65GS.com - Buick Gran Sport Enthusiasts!
Electrical => Electrical => Topic started by: elagache on October 14, 2018, 06:10:39 PM
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Dear mid-60s Buick electricians,
As reported elsewhere (http://65gs.com/board/index.php/topic,3734.msg26279.html#msg26279), I have 3 amp Battery Tender trickle charger for my trusty wagon. It came with a 2 foot long connector with rings to connect to the battery and the connector to plug into the charger. It is available separately as can be seen on this link:
http://products.batterytender.com/Accessories/Ring-Terminal-Harness.html (http://products.batterytender.com/Accessories/Ring-Terminal-Harness.html)
The trouble is that 2 feet is too short to go from Biquette's battery to a reasonable location that I can tuck away the connector while driving, but still access it when I return to the garage. I appear to have two options. I could buy an extension cable with connectors at both ends, but the shortest of those is 6 feet long when I might need as little as an extra foot. The other idea that occurred to me is to buy a second battery ring connector and carefully splice the two together to provide the extra length I need.
Has anybody come up with something more clever than this? I would prefer to make no more than one splice and I would do this with great care. It seems like a silly problem without any better solution than I've thus far imagined.
Thanks in advance for any electrical wisdom you'all might have! :hello2:
Cheers, Edouard :occasion14:
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You could take the 6 ft cable and cut it in half, then remove four or five feet and splice it back together. Or, you could get a small zip tie and coil up the 6 ft cable until it is about a foot long.
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I have extended them before. I cut the ring terminals off the end that connects to the battery, then spliced on more wire by soldering/heat shrinking the connection, then put new ring terminals on the end of the wire extension.
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I just put the cap on the cord and and tuck it to the side of the battery when not in use on the Cobra.
I use an extension cord to get the charger closer to the RV up in the barn. That makes it easier to swap between the coach and chassis batteries.
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Dear Keith, Brian, Good Dr. and mid-60s Buick caregivers,
Thanks for your suggestions! :hello2: However, I think people will understand the problem better with a few pictures. Here is the battery in Biquette:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Biquette/Biquette-upgrades-and-misc/Upgrading-Battery-Tender-connection/i-R4Fk5Nz/0/e8b9f12d/XL/Battery%20tender%20cable%20from%20battery%20to%20grill-XL.jpg) (https://canebas.smugmug.com/Biquette/Biquette-upgrades-and-misc/Upgrading-Battery-Tender-connection/i-R4Fk5Nz/A)
Unfortunately there are a lot of connections for all the after-market accessories. You can see the Battery Tender cable going over the top of the battery and ending up in a section of white tape in the upper left corner of the picture (more on that later.) Here is where the cable emerges from the grill:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Biquette/Biquette-upgrades-and-misc/Upgrading-Battery-Tender-connection/i-cGxzc4g/0/3a6f77e6/XL/Battery%20Tender%20cable%20plugged-XL.jpg) (https://canebas.smugmug.com/Biquette/Biquette-upgrades-and-misc/Upgrading-Battery-Tender-connection/i-cGxzc4g/A)
As you can see, the cable is so short that it is barely long enough to get outside where I can connect it.
I just put the cap on the cord and and tuck it to the side of the battery when not in use on the Cobra.
Yes that does work fine and I am doing that when Biquette goes on an extended trip. However, I was hoping to come up with an arrangement similar to what I have on our 2000 Buick Century. I run the Battery Tender connector so it can pass under the bumper and I have a small cup made of PVC pipe to hold the connector when we are using the car. When I come home, I reach under the bumper and retrieve the connector so that I can plug it in. I would like to come up with something similar for Biquette so I don't have to open the hood every time I take her out or bring her home.
I have extended them before. I cut the ring terminals off the end that connects to the battery, then spliced on more wire by soldering/heat shrinking the connection, then put new ring terminals on the end of the wire extension.
That is what I was imagining. I was hoping to avoid more than one splice by buying a second connector. It would be cleaner and safer.
You could take the 6 ft cable and cut it in half, then remove four or five feet and splice it back together.
Yes I could do that, but I really need just a short section. It seems a bit silly to stow away that connector when this area of the engine bay is already extremely crowded and will get a bit more crowded when I finally get around to upgrading the headlights. That's why I was leaning toward a splice of some sort.
Where the cable is emerging at the moment, there is some rough metal edges that have scuffed up the wire insulator. I put the white electrical tape as a temporary repair, but I do need to come of with something more permanent. Here is one last picture:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Biquette/Biquette-upgrades-and-misc/Upgrading-Battery-Tender-connection/i-Wx84Wr6/0/94a8febd/XL/Cable%20and%20passenger%20side%20grill-XL.jpg) (https://canebas.smugmug.com/Biquette/Biquette-upgrades-and-misc/Upgrading-Battery-Tender-connection/i-Wx84Wr6/A)
At the moment the connector can be tucked in between the sheet metal of the outer fender and the grill and it seems reasonably secure, but what I would love to come up with is some way to push the connector out of site into some sort of a clip that would really secure it. I would then like to somehow be able to retrieve the connector without having to open up the hood all the time.
Any new thoughts on my proto-FYI project? :idea1:
Thanks again!
Cheers, Edouard :occasion14:
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There is an easy solution then. Buy the 6' extension, cut it to the length you need, and put new ring terminals on the end you cut. No splices and you just made a whole new cable and can save the one on the car for another vehicle.
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Dear Brian and mid-60s Buick owners,
There is an easy solution then. Buy the 6' extension, cut it to the length you need, and put new ring terminals on the end you cut. No splices and you just made a whole new cable and can save the one on the car for another vehicle.
Why yes! That's simple, more robust, and gets the job done! Thanks! :hello2:
Now I need to figure out how to store this cable on the car somehow.
Cheers, Edouard :occasion14:
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I need one of these. Mine years old schumacher finally bit the dust.
But looking online, there are a whole bunch of types of BT. Then there are other companies. What to pick?
Looks like the BT 800 can be vehicle mounted and is around $40. What's everyone else using?
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Dear Iain and mid-60s Buick caregivers,
I need one of these. Mine years old schumacher finally bit the dust.
But looking online, there are a whole bunch of types of BT. Then there are other companies. What to pick?
Looks like the BT 800 can be vehicle mounted and is around $40. What's everyone else using?
Okay, I hadn't looked into the Battery Tender 800. Here is the specifications from the manufacturer's website:
http://products.batterytender.com/Automotive/BatteryTender-800-12V-800-mA-USA-Western-Hemisphere.html (http://products.batterytender.com/Automotive/BatteryTender-800-12V-800-mA-USA-Western-Hemisphere.html)
This could be a real advantage, especially if your Buick doesn't have a permanent spot to "bunk down for the night." I thought Ruthy had a spot in the garage though. If so, you might want the same charger I bought for Biquette. Amazingly, there are still for sale at Costco:
https://www.costco.com/Battery-Tender-Power-Plus-3-Amp-Charger.product.100241973.html (https://www.costco.com/Battery-Tender-Power-Plus-3-Amp-Charger.product.100241973.html)
Here is the posting I did last year announcing the sale.
http://65gs.com/board/index.php/topic,3734.msg30135.html#msg30135 (http://65gs.com/board/index.php/topic,3734.msg30135.html#msg30135)
Alas the $10 discount is gone. Still at $40 you get a 3 amp charger for the price of the 800 mA one. Moreover, you have some other choices for the same price. Amazon will sell it to you for the same price:
http://a.co/cAgy2Yi (http://a.co/cAgy2Yi)
The best price I could find on eBay was a 3 dollar's less. Every other eBay offer was the same as Costco or more.
I have this unit mounted on the garage wall next to my trusty wagon and I have the same arrangement for our 2000 Buick Century. Whenever either car returns for a day of errands, they get plugged into the Battery Tender and stay that way until their next outing.
As before, you don't have to be a Costco member to buy the 3 amp charger and shipping is free. So that is certainly an option, although you might as well pick the company you have done the most business with given that the prices are mostly the same.
Cheers, Edouard :occasion14:
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I really like the one I got at Advance Auto Parts for the features. It?s red with a handle and about the same price. I also have an AutoMeter one I like but it does not have the features. I do not connect to the car though as I rotate mine from vehicle to vehicle.
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Dear Jim and 65GS.com savvy shoppers,
I really like the one I got at Advance Auto Parts for the features. It?s red with a handle and about the same price.
Can you spot which model you bought? I tried to search the Advance Auto Parts website but they have a lot of chargers! This link should bring up the list:
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/c3/battery-charger/15606?&beginIndex=0&sortBy=5&_r=0.0032544494984815264 (https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/c3/battery-charger/15606?&beginIndex=0&sortBy=5&_r=0.0032544494984815264)
Definitely a staggering number of choices when it comes to battery chargers.
Cheers, Edouard
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Couldn't figure out why my maintainer would suddenly stop working the way it did. Battery has been reading good, charges up to 14V when driving. However it is approximately 8 years old.
Got another 12V battery and the thing starts right up. So I waited a few days, checked it, it reads 12.3 volts. I guess I'm in the market for a new battery... still works good for now but on it's way out.
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Dear Iain and mid-60s Buick caregivers,
Couldn't figure out why my maintainer would suddenly stop working the way it did. Battery has been reading good, charges up to 14V when driving. However it is approximately 8 years old.
Got another 12V battery and the thing starts right up. So I waited a few days, checked it, it reads 12.3 volts. I guess I'm in the market for a new battery... still works good for now but on it's way out.
Well you got me thinking about exactly how long a car battery can last. NAPA Auto Parts agrees with a number of other sources in this posting:
http://knowhow.napaonline.com/average-car-battery-life-time-change/ (http://knowhow.napaonline.com/average-car-battery-life-time-change/)
According to that: "The average car battery life can be anywhere from three to five years." So if Ruthy's battery is 8 years old, she deserves a new battery.
At least you don't need a new battery charger and maintainer!
Cheers, Edouard :occasion14:
P.S. Just from memory, I sure believe that car batteries lasted signfiicantly longer than 3-5 years in the past. Anyone else have that impression?
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Officially stumped. Battery finally died, headlights wouldn't turn on. Got a new battery, interstate. Car starts right up.
Maintainer will work on tiny 12v scooter battery, but not this new battery.
What gives? :help:
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Is it an AGM (gell) battery? Those are funny when using a maintenance/float charge. Just a thought... Bill
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Nope, MT-24 plain ol' lead acid. My old one was too. I mean, I can order a new battery tender....Just one of these things that stumps. Only difference between the scooter battery and the auto battery is amp, obviously.
I even hooked up a jumper cable like some people suggest, and that didn't work either.
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Dear Iain, Bill, and mid-60s Buick electricians,
Officially stumped. Battery finally died, headlights wouldn't turn on. Got a new battery, interstate. Car starts right up.
Maintainer will work on tiny 12v scooter battery, but not this new battery.
What gives? :help:
How old is your maintainer charger? What symptoms does it give that indicate that it won't work with this new battery? I don't know how these devices can fail, but perhaps there is a failure mode that you have unfortunately discovered - da' hard way . . . .
Let us know what are the symptoms of da' patient.
Cheers, Edouard :occasion14:
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I realized something, friends. I asked a professional mechanic. My new battery is 100% charged. My old battery was less than 50% charged. In fact, it was pretty much dead.
Battery maintainers don't go to these extremes. They keep the battery with some voltage that's less than 100% charged (usually). And, they're all different.
So I actually think there is nothing wrong with the charger and hence the reason it turns on for the scooter battery.
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Dear Iain and mid-60s Buick caregivers,
I realized something, friends. I asked a professional mechanic. My new battery is 100% charged. My old battery was less than 50% charged. In fact, it was pretty much dead.
Battery maintainers don't go to these extremes. They keep the battery with some voltage that's less than 100% charged (usually). And, they're all different.
So I actually think there is nothing wrong with the charger and hence the reason it turns on for the scooter battery.
How does your charger behave when you connect it to your new battery? The Battery Tender chargers will "pretend" to charge even a full battery. What I mean is that when you first connect it, the light comes on indicating that is it trying to charge the battery. These chargers have a "close to full" light. When the charger concludes that the battery is sufficiently charged that you could start the car if you wanted to, a second light comes on. Finally it switches to standby mode which is a third configuration of lights.
Biquette has a beefy alternator so the battery basically remains charged. So when I plug her into the charger, the sequence I described above takes as little as a minute. Coquette (our 2000 Buick Century) doesn't have a strong an alternator and frequently it can take as much as 15-30 minutes to top off the battery.
Are you seeing behavior like this? That would be a guarantee that your charger is working properly.
Cheers, Edouard :occasion14:
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Come to think of it, no. And I've been looking at various maintainers. Seems BT & BT Junior are the most popular.
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I think I've bored most everyone with this but I'm still going. At least Edouard is still hanging on. I've read a whole bunch about these, at least the economical units. It seems that they are really work the same and do the same, unless you get a defective unit - which frightens me. So, I guess order one, plug it in and watch it closely.
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Dear Iain and mid-60s Buick caregivers,
Come to think of it, no. And I've been looking at various maintainers. Seems BT & BT Junior are the most popular.
. . .
At least Edouard is still hanging on. I've read a whole bunch about these, at least the economical units.
You've got be patient on this forum. Not everyone can visit everyday. I almost didn't make today either!
I ended up getting my first Battery Tender charger based on recommendations I got on this thread:
http://65gs.com/board/index.php/topic,3465.msg24235.html#msg24235 (http://65gs.com/board/index.php/topic,3465.msg24235.html#msg24235)
I started out with the Battery Tender Jr and it works just fine so long as you have only a battery with minimal "always on" parasitical devices. In Biquette's case the clock is about it. Ruthy is probably the same.
I ended up getting a larger Battery Tender for Coquette (or 2000 Buick Century,) because the charging process would turn on the aftermarket daytime running lights. It turns out I was making a mistake in allowing the charger to energize the daytime running lights. Eventually the daylight running lights controller failed. :BangHead:
While the Battery Tender Jr. is a small package, it has all the diagnostic LEDs of the Battery Tender line.
It seems that they are really work the same and do the same, unless you get a defective unit - which frightens me. So, I guess order one, plug it in and watch it closely.
You can watch the LED status lights and you can tell right away if the charger is working properly. The first time you install it, make a point of checking in every few minutes to make sure all is going smoothly. Once you see that the charger is working properly, you can just plug it in and let it take are of itself from then on.
I definitely recommend them! :thumbsup:
Cheers, Edouard :occasion14:
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Thanks Edouard.
For now I came up with the best possible battery maintainer & Buick benefit -- the road.
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Dear Iain and mid-60s Buick owners who want to drive!!
For now I came up with the best possible battery maintainer & Buick benefit -- the road.
x2!!! :icon_thumright:
Cheers, Edouard :occasion14:
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I decided to go down with a new model of the Schumacher I was using. Has the same style quick disconnect that the BT Junior has. I'll let you all know how it goes.
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Dear Iain and mid-60s Buick caregivers,
I decided to go down with a new model of the Schumacher I was using. Has the same style quick disconnect that the BT Junior has.
Schumacher is another well-established company in the field. It was started in 1947! Here is their website:
https://www.batterychargers.com/ (https://www.batterychargers.com/)
While they make more than battery chargers, the website URL clearly indicates they have a reputation for such things!
I'll let you all know how it goes.
Do let us know how you install your charger and cable. If you think it would be interesting pictures would certainly be appreciated. I bought the parts for extending Biquette's charger cable, but I still haven't been able to find the time to actually do the work. So I'm still looking for ideas.
Cheers, Edouard :occasion14:
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Edouard,
Do you know what voltage your battery gets to with the BT plugged in?
I plugged in the Schumacher, and with the unit still operating, it measured 14.6volts. At that point I became nervous and disconnected it.
Then, immediately after unplugging it, the voltage was 13.6
Either way, the anxiety of having a defective unit overcharge a new (& expensive) battery may not be worth it.
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Dear Iain and mid-60s Buick battery caregivers,
Do you know what voltage your battery gets to with the BT plugged in?
I plugged in the Schumacher, and with the unit still operating, it measured 14.6volts. At that point I became nervous and disconnected it.
Then, immediately after unplugging it, the voltage was 13.6
I had Biquette connected to her Battery Tender charger, so I disconnected the charger and unplugged it from the AC for about 5 minutes to reset everything. Before connecting, the battery read 12.95 Volts (with some variation.) When I first connected the charger, curiously it also read exactly the same: 12.95 Volts. However, after about 15 second, the charger switched to its "battery almost full" mode. At that point the voltage read 14.37 Volts. I didn't investigate any further.
I'm reasonably confident that car batteries can be charged at 14 Volts for another curious bit of trivia. My parents had a slot-car set that was powered by transformers rated 14 volts. Dad would use those transformers to recharge the battery in our power boat. I don't recommend using a slot-car transformer to recharge a lead-acid battery, but I think it is safe to assume those batteries can handle 14+ volts when charging.
Let us know if you get this trickle charger to handle Ruthy's needs.
Cheers, Edouard :occasion14: