set it and forget it". </TD></TR></TABLE>

Yea, that's pretty much why I like the idea of the float charger. I'm not very smart, and I can see myself forgetting to remove the trickle charger, or forgetting to charge it the week before a race if it has been two months since the last one. I'm fairly sure I can remember to plug it in after a race when I get home, and then I know it will be ready to go if I forget. Plus, it looks like some of the float chargers will do a rapid charge (hours) if you forget and your battery is dead. That's a nice feature.

Also, if my battery (+) goes through the kill switch, should I just flip the switch while in storage, or is it better to remove the post clamps?

 

pull the clamps, any small draw could drain a battery in a couple months.

 

Okay, so I was in Walmart and I decided to check out these chargers. I found plenty of "trickle" chargers, but only one that said anything about "float" (and it was one of the really cheap ones, so it's not like it's an expensive feature). They ranged anywhere from $19 to $49. Some even did trickle, charge, and start with different current levels. That would be great.
A few of the trickle chargers said stuff like "automatic...won't overcharge your battery." Is this the same as float? Do I just trust anything that says "won't overcharge?" Also, what kind of current can I expect to need to START my car if the battery is totally dead? That info will help me decide how much I need to spend. Thanks again for the info, guys. This seems like a perfect solution.

 

If the master is wired correctly, there won't be a closed circuit @ all. No draw should result.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civicrr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If the master is wired correctly, there won't be a closed circuit @ all. No draw should result.</TD></TR></TABLE>
key word: SHOULD

but with travis' wiring skills... (just kidding bro)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kamin &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
key word: SHOULD

but with travis' wiring skills... (just kidding bro)</TD></TR></TABLE>

Shut yer trap Kamin. BTW, glad to see Homer back

 

Just pull the battery posts. If your forgetful definetely don't wanna push overcharging your battery because you forgot about it.