Battery tender

[ElderJ]

Originally Posted by myold88

Yes! A seasoned GM mechanic and fellow antique collector once told me
that the worst thing you can do to a cold internal combustion engine is to
start it up..... Think about it. Until 5 years ago my then new '10 SS was
stored during Connecticut's wintery days. I would never start it unless I
was going to drive it around town.

I got you. So, what would be your limit on the length of time that a car sits without being driven? I was told to fire it up at least once every two weeks and take it out on the highway for a bit.


Any my apologies to OP for this tangential convo.

[ElderJ]

Originally Posted by Aqua Blue RS/SS

Condensation build up from not getting the oil hot enough, and prolonged sitting In an environment with big temp swings is something I’d be more worried about long term than cold starts.

Yeah, that's what I was told as well. Here in Indiana, we get all four seasons (although over the last few decades it's turned more into two seasons with about a week-long transition between them).


However, it can fluctuate 30+ degrees Fahrenheit throughout the day on some days. My current routine is to fire it up every other Sunday and take her for a ride. Oil temp always gets up to running temp before I shut her down. I also creep through town until it gets up to temp, which drives my wife nuts if she's with me.

[xstuntman]

Mine will routinely sit for several months and no problems so far, the longest sit being being three months time frame.

[theflea42]

Like other people have said, I hook the tender up to the posts under the hood, and run the cord down and out under the car.

[SS_Don]

I was looking to buy the NOCO GENIUS5. Any thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ZED/28]

Originally Posted by SS_Don

I was looking to buy the NOCO GENIUS5. Any thoughts?


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I have a noco genius. They are great IMO

[chevy pilot]

I have Defa SmartCharge.

[ZED SLED]

I solved the winter storage issue by moving to where it's warm. Still thanking my last employer for downsizing and laying me off. But I have a CTek 3300 I still use occasionally if I feel like the car has sat too
long.

[Silveradoss573]

Originally Posted by ElderJ

I got you. So, what would be your limit on the length of time that a car sits without being driven? I was told to fire it up at least once every two weeks and take it out on the highway for a bit.


Any my apologies to OP for this tangential convo.

Way to many variables really. In my situation though, I feel that if I drained the fuel system completely, I could walk away and come back 5+ years later and have no issues with my car easily. Maybe even longer but my car does sit in a climate controlled environment too. Mine gets put up every year around mid November and will sit untouched until the following April or May. No need to mess with it while it's hibernating.

[Rock-It Man]

There are terminals under the hood. Use them.

As for starting the car briefly, that is a basic no-no, as it creates corrosive condensation in the engine and exhaust.

[Bigdumogre]

This turned out to be a great conversation lol.

I just want to hook up the charger just in case. My car sat for over 8 months when the engine was getting built and for a while afterwards the battery seemed week and had some hard starts. Now it’s back to normal and also thinking of getting a braille battery so I feel like a tender would really benefit it.

[lbls1]

Just a few added tips from my years of experience with battery tenders (if it hasn't been mentioned):
1. Tenders are a great aid in maintaining your car's battery. The car can sit indefinitely with a tender attached.
2. Tenders are not designed to fully charge a dead battery. You will need a full service or deep cycle battery charger to restore dead batteries.
3. Be very careful with modern batteries if they go dead. Typically once a battery completely dies, you can recharge it, however the power retention abilities will seriously deminish. It is common for a battery to not hold a charge once it goes dead.
4. A tender can seem to make a battery invinceable, but batteries do have a lifespan. I have had batteries die while being connected to a tender. You can expect a lifespan of a battery to last between 5-1/2 to 8 years while being serviced. My TrailBlazer established the longest period that a battery lasted in any of my cars. The original battery in the TBSS lasted a bit over 9 years while being on a tender since day 1.

Good luck.