battery charger

[Brett Hartwig]

so my ST will be sitting outside for the winter this year, and in northern IL it can get -30. I am worried about not starting when I need to get to work, don't want to wait until then to start scrambling trying to get there. FOr an emergency jump starter/charger, what should I get. I see a Schumacher heavy duty jump starter for $70 at farm and fleet. Is that way overkill, or would that be about what I should have. May never use it, but just in case, I think I should have something. I have killed the battery twice in the past by leaving the lights on so I don't know if it is as strong as it used to be. thanks

 

[Robert Caffyn]

Why don't you get one of those "battery tender" units. Install the pigtail on the battery, then leave the on it until you need to go out. They make a marine(waterproof) version that can take gettin wet once in a while. I would also think a block heater might be handy (available from Ford, used on fleet vehicles). Just my opinion, god luck, Bob

 

[TrainTrac]

Is your battery the original one? Instead of a charger, you might want to consider buying a new, good quality battery.



And as for killing it from leaving the lights on: Are you talking about the headlights or interior lights? If it's the headlights, just run them in Automatic mode. Either way, your Trac should have the auto-shutoff feature for both the interior and headlights that shuts them off after about 20 minutes if you forget. My 2004 Adrenalin has this feature, so your '05 should too.



Anyway, here's another option: A solar battery maintainer. It plugs into the cigarette lighter and you just place the solar panel on the dash. ~$25 from Camping World.com

 

[David Ponder]

As Bob C said, a Battery tender will the battery up in the cold.



Block heater is best, but you can also use an inline lower radiator hose heater. I had one on my F250 for years, and it did a great job. When the block is warm, (It wont keep it hot, but just warm enough) it takes less current to start the engine. (And you have heat faster too!)

 

[Bill Barber]

Deltran batt tender, they work great.

 

[Brett Hartwig]

so I guess I don't understand what is better. should I be concerned about the battery or the coolant temp or the oil temp when it's cold. On sub zero mornings and the engine doesn't have enough umph to turn over, thats not the oil is it? Its the battery.

 

[Les]

On sub zero mornings and the engine doesn't have enough umph to turn over, thats not the oil is it? Its the battery.

Could be both. If you have sub zero mornings I would think a block heater would be the way to go. As far as the battery, a cold morning could kill a marginal battery.

 

[Ron Dacher]

I picked up a DieHard battery charger/maintainer from Sears last week for a car I don't drive too often. It's supposed to charge up the battery and maintain the charge like a trickle charge. So far it's working and it's only $22.99 this week. SKU #71219

 

[Todd Z]

[Broken External Image]:

 

[swshawaii]

$189.99* divided by $22.99 = 8.26 Battery Charger/Maintainer's OR almost TWO Gold Diehards.

*Price of the P-2 Platinum Battery. (NEVER on sale, I've been watching)

 

[Todd Z]

Remote start from inside warm house... and NOTHING to unplug in the driveway..



Priceless......



:banana::lol:



Todd Z

 

[Kevin Palmer]

You are really asking about two different things.



How well a cold engine will crank and how well a battery will hold up when it is cold.



A battery tender will do a great job. Will help keep the battery up as well as warm it some as it keeps the charge active. It does not ALWAYS charge a battery. It switches off and on as needed. Or, if you get a more expensive model, it charges the battery, places an electrical load on the battery and then charges it again. This prevents from basically over-charging which will ultimately shorten the life of the battery..



Keeping either the coolant or the motor oil warm will help to crank the engine over easier as well as allow the motor to warn up sooner.



Hard to say which is better. I would speculate that the warmer oil will allow for easiest engine cranking. But but basically do the same job.