Battery Maintenance

[SteveCo]

Thanks for confirming! I saw the negative bolt, also.
I'm taking a long trip without my car and want to put a trickle on it. I thought the little fuse puller was a nice touch.

Yes, I have a pigtail connection for a CTEK intelligent float charger/maintainer (max 2.2A) attached to the under hood connections as well. I've used the same arrangement for years for motorcycles and summer only vehicles, and will use it to do the same for the Stinger if I'm away for an extended period.

 

[RVance]

NOT a problem! I've seen the dealer do it in the showroom (not on my car) and the CAA technician doing it to mine in the driveway.
Digging through the trunk and getting the spare out: not happening.

I'm sure I'd touch something I shouldn't and fry the box.

 

[eflyguy]

Not sure how I'm second guessing the owner's manual as it says (at least in my MY2018 version) to boost and charge only directly to the battery, but it's certainly the owner's prerogative to do so or not.

Interesting. My family has three vehicles with trunk-mounted batteries and all three provide engine-compartment access for jump starting. The Stinger manual includes a picture:

 

[SteveCo]

Interesting. My family has three vehicles with trunk-mounted batteries and all three provide engine-compartment access for jump starting. The Stinger manual includes a picture:

Yes, that is interesting. Apparently the 2018 manual procedural text was in error, and they've made a revision to correct it.

The 2018 manual does contain a picture, but the written procedure reads as follows:



Based on the update to the 2019 manual, it appears that boosting it at the engine compartment terminals is fine. Thanks for posting that excerpt, I'll put an addendum in my manual!

 

[Wilzer]

? Is there a "Main" fuse in the engine compartment fuse box to disconnect the battery for a long inactive, storage period.

 

[SteveCo]

? Is there a "Main" fuse in the engine compartment fuse box to disconnect the battery for a long inactive, storage period.

There is an 'ON/OFF' switch in the primary fuse panel, beneath the steering column.

 

[Wilzer]

Asked this because former car was one famous for "Dead Battery Syndrome" Had to disconnect battery if away for more than 2 weeks.

There is an 'ON/OFF' switch in the primary fuse panel, beneath the steering column.

Thank you, Thank you.
Lovin' my Stinger more and more

 

[Bill Lesser]

I run one of these 5 amp Battery Tenders wired to the battery in the trunk. Currently I just pull the plug out and close the hatch when in use. I have an extension cord I plug it into. I have a permanent water proof plug adapter I will be installing soon. I have cameras and hotspot always running so I will plug the car in if it sits for more than a few days.

 

[SonomaGT]

Hi all- thank you for posting this topic. I have a question about the ctek smart battery charger. I purchased one with a 12 volt adapter after seeing somewhere on a stinger forum that someone in the midwest was charging their car through the 12 volt adapter I found out the 12 volt is not active unless car is running, so that won't work. Has anyone been successful in charging through the 12 volt? Wondering how that person did that - unless fake news? Lol. I found the positive clip under the hood and the negative bolt. My question is the ctek terminal clips aren't long enough to reach the positive and negative at the same time. Can I split the plastic on the cable wires to extend length or wondering how you guys managed to connect with ctek? As it was delivered, the reach on the cables is about a foot. Don't mean to sound like an idiot, but I'm not used to newer cars and don't want to fry it. I'll take to my dealer if needed, so no worries if I don't receive an answer. Thanks again for all the great info.

 

[SonomaGT]

Yes, I have a pigtail connection for a CTEK intelligent float charger/maintainer (max 2.2A) attached to the under hood connections as well. I've used the same arrangement for years for motorcycles and summer only vehicles, and will use it to do the same for the Stinger if I'm away for an extended period.

When you have a moment could you kindly post a pic of the pigtail connectors? Thx so much!

 

[eflyguy]

No idea what kind of cables you have, but if they look something like these, where the red and black are joined until a short distance from the clips, then yes, you can carefully pull them apart until you get the separation you need to attach to both posts.

 

[STINGER]

I run one of these 5 amp Battery Tenders wired to the battery in the trunk. Currently I just pull the plug out and close the hatch when in use. I have an extension cord I plug it into. I have a permanent water proof plug adapter I will be installing soon. I have cameras and hotspot always running so I will plug the car in if it sits for more than a few days.

Thats a good idea I think Ill do the same, just leave the wire attached to the battery and plug it in whenever needed.

 

[Nishizawa]

Hey everyone. I know this is an older post but I thought that instead of making a new thread, I’ll just continue from this thread.

I was away for about a week and when I came back, I noticed the door was open and when I got in the car to start, it would not start. Trunk does not open and nothing starts. Obviously the battery died...

What can I do in this case to start the car back up without doing any harm to the battery or the car? Is the battery already harmed since it has been drained?

 

[Christopher Léger]

Boost it from the hood.. im at all no expert but from a previous post on here says its not harmfull and safe

 

[RVance]

Hey everyone. I know this is an older post but I thought that instead of making a new thread, I’ll just continue from this thread.

I was away for about a week and when I came back, I noticed the door was open and when I got in the car to start, it would not start. Trunk does not open and nothing starts. Obviously the battery died...

What can I do in this case to start the car back up without doing any harm to the battery or the car? Is the battery already harmed since it has been drained?

Batteries respond much better, last longer to a slower trickle charge, than a jump or quick charge. There is a way to get into the trunk release without power. There's an access above the latch on the inside hatch. I Googled it before. Then you can remove the battery and take it to a shop for an overnight charge.

 

[eflyguy]

What can I do in this case to start the car back up without doing any harm to the battery or the car? Is the battery already harmed since it has been drained?

Similar to what RVance posted, a slow recovery is best for most traditional batteries. Something like a battery tender, or if you have a charger with a maintenance mode or similar, but definitely NOT a "regular" charge mode. Also jump-starting the vehicle will then subject it to "normal" charging, which is hard on a fully discharged battery.

It will take longer but will be better for the battery for the long term.

 

[Nishizawa]

Batteries respond much better, last longer to a slower trickle charge, than a jump or quick charge. There is a way to get into the trunk release without power. There's an access above the latch on the inside hatch. I Googled it before. Then you can remove the battery and take it to a shop for an overnight charge.

Similar to what RVance posted, a slow recovery is best for most traditional batteries. Something like a battery tender, or if you have a charger with a maintenance mode or similar, but definitely NOT a "regular" charge mode. Also jump-starting the vehicle will then subject it to "normal" charging, which is hard on a fully discharged battery.

It will take longer but will be better for the battery for the long term.

Thank you both for your response. I managed to manually open the hatch. With regards to the charger, where can I get one? How would I set it up?

 

[RVance]

Thank you both for your response. I managed to manually open the hatch. With regards to the charger, where can I get one? How would I set it up?

In my long career of killing batteries, the best thing for a completely dead one is to bring it to an auto mechanic who knows how to bring it back to life on a slow charger. They will monitor the voltage and be able to detect dead cells, which you probably don't have. A quick charge is not good. I have a small trickle charger to maintain my Mustang, but they are not meant for bringing back the dead. My local shop charges $2.00 for an overnight charge.

 

[MrSmoofy]

If you were in the US I would say take it to Discount Auto/AutoZone as they would test and recharge it for free for you.

 

[SteveCo]

With regards to the charger, where can I get one? How would I set it up?

CTEK makes an excellent line of intelligent chargers if you want to purchase one to keep in your home garage. The 3300 is a good all-rounder that can be used with lead-acid and AGM batteries to charge, maintain, and in some cases recover (desulfate) batteries that are badly degraded. CTEK supplies OEM branded chargers to some very high end car manufacturers.

You can get them online from amazon.ca, with free shipping.

https://www.amazon.ca/CTEK-56-158-A...tek+56-158&qid=1559322626&s=automotive&sr=1-1

Connection is pretty simple - they come with quick-disconnect clamps that you can connect either to the remote connection points under the hood or directly to the battery in the trunk. They continually monitor the battery state of charge, and adjust output automatically. When the battery is fully charged they simply switch into 'float' mode and maintain it at an optimum state of charge - for weeks or months if desired.

With a fully 'flat' battery I would disconnect the negative terminal on the battery and charge it directly. The Stinger has a very large AGM battery, so restoring a full charge from a fully depleted state is likely to take the better part of a 24 hour day.