Battery Disconnect Switch.

[MARKTLC80]

Hey All,

My battery (Optima Red) was beeing drained by something or I just don't drive my truck enough. 200 miles a month tops so the battery has no time to charge. I was tired of constant JUMPS so I decided to get a battery disconnect switch the one with the round knob/quick disconnect from autozone for about $6. It works well, battery will stay charged for a week that as long as I had it disconnected so far. With battery connected it won't start after aprox 30 to 40 hours. Is there a procedure that I should use when connecting back battery, sometimes when my truck starts it idles at 2K rpm and sometimes it will stay on 1.2K rpm's. Noticed that when I turn my ignition to a On position and wait for about 10 seconds it idles lower but if I strat is right away it will idle higher. Dose that have anything to do with internal electronics booting up and they just need soem time resume? Or I am doing it all wrong.

Before anyone asks how come I don't have battery charger on the battery, I simply can't because I live in a condominium and the rules don't allow battery chargers and removing battery every time won't work so my options are limited.

Thaks for any info

 

[cody c]

I had the same problems with red optimas in the past. They are problematic in that respect. Should have got the yellows.

I now have a disconnect to the left of the steering wheel, which breaks power to the fuse panel in the engine compartment, though my clock is always out as I havent run power for it.

The disconnect does work well for letting your vehicle sit for a period of time, and makes for an extra anti-theft device if done smartly.

Also, the previous owner of my 80 installed a solar panel on the hood to keep the batteries fresh, but I think there was an electrical leak as well at some point.

A solar panel like the ones you leave on your dash, plugged into your cigarette lighter might work for you.

G'luck!

Edit: your idle is effected by your alternator, I would guess leaving the key on for a moment effects the battery in some way that changes the charge, or it could be a voltage regulator acting funny.

 

[e9999]

I have installed the big green round knob type of disconnect on the terminal.
It worked well but after a couple of years it started to lose the contact between the knob and thread due to erosion / burning by high starting currents no doubt. So the truck became unreliable to start. No biggie, I'd pop the hood, twist the knob a bit and off I'd go. It was not sufficient to use a new knob, I found out, had to replace the whole unit, which costs all of $5 and 5 minutes so no big deal. But it's a good idea to have a spare one on board if you'll go out in the boonies. (Although I set mine up so that I could bypass it.) Half decent anti theft protection against joyriders too.

(Can't you charge your battery at work or in a parking lot, or at a friends, once in a while? Once it's fully charged my deepcycle/start lead-acid will last weeks without driving even if left connected to the truck. Keep in mind that fast charging is not good for battery usually, though.)

 

[86tuning]

A solar panel like the ones you leave on your dash, plugged into your cigarette lighter might work for you.
.

Definately get your battery tested. Then check for parasitic draw. If it's below 50mA (which it should be) then a 5-6w solar panel will keep your battery topped up indefinately, as long as the car is parked outside. Not sure how much output there would be from the lighting in an underground parking area

Easiest way is to either wire in a quick-connect plug, or else rewire the cigarette socket for constant power.

 

[Blueegg]

Same problem with the red optima for me.

 

[e9999]

these optimas must have really small capacity then. Or do they just not like small constant draws for some reason?

 

[Tacoma4life]

I can see using a battery disconnect for long term storage and/or theft protection, but if your driving it a more than once or twice a month you shouldn't be having this issue. Why cure the symptom when you can eliminate the problem which is likely your battery, alternator, or both.

 

[86tuning]

these optimas must have really small capacity then. Or do they just not like small constant draws for some reason?

I believe the quality has gone for a nose dive. I had two 'original' optima batteries from the 90's and they lasted about 8 years. The current crop doesn't seem to be as well built.

 

[FJonny81]

I had the same problem with the Optima red top. After a few years it wouldn’t even hold a charge. So I ditched it and bought a North Star