Using Battery Maintainer

[rfuerst911sc]

OK so it looks like the opinion we have on popping the front hood and it draining the battery is a solid " we don't know " So let's drill down further. Is it safe to assume if the hood latch is pulled, but the hood is left in the down position and the light is not on does that mean no battery draw ? Or is there " some " draw but the micro switch hasn't activated to light the bulb ? I am really curious what the answer is because these cars do seem to consume battery power at rest. Maybe it's just the security system ?

[cas951]

See my pics on link below.
http://986forum.com/forums/421737-post9.html
I have a Batt Tender. I purchased the adapter that bolts to the Pos/Neg cables. I then routed the charging leads towards to the windshield. When I need to hook up the charger I simply pull the lead out and connect the Batt Tender. When not in use I simply tuck the charging lead under the top of the hood.

Additional benefit: If my battery ever dies I can plug in my charger and I should be able to unlatch the hood.

[JayG]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

OK so it looks like the opinion we have on popping the front hood and it draining the battery is a solid " we don't know " So let's drill down further. Is it safe to assume if the hood latch is pulled, but the hood is left in the down position and the light is not on does that mean no battery draw ? Or is there " some " draw but the micro switch hasn't activated to light the bulb ? I am really curious what the answer is because these cars do seem to consume battery power at rest. Maybe it's just the security system ?

My understanding is that our cars do have a small draw when they are sitting turned off. I believe its some of the electronics that stay powered up such as the alarm, and maybe the DME and immobiliser

To completely kill all power you need to disconnect the battery which then has the effect of erasing the stored settings in the DME/ECU. When you reconnect the battery, the car will need to relearn stuff such as air/fuel mixtures and other engine settings. It may also effect any Tiptronic settings and driving modes it has learned

I could be wrong, one of the gurus here can elaborate

[pjv]

I find that my Boxster battery loses charge very quickly when compared to other cars that I have had, so I connect my Ctek charger/maintainer if I don't use the car for more than 3 days ( I normally use it once a week). Because my car ('04 986, Australian market) can not be charged via the cigarette socket, I have a quick-disconnect cable direct to the battery in the frunk, so I have to leave the frunk lid open. When the lid is down, but not locked, the frunk light is on, so I have disconnected the light. Since I don't really trust battery charging safety, I disconnect the battery if I am going away for a lengthy period of time.

[clickman]

My frunk light shuts itself off after 2? hours.

I'm completely sold on the maintainer (CTEK in my case), and hook it up any time I'm going to leave the car for a week or more. Which includes 6 months of winter hibernation.

I even bought a Canadian Tire version for another car (I couldn't get the CTEK for the right price) and it had the desulfanation cycle that I wouldn't do without.

My understanding of batteries, limited as it is, is that they will discharge on their own (batteries in the store are always fresh, or should be). Any deep cycling is death. Get the maintainer and be happy.

[keysguy]

I use the Battery Tender I had to buy the cigarette adapter. I can plug it directly into the cigarette lighter port and run the thin cord out the door. I can shut the door and plug it into my extension cord. Since the cord that comes with it is thin it is not pinched when i close the door. I can leave the alarm on. You should not jump start the car through the cigarette lighter but because it's such a low voltage charge it's OK to use the battery maintainer. (from what I've been told)