enventr

Thank you for the comments. I will order a 12 ft extension wire from battery tender because the 2 car garage is very tight and the Vette is on the left . The door is very close to the garage wall so I'll hook it up using the passenger side door so that I can see the grooves to place the wire in

cclive

I mounted my tender up at the opener on the ceiling and let the wire hang down and go in a 1/2'' opening in the window. This keeps cords from ever being on the floor for tripping over. Half the year my top is down anyway, so there isn't even a window to go through. Might be a solution for you...

enventr

Does anyone know if I can leave the cigarette lighter adapter cord plugged into the console all of the time or would that discharge the battery?
I just may have to plug it in and out every day not to discharge the battery
Thanks

RoadkingC6

Leaving the cord plugged into the console all the time wouldn't discharge the battery, there's no voltage draw on it, kind of like leaving an extention cord plugged into a wall outlet unless there is some sort of load on it nothings happening.

FortMorganAl

Your question (in context with your other posts) confuses me. If you unplug the tender from the cable then, as Roadking says, there is no way for power to go anywhere. But if you are saying that you are going to leave the cable plugged in to both the tender and the console but just unplug the tender then you don't understand what a tender is designed for. A tender is designed to be connected to the battery 24/7/365 and plugged into the wall. Otherwise it is just a charger and you will be damaging the battery when the tender is not working. A tender and a charger are two different devices with two different uses. A charger puts some power into a battery but must be unplugged once the battery is full or it damages the battery. And when it is unplugged the battery self-discharges damaging itself. A tender is designed to slowly charge a battery to close to full charge and then keep it there by continuously replenishing the self-discharge thus preventing damage.

Kevin_NYC

Get the Battery Tender Jr. from amazon for $25


You can sell the two cables (alligator, eyelet) it comes with on ebay for $7.50/ea. to pay for Cig adapter $5 and 12ft cord.

So you can have a battery tender for like $17.

Forget the under-hood, drilling, pigtails, tender-unit on fender, towels, sock around cord nonsense.

The Cig lighters are grounded, INSIDE, 100% protected from leaks, moisture, rodents, cats, dogs, trips, falls, etc.

The cord runs out of bottom of door, in notch designed for this, and cord is low on ground NOT sitting 3 feet up in air off a hood!

The Tender has a red and green light (solid on, flash, off) that monitors state from, zero connection, to charging, to 80%, to steady state.

Not sure how $17 is not better than $50+ other options mentioned...

enventr

Sorry for the confusion. I just wanted to avoid plugging the adapter in the auxiliary outlet after every trip because that can cause ( after a few years of usage) extra wear on that outlet. By leaving the attachment in the outlet the wear would be nothing. I always had this tender plugged into my old 95. The hook up was from the battery to the connector which was located by my wiper. Very easy hookup. This is the first time I'm using the auxiliary outlet and just wanted to double check with you guys because the car is full of electronics . I only have this car for a little over a week. I'm trying to learn more about this as it is light years ahead of my C4. Thank you everyone for your advice

enventr

I currently have the battery tender plus. 1.25 amp. I used this in my C4 until I sold it. I have all of the attachments including a 12.5 ft extension that I don't need. I just was not sure of the best method of hookup to use as I have the car a very short time but thanks for your input. That is exactly how I hooked it up using the notch at the bottom of the door.

enventr

Thank you

FortMorganAl

I understand completely and do the same for other devices like computers but for the car that is a pretty heavy duty connector. Many years ago I used to smoke and I wore out a transmission shifter and the driver's door hinge but the cigarette light was still going strong when I got rid of the car. I'd be more concerned about wearing out the cable to tender connector but that one is very strong also.

And I thought my C4 had a lot of electronics especially when the interior light dimmer failed and I had to find the printed circuit taped to a frame support up behind the glove compartment to replace it. The C6 continues to amaze me even after 8 years of ownership. I see someone with a question here and I open the shop manual to find out how it works and WOW!!! HOW ABOUT THAT!!! This car seems to have more computer modules than seemed possible. i.e. seat heaters should just be a multi-element heater coil and switches but, no, the BCM computer watches the switches and then tells the individual seat "computers" what is wanted and the seat then measures the actual temperature and runs the coils to get the right temperatures. Then I come back here and see someone advocating disconnecting the battery for every problem and then generating lots of sparks reconnecting it. ARGH!!! You have the right attitude toward the electronics in this car.

HBsurfer

Remember that the socket inside the center console is hot even with the car turned off. Plug a phone charger into it with the car off and it will light up.

enventr

Thank you the console socket will only be used for the battery tender hookup. I will leave that short attachment plugged in to the socket at all times. When I take the car out, all I'll do is pull the connector plug apart and leave the cigarette lighter attachment plugged into the socket all of the time making easier to hook up the tender

OkieBikerDude

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I have a pertinent question. I've used battery charger/maintainers for years with good luck. I replaced my 5yr. old DieHard last week and put it on the tender (an expensive CTEK 3300) and walked away. This morning I moved my C5 and discovered a puddle of battery acid on the floor under the battery. Two hours and 2 boxes of baking soda later I still don't know the answer. The battery tested OK. Help??

Grimlock13

The battery tested OK and is still working

I would think you either have a crack in the battery to leak the acid or it boiled over from having a shorted cell.

Those are the only 2 ways battery acid would be on the floor.

If the battery is cracked and a slow leak it may work until the acid is significantly bellow the plates.

I hope step one was carefully remove the battery from car to not get any on yourself.


Also I doubt the CTEK 3300 was the cause of the problem. It doesn't put out enough current to kill a good battery and if it was bad it should have caused an error light on the charger and probably cut power output. (I think CTEK have built in safety circuits, unlike the cheapo chinese harbor freight chargers)

OkieBikerDude

I agree about the ways the acid could get out of the battery. I was VERY CAREFUL when tightening the cable bolts (side mount) and after removing the battery a close exam didn't show any cracks. There were signs the acid had been coming out of the vent near the positive "post", so I also thought of a shorted cell. I was surprised when the battery test failed to supported this theory. The Sears folks gave me a new battery based on a suspected cracked case, but I still have my doubts. I have an old Battery Tender, Jr. on my scooter that will be relocated to the Corvette. Thanks for your input. OBD

KRKP

A question regarding the use of the cigarette lighter or power port inside the car for Battery Tender use:


How might this affect devices that remain powered (hot battery buss), and how robust is the wiring connected to these power ports inside the car - within the context of charging and then topping the battery through this little port? I realize that the ports do remain powered from the hot battery buss, but it seems that using them in this way would place a continuous load on wiring that isn't normally used in this fashion (??)


Also: I just bought the B Tender plus and discovered that at least two auto parts stores that carry a load of this stuff no longer stock or even order the cig lighter adapter for the B Tender. They do, however, stock extra fused lug-mount connector cords (which is the way I'm going to go because of the above concerns).


E&E or well-versed auto electrical techs: Opinions greatly appreciated!


Thanks-

OkieBikerDude

The traditional cigar/cigarette lighter socket was fused at 25A-35A depending on the vehicle. Also, I have ran a 12 volt air compressor (approx. 12A-15A) from this port for several minutes and didn't experience any fuse issues. I don't have any idea about the socket in the console but I would bet it isn't designed to carry anything close to the load a lighter or compressor would require. By using the lighter socket I can wrap the leads around the shifter which helps remind me to disconnect before flight.

OBD

enventr

I am not that familiar with the electronics in this car as I have the car less than 2 weeks. I am a fast learner and many members are well versed in this area. I too have the battery tender plus. I used this in my 95 and it was great. I bought the cigarette lighter plug from battery tender directly. Amazon also sells battery tender attachments as well. I have this plugged in my center console as advised be the members the have been doing this for years. I attach the cable from the tender to the cigarette socket attachment. I run the cable in the notches ( choice of 2 )in the door sill
And close the door. It's that simple. I hope this gives you some additional info. The lighter attachment will always be plugged in to the console outlet

KRKP

enventr,


I'm sure that your B Tender is functioning just as you say, and has been. My question isn't "will it work," it's more about possible long-term effects on the car's wiring and more delicate electronics that sit on the hot battery bus receiving this charging current on the way to the battery, rather than having the battery as the gate-keeper in the circuit (charging current connected directly to battery, therefore the load).


Obvious: I'm a novice when it comes to this type of circuitry.


Thanks

RoadkingC6

Essentially any circuitry that is designed to be hot all the time with the accessory mode or ignition in the off position is not using the battery as a gatekeeper, these circuits have voltage on them all day long, your not baking this circuitry your maintaining the same amount of voltage on these circuits that a 12 volt system was designed to maintain all the time. There will be no long term ill effects on the system using the cigarette lighter in the console as a charging point. keep in mind as long as your using a battery Maintainer of any brand they are designed to stop charging when the battery reaches it's full charge status, a standard battery charger will charge all day long and eventually fry a battery, that's the difference.