[enderw88]

Damn battery dead again, need to get a good trickle charger.

I can't face taking this thing in again to get charged. CAn I jump it with one of those self contained jumper boxes?

Thanks

Yes. you can use one of the self contained jump starters. But you will need to drive it for quite a while to get the battery charged from the alternator.

If you have flattened the battery more than one, a new one is in your near future.

I bought a CTEK smart charger some time ago. I have a quick disconnect on my motorcycle battery and on the Elise. Makes it very convenient to keep the battery healthy when I am only driving the car sporadically.

 

[XoXoX]

You HAVE to keep it on a battery tender, the ECU sucks the battery dry in a week....TADTS




.

 

[enderw88]

You HAVE to keep it on a battery tender, the ECU sucks the battery dry in a week....TADTS




.

When I was shopping, I found one that had a battery cutoff switch. Given that I never use the radio I think that is a good idea.

 

[KWYK]

the answer to your problems ,its what i use and cteks are great

CTEK MXS 5.0

CTEK BATTERY POWER LEVEL AND QUICK CONNECT

 

[sturgeongeneral]

I guess I'm lucky. My battery has sat for 6 to 7 Weeks four times in the last 2 years and started right up! If I were you I guess I would install a battery disconnect switch.

 

[KWYK]

If I were you I guess I would install a battery disconnect switch.

yep,and then he doesnt have an alarm

 

[sturgeongeneral]

yep,and then he doesnt have an alarm

Wow! I guess I'm exceptionally lucky then! How often does the ops battery last? Have you checked alternator output?

 

[enderw88]

yep,and then he doesnt have an alarm

I haven't been to Australia in twenty years. Do you all pay attention to car alarms? Here in the US they are ignored completely.

 

[pwildfire]

Just get a battery tender. You can get a super simple one that is just a wall plug and a wire, with a SAE two wire connection to the battery, for like $10. Takes 2 seconds to unplug it when you go for a drive, and 2 seconds to plug it back in when you get home.

 

[KWYK]

I haven't been to Australia in twenty years. Do you all pay attention to car alarms? Here in the US they are ignored completely.

which is the reason our crime rate is 90% less than yours i guess :facepalm
Cant see the point of having a car alarm if you dont set it ?????

 

[rwbronco]

You HAVE to keep it on a battery tender, the ECU sucks the battery dry in a week....TADTS




.

It's not the ECU though is it? It's the Viper alarm and microwave sensor going 24/7 whether or not the vehicle is locked and the alarm is armed...

 

[rwbronco]

which is the reason our crime rate is 90% less than yours i guess :facepalm
Cant see the point of having a car alarm if you dont set it ?????

I personally can't see the point in having a car alarm when the top is made of fabric anyway... I don't know that anyone's breaking in to steal the car but rather breaking in to get your ipod laying in the passenger seat - which will take them all of 10 seconds to get in and get at - regardless of whether you have an alarm or not.

It's like when they started putting DRM restrictions on everything. All of a sudden your PC games crash because of some extra **** tacked on, your music you purchased can't be put on anything but X device because you might share it with a friend, etc. It causes more headaches for the owner than it does for the thief.

 

[drevil]

Thanks guys what is this CTEk? Battery disconnect? is it better to use a tender? I bought a small tender for around 30 bucks but I don't think it works. If I don't drive the car the battery is dead in like a month.

 

[drevil]

Yes. you can use one of the self contained jump starters. But you will need to drive it for quite a while to get the battery charged from the alternator.

If you have flattened the battery more than one, a new one is in your near future.

I bought a CTEK smart charger some time ago. I have a quick disconnect on my motorcycle battery and on the Elise. Makes it very convenient to keep the battery healthy when I am only driving the car sporadically.

thanks, good idea. How long you recommend using the self contained charger for?

 

[enderw88]

thanks, good idea. How long you recommend using the self contained charger for?

Those are only good for jump starting the car, not charging the battery back to a useable level. They don't have the proper charging circuitry or voltage to make that practicable.

 

[Dr.Hess]

Yeah, the auto-on alarm "feature" is what's killing the battery in a week. We had a cold winter and I didn't get to drive it for 6-8 weeks. The battery was too weak to turn the motor over, so I put a charger on of about 10 amps connected through the cigarette lighter socket (it's wired always on to the battery, remember) for maybe 10 minutes while I checked the tires, etc., and that was enough to get it to start. My alarm is set to arm only when I tell it to. Otherwise, I'd need a trickle charger on too.

 

[glb]

Letting most batteries go flat reduces their life span significantly.

Everyone with electricity should have a smart charger.

 

[chazzer]

You HAVE to keep it on a battery tender/mender. The immobilizer is setting itself and drawing current while it sits. read Sir Lotus's explanantions in his sticky. =

__________________
1) Improved AC
2) Alarm Programming
3) Alarm/Immobilizer/CDL problems
4) Alarm PIN
5) Battery Choices & Information
6) Emergency Alarm/Immobilizer/CDL Override
7) New Style Cobra Alarm Fob Cases
8) Skid plates/Protectors-Elise, Exige, Evora
9) Eezibleed Brake/Clutch Pressure Bleeder with Lotus Cap

THe immobilizer automatically sets itself to prevent someone from starting the car. The alarm has to be set with the fob button to set. You can personally un-immobilize the immobilizer by reading and following his instructions. And then just use the hard key to lock the door mechanism without having the alarm set. Good luck. The immobilizer is separate from the alarm. It sets itself automatically. The alarm has to be set by you when you leave the car.

 

[enderw88]

Everyone with electricity should have a smart charger.

Everyone with an Elise and no electricity seriously has their priorities straight.