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How do you keep your batteries fresh and alive?

Blueoval4me

Full Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2002
Messages
178
Loc.
Fullerton, CA
My bronco is now a trail only rig, and between driving it and runs the battery goes dead. I dont think cycling the battery between charged and dead is good for it because it seems like its not coming back as much as it used to (I run an optima orange top). I've also head leaving a trickle charger on it all the time is bad.<br><br>Any ideas?<br><br>TIA
 

Jeepster

Bronco Guru
Joined
Jul 13, 2001
Messages
1,507
pull the + cable and slap the charger on it once in a while. Theres not much else you can do other than swaping it into another vehicle for use.
 

Allen_69

Bronco Guru
Joined
May 23, 2001
Messages
1,492
Loc.
Sugar Grove Pa
In addition to what jeepster said, temperature changes are the biggest cause of battery drainage. If your vehicle is stored in a garage, just pull the wires. If it is kept outside in the elements, pull the batter and store it inside where the temp is relatively stable
 

Nuke

Sr. Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2002
Messages
580
Have the same problem with my jetski. Here is what you can do:

1) Always disconnect the negative terminal while in storage. This is good for 2-4 weeks.

2) If storing for longer then a month, charge it once a month.

The easiest thing you can do it get one of those "battery maintance" devices at Wal-Mart or some auto part store that acts as a very slow trickle charger. You leave the battery in the car and plug the charger into you wall outlet. It will detect when the battery needs a charge.
 

Broncobowsher

Total hack
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
34,833
Have it fully charged when you park it. For some reason a fully charged battery doesn't self discharge like one that is down a little.<br>Keep the battery clean. Dirt conducts eletricity, not very well, but over time....<br>Disconnect the NEGITAVE cable. It really sucks to disconnect the positive and bump the inner fender with the wrench. That's not good for either the sheetmetal or the battery.<br>It also keeps any parisatic drains away from the battery due to the wonderful wiring most of us have.<br>Keep the battery indoors if possible. Stable room temperture is the best.<br>Trickle chargers are a slow murder. I have seen countless batteries die on a trickle charger. <br><br>My yellow top boat battery has spent a lot of it's live in the garage. It gets a top off every couple of months from an automatic shut off battery charger. The battery sat for 2 years with about the above treatment and it still work last summer.<br><br>If you can rotate it through your daily driver that would be nice for it as well.
 

Nuke

Sr. Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2002
Messages
580
[quote author=Broncobowsher link=board=5;threadid=14185;start=0#106680 date=1044902595]<br>Trickle chargers are a slow murder. I have seen countless batteries die on a trickle charger. <br><br>My yellow top boat battery has spent a lot of it's live in the garage. It gets a top off every couple of months from an automatic shut off battery charger. The battery sat for 2 years with about the above treatment and it still work last summer.<br>[/quote]<br><br>An "automatic shut off battery charger" is a trickle charger. ::)
 

Jeep Slayer

Bronco Guru
Joined
Jan 14, 2002
Messages
1,353
Loc.
Wildomar California
I drive my bronco at least one a week so no prob on it but My 65 mustang restro project sits for mounths with out being started, I keep a trickle charger on it and it always starts, If you let the rig sit without running it and have a problum with it not starteing than I recomend one of thease it will give a charge when needed and turns off the chargeing when the batt is at full charge. cool little item and well worth the $$$
 

Broncobowsher

Total hack
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
34,833
[quote author=Nuke link=board=5;threadid=14185;start=0#106696 date=1044906236]<br>[quote author=Broncobowsher link=board=5;threadid=14185;start=0#106680 date=1044902595]<br>Trickle chargers are a slow murder. I have seen countless batteries die on a trickle charger. <br><br>My yellow top boat battery has spent a lot of it's live in the garage. It gets a top off every couple of months from an automatic shut off battery charger. The battery sat for 2 years with about the above treatment and it still work last summer.<br>[/quote]<br><br>An "automatic shut off battery charger" is a trickle charger. ::)<br>[/quote]<br>A trickle charger is a battery charger that has a very low output. Usually about 1 amp. It will keep charging the battery even when it is fully charged. Thus slowly cooing the battery to death.<br><br>The automatic shut off charger I have has 2 settings. A 2 amp and a 10 amp setting. Either one will turn off when the battery is fully charged. Not keep pumping energy into a fully charged battery. I still don’t leave the battery on the charge past the automatic shut off point (at least not much over a day anyway). <br><br>I had a weak battery I left on a trickle charger for a week once (did it over at a friend’s house). When I got back it was completely cooked. I knew it was weak before, but it would still work. When the charger was finished, it wouldn’t even light up a test light.<br><br>They do make trickle chargers with automatic shut off, but most of them I have found aren’t much better then a paperweight.<br><br>When an Optima is down, it likes to be hit hard with a lot of current, then topped off with a normal charger. How do I know this? I learned it from my uncle who is in the battery business. When I went to SEMA last year I talked to the Optima reps. They told me the same thing. <br><br>Another Optima trick, If it is really dead and the charger won’t recognize that it is hooked up to a battery. Run a set of jumper cables from the Optima/charger to another battery. The charger will sense the other battery and start running. After a little while, take off the jumper cables and the Optima will be taking in a charge.<br>
 

JMurray

Sr. Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2002
Messages
800
I have a solar trickle charger on my Mustang, it plugs into the cigarette lighter & I just point it to a nearby window. Its been working for a couple years.<br>I also start a couple of times a month.<br>Jerry
 

rednck21

Newbie
Joined
Feb 27, 2002
Messages
3,914
not trying to be a smart a$$ or anything but you said you have a orange top? sounds to me like your yellow top is really old and faded and probably needs to be replaced maybe?? ?:? ::) ;D
 

Broncobowsher

Total hack
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
34,833
[quote author=rednck21 link=board=5;threadid=14185;start=0#106782 date=1044941289]<br>not trying to be a smart a$$ or anything but you said you have a orange top? sounds to me like your yellow top is really old and faded and probably needs to be replaced maybe?? ?:? ::) ;D<br>[/quote]<br>Optima sold some orange tops. I think they are a group 34R instead of the standard group 34. All that is different is that the battery posts are swapped. The dealers were confusing the 34 and the 34R so they made the 34R in orange so the dealers would realize that there was a difference. Once again it pays to spend some time with the people who make them.
 

BwoncoHowie

C-4 Wizard
Joined
Nov 11, 2002
Messages
3,571
I killed 2 DieHards in 3 years by not dirving it enough. I also found out that my alternator had 2 blown diodes (1 pos and 1 neg in the rectifier), so it was charging at 2/3 capacity. I drive it twice a month to once a week and use it to pick up parts before I work on it. I want an optima red but this DieHard range handler is going on it's second year and won't Die. The memory presets on my stereo combined with the alarm would run the battery down to near dead in a month if I didn't start it and drive it regularly.<br><br>BH
 

66horse

Bronco Guru
Joined
Jan 7, 2002
Messages
3,394
[quote author=rednck21 link=board=5;threadid=14185;start=0#106782 date=1044941289]<br>not trying to be a smart a$$ or anything but you said you have a orange top? sounds to me like your yellow top is really old and faded and probably needs to be replaced maybe?? ?:? ::) ;D<br>[/quote]<br><br>I have an orange top too, its just a red top with the posts reversed.
 
G

Guest

Guest
1.Check your alternator. You could be just running off your battery. 2. Check your regulator wires, make sure they are in the right place.
 
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