Will it hurt the car, Srt, to sit the winter without a battery? It’s the end of our Michigan nice car season, and I’m ready to put the cars in for their hibernation. I usually just clean them real good, add the battery tender, and cover. The battery in our srt is ready to be replaced. So do I replace it now, add the tender, and park it for the winter? Or would a better idea be to remove the battery, store it for the winter, and install a new battery in the spring? And if it’s ok the let the cars set a few months without a battery, I may remove the new(er) battery from our na and store it on the bench with a tender. That would save me from running extension chords to the cars. Thoughts and advice is really appreciated. Thanks.

 

Ya’ know, over the years I’ve always left the battery in the cars hooked up using a battery tender/trickle charger. BUT, on these cars I’m going to disconnect both positive and negative cables, then hook up my trickle charger. If it’s not convenient to do it this way, then remove the battery, hooking it up to your trickle charger/battery tender.

In your case, I would just pull that battery that your replacing, waiting to spring for replacing.

Others here will chime in for sure.

Regards,

 

I bought mine in AUG 2017 with 3700 miles on it. The guy I bought it from would take the battery out and only put it in to drive the car every few months. I have been pulling my battery for winter storage.
I drove the car the remainder 2017 on the original battery.

 

My owner's handbook recommends removing the battery if the car goes into storage.

 

My fear is unhooking the battery removes all voltage to the entire system
Then when reconnecting it the surge of power goes to all the sensitive components and with the SKREEM module as vulnerable as it is to fail and without a source currently to replace it I fear disconnecting the battery if I don't need to.
I'm not really sure what the best answer is but I've stored my Crossfire every winter for 12 years with the battery connected and the battery tender also connected

 

Answer is simple: always remove the negative terminal first and replace it last. That way you only lose presets.

 

Thanks for all the reply’s and info. Sounds like I will be removing the batteries, negatives first.

 

With so many owners loosing the SKREEM after storage or a dead battery, I would get a new one and keep it in the car and tendered.

 

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A 'dead' battery problem stresses the entire electrical system by slowly lowering the voltage over a long period of time. That systemic lower voltage is super bad for any active electrical/electronic systems throughout the car. Yes, the security system is active during shutdown/locking after the initial shutting down of everything that shuts down. Removing the neg cable first (for the first and most important reason) is because the car is negative ground. IF you touch anything with a wrench while removing a neg cable in a neg ground vehicle, NOTHING happens. BUT if you remove a pos cable with a wrench and touch ANYTHING grounded or electrically connected to an isolated system, ZAP!, SPARKS!, & possible burning skin or other! The second reason (specific to at least our Crossfires), is the alarm system siren needs to be shut down correctly when battery is removed. If you remove the pos cable first (and your alarm module is functioning), you'll get screeching siren right next to you since your hanging over the battery post right about where it is mounted.

So at least two reasons for removing the neg cable first AND not allowing the battery to slowly die bringing any electronic systems with it. I say personal preferences abound about removing the battery or tending said battery before storage. A battery is a pretty good 'filter' for most reliable 'tenders' BUT there could be an issue with a tender over-voltage that the battery might not be able to 'filter' it.


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Good points. Personally I've noted a bigger spark when disconnecting the negative first but I'll believe you regarding the siren.

I have had two camaros in storage for a decade on cheap harbor freight float chargers. I've replaced both car batteries in that time period. No other electrical issues. I don't actually recommend those float chargers but they are what I started with and they have served their purpose pretty well so far. Once the battery dies the float charger draws excessive current and melts. My crossfire won't be in proximity of an outlet so I will probably pull the battery for the next 5 months or so. I do actually agree that leaving the system connected electrically is a safer way to fly because of my experience with other cars.

 

I suspect this thread is littered with old wife’s tales and flights of fancy. Disconnect negative cable first for obvious reasons. Electrical surges when a battery is reconnected are no more than when a switch is thrown. With the amount of draw on the battery when the car is at rest would seem to me that no great surge is going to happen.
Disconnecting the battery will kill all pollution readings and these will have to be reset by driving in the prescribed manner for a quick reset or longer if driven normally.
One of the obsolete ideas is that a battery will get discharged if it is sat on a concrete floor for some time, true when battery cases were made from pitch but untrue with the polypropylene batteries of today.

Some maintenance free batteries can have the electrolyte topped up, others cannot it all depends on the caps on the cells.

Make sure you have the vent hole facing the firewall plugged and the forward facing vent hole capped with the OEM vent or a vent tube down which fluid can reach the ground without getting on the car. Nasty stuff that acid.

 

Just to be clear, after removing the neg cable it is up to personal preferences if the tender is used on battery (in the car) to neg post of the battery, and clip onto the positive terminal (making sure the neg cable isn't touching the neg post of the battery). OR, you can remove the battery and use both battery posts. OR just use a charger once a month with the neg cable off the battery like the first option. Again, given the sensitivity of the cars electronics, it is just prudent to isolate at least the neg cable off the battery before applying an exterior source.


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Last Fall the 10 Years old Canadian Tire Battery showed for the first time it was time to change it. ( Spoiler went up by itself . . . SRT6 do not have this Battery warning feature :-) )
Each time I had to put the car away for Winter( NOV to MAY ) , i disconnected the negative post before connecting the Optimate 6 Charger to it ,simply because some charger detect when the car electronic is still connected to the Battery and will not perform battery recondition with the same efficacity .
Two days ago ,I have installed a brand new Odyssey Performance Battery . . . https://www.odysseybattery.com/Batteries/Model_48720
I have also installed this Battery Cut off between the bolt of the right fender and the Negative wire . . . https://www.banggood.com/Vihicle-Cut...r_warehouse=CN

Now , all their is to do to disconnect the negative is turning that small Green Handle .

Daniel

 

I agree with your entire post -but not the quick disconnect. I see that as a BIG RISK.
A battery cable opening up while you are driving means there is no filter (the battery) to clean up the ripple from the alternator.
Running a car without the battery connected is asking for multiple module failures.

What I am getting at - any connection that is just 'finger tight' is not to be trusted as your battery connection.

 

I agree, the last thing you want is sparking due to a faulty contact. I disconnect the battery at both terminals when using a charger or battery tender.

 

Ref post #13, I've been testing one of those battery disconnect switches on my CLK 500 with the m113 engine. Car is driven about 45 miles a day, so far it has been just fine. I went outside to check it just now and it remains tight. It has fine threads that are threaded through what looks like teflon as well as the metal. It may work similar to the anti vibration nuts?

 

Just like ZIP439 mentioned , the material between the two brass part of this side post " battery cut off " seems to be made out of teflon . It will act like using a Nylock nut on a bolt .

Anyway . . . I already have intended to use LOCTITE® 222 on the thread as an added safety measure . It is a low-strength threadlocker that is ideal for low-strength metals like brass .

When the green handle it unscrewed for a turn or more and the charger is connected to the Battery , their is no way to get any spark at all .

Daniel

 

Battery in place with vent hose on the right side . . . following , is more details on the installation of the Battery " Cut-Off " , Battery charger that I have been using since Winter 2012 and is direct hook up on the Battery at all time . . . https://tecmate.com/fr/products/optimate6a/


Battery connected with original ground wire to Cut Off , vertically install on right fender and bolted on original location off ground cable on right fender .


Since Cut Off is vertically install , added two small tie wrap to keep both parts of Cut Off together to eliminate spark to the minimum when green handle is screwed or unscrewed .



For the connection of the Optimate 6 to the Battery , the permanent connection was used instead of the alligator clips . Negative side of the connection bolted on the small lug on the original negative battery terminal .


" F1 " terminal in this junction box was used to connect the positive side of the permanent connection .


Fuse on the positive wire of the permanent connection sit on the left side of the junction box .


The first real use of the battery Cut-Off was this Spring in March . It was the first time this new Odyssey Battery was also connected to the car electronics . . . I noticed that the amount spark when I screwed the green handle of the Battery cut-off was almost non existent to the point that I had to go inside of the car to check if power was back on . I am very satisfied with the result of this simple modification . I will also check , once and a while , on the green handle tightness . Will report here if it come loose . . . but I do trust that the low strength Loctite will prevent this .

Daniel

 

A few bays before the pandemic we, (wife and I ) had left the house for 4 to 5 day trip ,,grandson's birthday,,,, when we got to the middle of the state and the stay at home thing came along,so we srayed in our condo , I had left the crossfire and our fusion in the garage ,batteries connected, planning to return within a few days, now two months later we are headed home .what will i find?.. batteries on both cars are connected and probably both cars have dead batteries. I hope that is all i find wrong. I am thinking I will charge the crossfire about half charge,, put it in the carm connect it then fully charge it. if the batt is no good then that is out. new batt. be installed.

but to answer the question I have disconnected the negative post and left my car for 3 months,, reconnected all was good i have done this a few times

 

Always better to have the disconnect on the negative terminal.