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01-23-2013, 06:22 PM | #1 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 175247
Join Date: Mar 2008
Chapter/Region:
BAIC
Location: bay area
Vehicle:2007 STI Silver |
Battery Maintenance Help + Charger Help
i drive a subaru 07 sti. i use to drive it very often and never came across this problem. but now i have a commuter car, so i dont drive it long periods of time, such as 1 month or even 3 months.
my issue has been with the battery going flat. when trying to start, it barely has any life in it left, but it would eventually kick in and start the car. it has happened at least 2 to 3 times now, i know its getting pretty bad. so now i am looking at battery maintenance/ charger.. but i am having a hard time figuring out what a maintenance charger or a multi-stage battery charger is. also which brand or which ever to pick. what i need to know is: - what voltage (if this is relevant) for the charger should i buy? - what brand do i buy? - what is the cheapest? - what can i buy, if it is cheap, to test the battery life condition it is currently in? - would i need to buy a new battery? thank you for reading, hope to hear from you soon.
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01-24-2013, 11:19 AM | #2 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 198067
Join Date: Dec 2008
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: RAMSEY, NJ
Vehicle:2009 IMPREZA 2.5i 4d WHITE Premium |
Get a 12 volt battery maintainer. It should be able to charge at up to 6 amps.
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02-04-2013, 10:05 PM | #3 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 175247
Join Date: Mar 2008
Chapter/Region:
BAIC
Location: bay area
Vehicle:2007 STI Silver |
any suggestions as to what brand?
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02-04-2013, 10:27 PM | #4 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 301089
Join Date: Nov 2011
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Parts Unknown
Vehicle:2013 Toyota Tundra Rock Warrior |
At this point I would get a new battery, that one will have reliability issues. Die hard makes a decent one for around 40 bucks at sears. I've got one and trickle charge my deep cycle trolling motor with it.
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02-04-2013, 10:31 PM | #5 |
*** Banned ***
Member#: 16200
Join Date: Mar 2002
Vehicle:OK buy Nates beans westcoastroasting.com |
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02-23-2013, 01:16 AM | #6 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 324540
Join Date: Jun 2012
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Get a battery tender. I'm in the battery business and this is what i recommend:
http://www.atbatt.com/product/6841.a...Fa1AMgodIRoACw |
02-24-2013, 08:40 PM | #7 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 207528
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Idaho
Vehicle:2005 Legacy GT |
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03-03-2013, 09:02 AM | #8 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 101117
Join Date: Nov 2005
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Dorchester MA / Sunapee NH
Vehicle:2005 Outback 3.0R Red |
DelTran. They make the Battery Tender. I have five of them - one for a generator, two for motorcycles, two for boat batteries. Widely available, not expensive at all, and are sometimes offered as sale items.
I bought one of the Harbor Freight tenders for $6 on sale just to try out. Seems to be a waste of money - won't charge AGM batteries and doesn't have an indicator to show if it's fully charged. In olden times, I used a 1/4 amp trickle charger set to a timer that would turn it on for 15 minutes a day worked fine. Some people who park for extended periods (for example, servicemen or airline pilots) are now using solar chargers that plug into the cigarette lighter socket. You can buy kits or make your own - anything 10-15 watts doesn't need a controller. Caveat: many cars like Subaru shut off the lighter socket with the key switch, while others (GM trucks for example) leave them on. |
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