GotMoJo

This has been posted before but I thought it would never happen to me. I had a battery tender on my car and I noticed after a bad storm that both the green and red lights were flashing in unison. I figured a near lightning strike must have taken it out! But wait, could it have hurt the Z? Yes, but of course. Now my EBCM is on the fritz and I'm not sure if anything else has been hurt. I'm not showing any codes so perhaps I've been spared.

Just a reminder guys and gals. Get a surge protector on those battery tenders!

capevettes

I always pull mine off the tender when a storm approaches. Hope you get your Z squared away

phxcobra

Great tip, hadn't thought about it. Although I think the ctek may have more protection built-in than just the tender does.

Bill Dearborn

It won't show anything other than powertrain codes if you are reading them with an OBD II scanner. Powertrain codes are about 55% of the codes that can appear on the car. For the EBCM you need a scanner that can read ABS codes. If you are getting Service ABS, TC or AH or all three together there will be codes in the EBCM as codes cause those messages to be displayed.

Bill

Mark923

Hope your Z is not damaged, what about the other connections at the house?
Sure been a lot of strikes in Tennessee and Georgia this year. So we install a Surge Protector on the Main electric panel for the whole house. Only time will tell how well it works.

GotMoJo

I think you're right Bill. I'm using an EFILive scanner and it doesn't recognize the chassis codes. Need to take it to the dealer and have them put a Tech II on it. I guess I could try and R&R the electronic portion of the unit and hope for the best.

allanlaw

I would have thought the in-line fuse in the cord from the battery tender to the battery would save the day. At least my Battery Tender Plus has such a fuse.

VicCaerter

sounds like its almost time to call the insurance company

GotMoJo

1k deductible.

There's a fuse? I'll have to check. Don't remember seeing a fuse block anywhere but it makes sense.

tim414

Being in Texas that's something we are use too. I have mine on a protected circuit from main power panel, the plug itself is protected and it's also in a power surge strip....if it trips, it always happens at the main panel due to ground fault and surge protection.

sengli

Same thing happened to me last spring. We took a near by lightining hit on the power lines at like 3AM. The surge smoked my battery tender and got the Bosch EBCM that controls the anti-lock and traction control, as well as both front wheel sensor/hubs. By the time it was all done the cost for the repir was $2300.00. Luckily my insurance paid for all but the deductable. I now never leave the car on the tender when I am not at home. I never would have even thought such a thing was possible, but I am living proof. The guys at BUDS in ohio, said this isn't the first corvette they worked on for this very same issue, caused by a lightning strike...due to the car being left on a battery tender. Relying on fuses and the cheapy surge protectors is a waste of money. Lightning is too fast for any of the cheap fail safes. If your house gets a direct hit there is no safe haven if its plugged in.

lebvette

Thanks for the tip. I would never have thought about it.

b4i4getit

If you are going to leave one of these devices connected to your battery for a long period of time like over the winter or even a few weeks do yourself a favor and disconnect the + cable from the battery. That way no failure of the device will affect the rest of your vehicle electronics. Sure you will have to reset your windows and other things but it is a lot cheaper than having your vehicle electrical modules replaced.

tim414

change the breaker in your main power panel to a ground fault/surge protector.....anything on that circuit WILL BE PROTECTED....no matter what kind of lightening storm is happening....

make sure your WELL grounded as well. In my shop I had two heavy ground rods installed and have one on my main and one on my sub panel. Use HEAVY grounding copper...there are two guages...use heavy.

I have NEVER had issue and it's ALWAYS plugged up unless I'm driving it. We DO get A LOT of lightening around here too.

GotMoJo

I read your thread. Wish I would have read it before the strike.

Good advice, thanks.

I will be looking into that!

carpe dm

Always use one, and my wife has one on her sewing machine because of the computer chip(s) it has!