Jump to content

Unplugging negative on battery ?


Recommended Posts

Hi all

My car is just a weekend toy / track car. Battery keeps going flat while parked up which I assume is caused by the Clifford alarm draining it.

 

I mate suggested taking the negative lead off the battery while is parked up.

 

Is there anything I need to be aware of before doing this ? 

 

It's a 94 import model gen 6 2.0

 

Thanks 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My battery is in a box in the boot with a built-in kill switch, but I admit I never thought to turn it off when I left the car on the drive for a couple of weeks when it snowed.  I wish I had because it drained the battery.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Askari said:

My battery is in a box in the boot with a built-in kill switch, but I admit I never thought to turn it off when I left the car on the drive for a couple of weeks when it snowed.  I wish I had because it drained the battery.

dont mind me asking Askari but have you noticed and drop in voltage between the engine bay and batt in boot,just moved mine in to the boot.had a batt charger on 13.4v at batt,at engine 125 amp inline fuse 12.7v is that normal you think.

Scott try a batt charger on for a good while its possible the batt is not getting enough charge in it while running

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, jim7564 said:

dont mind me asking Askari but have you noticed and drop in voltage between the engine bay and batt in boot,just moved mine in to the boot.had a batt charger on 13.4v at batt,at engine 125 amp inline fuse 12.7v is that normal you think.

Scott try a batt charger on for a good while its possible the batt is not getting enough charge in it while running

 

When the battery was relocated to the boot, we upgraded the cable (don’t ask me what to, the guy who put it in said he was using the best he could lay his hands on, to reduce the resistance that would result from the longer cable, it was about half an inch thick) and we put in a chunkier battery than standard (450cca/60ah).  These measures seem to have worked as I have noticed no reduction in performance.

 

I know the battery in the boot reads at 13.4v on the meter, but I’ve never had reason to check the voltage in the engine bay.

 

The fact the battery drained was due to me leaving it for three weeks in the cold.

 

 

Edited by Askari
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Askari said:

 

When the battery was relocated to the boot, we upgraded the cable (don’t ask me what to, the guy who put it in said he was using the best he could lay his hands on

 

I hope you upgraded to fibre optics. No degradation over long distances with that!

 

:sofa:

1 hour ago, bazz54 said:

There are special battery clamps like this http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/product.php/563/disconnect-battery-terminal which means you can disconnect and reconnect in seconds.

I have something like that, coupled with a recharger that varies the charge once topped up to keep the battery in good condition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, dublet said:

I have something like that, coupled with a recharger that varies the charge once topped up to keep the battery in good condition.

 

Tell me more!  I’ve been thinking about converting the 12v accessory socket so that it is live even when the ignition is off, so that I can use one of those solar battery chargers - I know they won’t deliver enough charge to recharge a depleted battery, but they do seem to do enough to compensate for the natural degradation of a battery in a standing car.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your fuelling might take a bit of driving to adjust to optimum again after its removed - the 3sgte takes a while before it will drive at 14.7 afr, and the mr2 will rev very high until its settled down - but thats the only pain I find apart fro resetting the clock and stereo settings !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

3 minutes ago, Askari said:

Tell me more!  I’ve been thinking about converting the 12v accessory socket so that it is live even when the ignition is off, so that I can use one of those solar battery chargers - I know they won’t deliver enough charge to recharge a depleted battery, but they do seem to do enough to compensate for the natural degradation of a battery in a standing car.

It's a built in battery conditioner. Once the battery is charged, it just varies the voltage, as that is good for lead acid batteries, apparently.  Very much unlike lithium batteries that prefer full charge to near depletion cycles. I've got a quick adaptor (comes with the charger) hooked up to the connectors, so once the Four is in the garage, I disconnect the negative, then plug in the recharger in about 5 seconds. The reverse when I want to set off again.

 

The only downside is that every time I drive the car, I have to reset the radio and the clock.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.