Has anyone used a remote battery disconnect for the winter time? ---

[alwayscode390]

I don't have access to a power plug for a battery tender in the winter time.

I think my new Optima battery may have died out on me this winter , the weather was a lot worse than I planned and I wasn't able to drive the car weekly like I was last winter.

Someone recommended I install one of these "Battery Brain Gold" remote battery disconnect systems. I guess they can even use a remote control. :

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sms-334126?seid=srese1&gclid=CNiC95KtuLwCFUHNOgodvnAAkA

I hate having to jackup the car, and pull the wheel off to take the battery out for a charge.

Does this sound like a good solution to you? What exactly does the install consist of? Have you used one of these before?

I guess it will AUTOMATICALLY disconnect if it sees 11.8V or less from the battery , so you are almost guaranteed a start-up when you try no matter if its been sitting awhile or not.

Thanks for your input ---

 

[DrumrBoy]

Don't see why it wouldn't work. I have used manual disconnects (key-type) and its fine....assuming the "brain" does the disconnection properly it should achieve the same results. Note though that the battery will lose some mojo just sitting in the cold, so if you know its going to be dormant for a while you might as well disconnect the battery when its fully charged rather than let it get down in the 11's before disconnecting itself and dropping from there.

 

[Viper98912]

Disconnect it beforehand?

 

[FrankBarba]

Run a switch into your cockpit for quick disconnect

 

[alwayscode390]

OK good ideas , thanks! Chances are the battery will never be fully charged enough to sit through the winter temperatures ... I'm not sure if this would even be worth it. It just ***** to have to take the battery out to charge it up yearly LOL ---

 

[past ohio]

IF you don't have an electrical outlet for the battery charger, have you looked at the solar powered trickle chargers ?? But does mean then you have to have access to the daylight outside, run the wire outside and mount the solar panel where it gets the most amount of sunshine....my $.02

 

[alwayscode390]

Actually I have been using a Battery Tender 5W solar charger. Its either not big enough, or its having issues with my Optima Battery being AGM ... not quite sure. The instructions say it will recharge a completely dead battery ... I haven't tried to start the Viper in a month , and I tried starting a vehicle I have an Optima in and another solar charger attached to ... and the battery was dead as a doornail (its only 2 years old, used for 1 1/2 years). I was pretty disheartened to say the least , and that's actually what prompted me to make this thread. I am pretty sure the Viper will be toast too when I finally try. Seems like a great idea though, thanks ! ---

 

[Chinook47]

Not much help here with the battery disconnect, but when you put it into storage why not pull the battery and then reinstall it in the spring? I leave my battery in hooked to a battery tender, but when I use to keep it in storage without a power source for the tender, I would just go and start it and run it for 20 minutes every couple weeks and never had a problem. I feel it's always good to keep the fluids moving once in a while and not let them sit for 3-4 months. I also missed the sound of this beast, so i looked forward to at least starting her up once in a while.

 

[alwayscode390]

That's what I am going to have to do ... take the rear wheel off and pull the battery , then re-install it.

Its just not fun doing that LOL.

I heard starting the car and letting it warm up in the winter is ******* the exhaust if you don't let the engine warm up enough ( condensation ) , or ******* the oil inside the engine if you get it hot and its super cold out ( condensation inside the engine from the temperature changes from cold to hot to cold quickly ).

Last winter I started it up and drove it weekly , but this winter has been a LOT more brutal here ... the worst winter I can remember in the last 15 years here. ---

 

[Steve-Indy]

Have you considered "feeding" your battery every 3-4 weeks (assuming that you have a negative IOD test) MUCH simpler, effective, only requires a small amount of your time.

 

[alwayscode390]

I am not familiar with that term Steve, or a IOD test. I am interested though

Once it warms up I will be driving it again, but I would love to know all of my options for next winter.

Thanks! ---

 

[Steve-Indy]

Ignition Off Draw test...which you can check later.

For now, suggest that you charge battery every 3-4 weeks until weather improves.

Give me a call ...-...-....

 

[Paul Hawker]

AGM batteries need a different type of battery tender than standard batteries. They do not trigger the tender to kick on. It may be why your solar trickle charger is not effective.

Maybe using a standard lead/acid battery with solar charger may do the trick.

 

[Steve-Indy]

Alwayscode390, if you are interested...here is the short version that I am using this winter on a couple of our Vipers that are stored in a location that has no electricity complicated by record snows here and at least 2 weeks of below freezing temps (lowest was -18).

This year I am using an "electron dosing schedule" of every 8 weeks on a Gen I...as a test and followup to last year's schedule. The most important changes this year are "industrial" size jumper cables (as opposed to the dozen plus standard types I have used in the past. These big boys are #1 and sport 800 amp clamps.

Also, take along a volt meter to test your battery (at the front end jump locations) to be sure that you have at least some voltage in the battery...an implication of a non frozen battery. Two days ago, the Gen I had 11.6 volts before I started...8 weeks since last "electron dose".

I used a Chrysler 300 as the 'donor car"...though it does have the battery in the trunk necessating using the under-the-hood "jump locations"...which may be a slight disadvantage even with big guage cables.

This year I added a 660 amp DC clamp ammeter to see exactly what the donor car was delivering through the cables. Initially, I read 6.1-6.4 amps with donor car running at idle...which jumped to 12.4 amps as I ran donor car to 1500 rpm. Whether or not these readings are accurate, they are at least a rough guide.

After 15 minutes of charging, the Viper read 12.7-12.9 volts once the jumper cables were removed. I plan to recheck the Viper's voltage in a week or two depending on the weather.

By the way, my new cables are 25 feet long...making them great for reaching safely into a narrow warehouse.

This is an easy solution for me...and has worked for 3 winters.

By the way, I have 3 Vipers with AGM batteries (Sears Die-Hard Platinum) riding Deltran Battery Tender Plus units...without any problems. Admittedly these Platinums get fully charged a couple of tiimes a year using a Sears charger that is now sold with a specific Platinum setting.

Best of luck...come on Spring !!!