Battery trickle charger connections

[AnalogMan]

It's been discussed in a few threads how to best connect a battery trickle charger in the Stinger. Some people have connected a trickle charger using the jump points in the engine compartment (positive in the fuse box, negative a bolt on the right inner fender). Others have connected directly to the battery. I've been wanting to permanently attach a pigtail to my car for to make it easier to connect and disconnect.

I sent a query to Kia and was told 'ask your service department.' Two Kia dealer service departments I asked declined to offer any advice since it wasn't a 'factory part.' The last Kia dealer I was at for service finally was willing to give their opinion on this.

FWIW, the tech (who seemed very knowledgable, a real car guy) suggested connecting a pigtail directly to the battery in the trunk. He said that while connecting to the jump points in the engine compartment was also possible, there is still the inherent resistance of 15 ft. of cable to the battery. The jump points are intended primarily to deliver current to the starter motor and electrical system for a jump start more so than charge the battery directly. He commented on how they've had Stingers with nearly dead batteries and have not been able to push enough current through the engine compartment jump points to effectively charge the battery.

With that guidance, I connected my trickle charger pigtail directly to the battery in the trunk (positive to the terminal, negative to the ground in the trunk at the end of about a foot of cable). Even when disconnecting/connecting the battery in the correct sequence, there was much sparking and dramatic flickering of lights in the process of removing or attaching a cable. The pigtail cable is just long enough to emerge from the trunk mat, making it easy to connect the trickle charger in the trunk.

A pleasant little surprise was even after disconnecting the battery to do this, the radio station presets were not changed and didn't have to be reprogrammed.

So far it hasn't melted down the electrical system or set the garage on fire.

BTW, that battery looks monster heavy. When the time comes to replace it, I don't think I'll be lifting it out of the trunk well myself.

 

[JSolo]

Is it accessible without opening the trunk?

 

[hayagix]

I don't like the sound of "much sparking". Glad you had no reprecussions.

I went with under the hood method. No sparks, no flickering, and 6 hours on the battery maintainer nightly keeps that monster battery happy.

My only complaint is trying to find an exit for the 120V plugin. They have the engine compartment well sealed.

 

[MerlintheMad]

BTW, that battery looks monster heavy. When the time comes to replace it, I don't think I'll be lifting it out of the trunk well myself.

I made that decision years ago: not even going to try it. Hah.

 

[AnalogMan]

Is it accessible without opening the trunk?

No, the pigtail plug is inside the trunk. It's just long enough to stick out from the trunk mat.

There are extension cables for the setup, and may be longer pigtails as well. I suppose you could have the connector extend outside the trunk. but I wouldn't want that both for weathertightness (don't want it getting wet), and also to not attract attention on the street where someone might want to mess with it.

It's very convenient and easy to open the trunk lid and connect to the pigtail.

 

[JSolo]

Once connected, you leave the trunk lowered but unlocked? I too have an extension for the battery tender. Might have to test this out.

 

[AnalogMan]

I don't like the sound of "much sparking". Glad you had no reprecussions.

I went with under the hood method. No sparks, no flickering, and 6 hours on the battery maintainer nightly keeps that monster battery happy.

My only complaint is trying to find an exit for the 120V plugin. They have the engine compartment well sealed.

LOL, the sparking made it just a little bit dramatic. But then it's a big battery, lots of amps coming out so inevitable there could be some fireworks in making/breaking a primary connection.

When reattaching the negative cable back to the trunk floor, I clipped it in quickly and held it tight while tightening the bolt (that also had the pigtail connector on it), to minimize making/breaking a connection and resulting sparking (also wore heavy leather gloves to reduce the chances of becoming an unwilling and intimate participant in any stray flows of electrons).

I used to attach the trickle charger with conventional clips to the jump points in the engine compartment (also no sparks or flickering). It seemed to work fine, the trickle charger would show green after a short time. But to attach a pigtail I wanted some inkling which location might be preferable.

If the garage is reduced to a pile of ash in the morning I'll know I made the wrong choice.

 

[AnalogMan]

Once connected, you leave the trunk lowered but unlocked? I too have an extension for the battery tender. Might have to test this out.

Yes, I lower the trunk and do not lock it. But it immediately latches itself - I wonder if there's a magnetic or electrical assist on the trunk latch to insure positive locking? There seems to be more than enough room and give in the weatherstripping around the trunk to accommodate the trickle charger wire (it's small gauge double-strand).

 

[moinmoin]

Just a little "to whom it may concern":

If you work /attach around the battery, pay attention to the battery post closest to you ( can't recall at the moment whether it's + or - ) standing at the rear of the car.
The post has a little doo-dad attached to it. It does not look like much, but it is the sensor telling the cars's system the state/health of the battery, charging rate, what have you.
Do not move or bend it "out of the way", leave it alone and work, if you must, around it. Otherwise, you could have starting problems and other "weird" behavior of the car.
Ask me how I know.... I assume, that when changing the battery, the sensor may need to be transferred to the new battery.

For the trickle charger, the 120 V plug can simply hang out the back and connected when required. The trunk lid can simply be closed over it. The rubber seal will protect the cord from damage.
While working on the battery, I also installed a battery switch to immobilize the car if necessary...

Just my three cents...

 

[AWDGT2]

For what it's worth, I mounted two large bulkhead terminals on either side of the inside trunk. These are accessible from outside the car, underneath. This way I don't have to pinch cords, leave hatches open, ect. Since it's been in, I've had zero issues.
I got the idea from someone I follow on IG but I'll be darned if I remember who it was. He actually sells a kit to do a full install but I just got the parts myself.

 

[vipeboy2000]

BTW, that battery looks monster heavy. When the time comes to replace it, I don't think I'll be lifting it out of the trunk well myself.

yep... have the same size/capacity in our e39 tourings that i've had to replace several times.... now that's a B*** ... it's a battery sized hole in the side rear that you have to finagle it in and out of while dealing with the sharp plastic edges and the subwoofer on a hinge..... lol... worst image ever... but too lazy to go outside lol..

 

[coasterluv]

Hey guys 2023 kia stinger gt2 owner here. I am new to this trickle battery stuff and ask for some assistance on the best way to set up and best trickle battery charger to get? My car is parked in my garage sitting at just under 28,000 miles (it went into service from the first owner at in August 2022 and I got it at 13,000 miles in October of 2023.) I bought a cheap used car so I dont put miles on my Stinger for a while but now it won't let me remote start as of today as it states the battery is below 12 volts. I dont want to just drive around for hours trying to recharge so because it defeats the purpose of me not putting miles on it. So i am finding out about trickle chargers after some research. I definitely am doing everything i can to keep the car looking and feeling slightly new for a few years and don't want to damage anything.

 

[Thomby]

I am new to this trickle battery stuff and ask for some assistance on the best way to set up and best trickle battery charger to get?

There are a ton of affordable (~$25-30) "smart chargers" on Amazon. The 1 amp "maintainers" are designed to keep you topped off and will take a long time to actually charge, but the 5-10 amp chargers should bring you to full in a few hours or less if you aren't deeply discharged.

The only real features I'd say to look for are the different settings for standard car battery vs. motorcycle vs. AGM since they have slightly different charging profiles (ours is the latter). I have one similar to the link below and have used it on everything from lawnmowers to old trucks to jet skis.

Amazon.com

Positive is under the fuse box lid (passenger side corner of engine bay by windshield), negative is a bolt along the passenger side fender maybe a foot behind the headlight. If you hook up the charger before you plug it in it should give you an approximate voltage reading.

 

[Rejay14]

Mine kept dying, then completely tanked. Just not putting enough km on it. I got a new Motomaster Eliminator Gel battery, less than the OE KIA and a 5-year full-return warranty.

I got the NOCO Genius 10 for charging my battery in a few hours, the NOCO 1 for trickle, and the 10' extension. Can just drape it over the back seat and run it out the door.

 

[globalrebel]

Is this something I have to be worried about? I mainly work from home, but drive into the office once a week. Its like a 20 minute drive.

I park my Stinger on the street for most of the week, and can't run a trickel charger to it.

Do these batteries die quickly if the car isn't run daily?

 

[D.J.]

Is this something I have to be worried about? I mainly work from home, but drive into the office once a week. Its like a 20 minute drive.

I park my Stinger on the street for most of the week, and can't run a trickel charger to it.

Do these batteries die quickly if the car isn't run daily?

No, you are perfectly fine with your huge 90Ah AGM battery in your Stinger.

I have a 2018 Stinger with the OEM battery (7.5 years old). I recently went on vacation, and I was away from my car for 39 days.... Car started up just fine when I arrived back home.

Whole story here.

 

[Volfy]

I try to keep my charger lead length as short as practically possible. I run a 4ft(?) pigtail that is just long enough to drape over the rear bumper. I can shut/lock the trunk lid while connected to the charger.

BTW, if your battery keeps dying, then it has lost the ability to keep a charge and needs to be changed out ASAP. Otherwise, it will load down your charging system and might possibly cause more problems than just a weak battery. IMO, everybody should get a load tester to check your battery occasionally. $30 well spent. By the time your battery starts dying, it's already way past its useful service life.

 

[D.J.]

I try to keep my charger lead length as short as practically possible. I run a 4ft(?) pigtail that is just long enough to drape over the rear bumper. I can shut/lock the trunk lid while connected to the charger.

BTW, if your battery keeps dying, then it has lost the ability to keep a charge and needs to be changed out ASAP. Otherwise, it will load down your charging system and might possibly cause more problems than just a weak battery. IMO, everybody should get a load tester to check your battery occasionally. $30 well spent. By the time your battery starts dying, it's already way past its useful service life.

Most of the kids these days rely on those internal resistance testers rather than actual load testers of yesteryear. Load testers still exist, but they are certainly not popular these days.

 

[Rejay14]

I experienced my battery charge loss through the winter. I’m in Canada, -10, -20 (C) where I live. Yes, the battery is massive, but so is the power draw.

I second the fact that once it starts to go south, spend the $$ and replace. It will stress out your alternator by trying to charge a bad battery. There are a lot of computers on board, they need to be fed.

 

[JSolo]

Wonder what the 4 cyl (2.0/2.5T) takes to start. Can't be a whole lot.