PSA - Don't use a Battery Tender Jr. on your Z

kenchan · 12-05-2013, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zephon13

I'm about to put my Nismo to sleep for the winter. I figure if I just start her up every month or so and maybe give it a drive around the block I should be ok. Or would a trickle charger be better in this case?

you will have moisture inside your exhaust system which will sit there for a long time. trickle charger will over charge your battery.

if you're not going to get one of these battery tenders or the alternate black&decker one, you can either unplug the battery, or drive your car every 1-2wks for 10miles+ each time.

Felix 808 · 12-05-2013, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vaughanabe13

TL;DR: Don't use a Battery Tender Jr. on your 370Z because it can't keep up with the high parasitic draw on the battery from the Z's electronics. It will make your battery die during winter storage and probably shorten the life of your battery over time. Spend the few extra dollars on the Tender Plus instead.

Good advice right there. I have never used a JR, always the Tender Plus on a number of vehicles without any trouble.

Fountainhead · 12-05-2013, 07:21 PM

As someone said, I would first verify the parasitic draw with nothing attached, put a digital MM between positive lead of battery and the positive battery cable with the amps on meter set to highest scale then work your way down till you find a readable range. Don't use a clamp on meter unless it has range in the 100's of milliamps. Usually quiescent draw is in the low milliamps. This will tell you the quiescent current draw at rest.
Then I would measure the voltage at the battery terminals after the 'lil tyke charger has been connected say, overnight. If the voltage is within tolerance, I would have to assume some other problem exists.
Lets face facts here, you need voltage and amps to crank the car. If the car doesn't crank easily either you have not enough volts or amps, it's that simple.
(Considering your statement that the car cranks normally after a period of time).
If you were feeling REALLY energetic you could measure the current draw of the 'lil tyke battery charger into the battery when first connected, and then after overnight. See if the current draw is over the device rating.

wrxrcr · 12-05-2013, 08:25 PM

Take your battery out of the car or just disconnect the negative terminal.

b15 · 12-05-2013, 10:21 PM

Could be a combination of the JR and your older battery/parasitic draw. The JR's lower amperage design isn't really intended to charge a battery, but rather "top it off" and keep it that way. Give the Tender Plus a shot, or try one of the many other brands with at least 1amp or more. I personally run a 1.5amp Schumacher maintainer.

kenchan · 12-06-2013, 10:51 AM

btw troyz- disclaimer is that, that was a joke. (just wanted to make sure)

Lug · 12-06-2013, 12:27 PM

To sum up........ the Z is ingenious. It's quality work. And there are simply too many "electronics", that's all. Just cut a few and it will be perfect.

nismosis · 12-06-2013, 01:20 PM

So I ran my little experiment. Jr was red for a couple hours, then blinked green, now steady state green (see pic 1). I think you may just have a bad Battery Tender. Can you try it on another battery?

Refer to pic 2 for a properly stored winter Z

cooltoy · 03-23-2016, 06:52 PM

I have Batteryminder. Not sure if it is OK for the Z.

SwissCheese · 03-23-2016, 08:23 PM

I've used this Battery Tender Plus for 2 years now and haven't had any issues (knock on wood). It started right up after the 3-4 months that it was hooked up.

Amazon.com: Deltran Battery Tender (021-0128) 1.25 Amp Battery Charger: Automotive

Quote:

Originally Posted by Verda7junior

Is anyone using the extended storage switch in the fuse block? Nissan expects the car to be stored winters in colder climates and knows that it has a parasitic drain during extended storage and provided an extended storage switch to stop the drain. You just pull out the switch and it cuts power to a few electronic control modules to reduce the current drain. It is actually just a fuse with a big plastic case around it with locking tabs on the side. It's on pages 8-24 & 8-25 of my 2012 owners manual.

Pro-Tip for everyone: If your OBDII port isn't working, check to see if this extended storage switch is "on". I bought my '12 NISMO used. Last summer I bought one of those code readers from Amazon to clear out the CEL's I was getting from my test pipes. It wouldn't work in my Z, but it worked perfectly fine in my Jeep. This switch cuts power to the OBDII port when it's "on", and sure enough, mine was "on". I turned it "off" and the code reader worked just fine!

mishuko · 03-24-2016, 07:05 AM

I've used the Jr for 2 years now. working fine for me!

LA370z · 03-24-2016, 07:09 AM

Quote:

seems strange since it's only a 2009

Seven years for a battery is a really long time. I think the issue is with how old your battery is an had probably run it's life cycle.

barncobob · 03-24-2016, 09:40 AM

best to replace after X # of years,,batteries tend to seem fine one day and the next its dead...hopefully ur at home when it expires

kenchan · 03-24-2016, 09:45 AM

considering my G's battery is 12yrs old and pretty much on battery tender the last 10yrs during the winters and weekdays i dont use the car, im pretty certain they are safe to use.

my STI and 370Z are both hooked up to their battery tender jr's as i type.

enkei2k · 03-24-2016, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

considering my G's battery is 12yrs old and pretty much on battery tender the last 10yrs during the winters and weekdays i dont use the car, im pretty certain they are safe to use.

my STI and 370Z are both hooked up to their battery tender jr's as i type.

first time I'm hearing you have an STi ....

12-05-2013, 07:21 PM	#3 (permalink)
Fountainhead Track Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: FL Posts: 834 Drives: 2019 Civic Type R Rep Power: 15	As someone said, I would first verify the parasitic draw with nothing attached, put a digital MM between positive lead of battery and the positive battery cable with the amps on meter set to highest scale then work your way down till you find a readable range. Don't use a clamp on meter unless it has range in the 100's of milliamps. Usually quiescent draw is in the low milliamps. This will tell you the quiescent current draw at rest. Then I would measure the voltage at the battery terminals after the 'lil tyke charger has been connected say, overnight. If the voltage is within tolerance, I would have to assume some other problem exists. Lets face facts here, you need voltage and amps to crank the car. If the car doesn't crank easily either you have not enough volts or amps, it's that simple. (Considering your statement that the car cranks normally after a period of time). If you were feeling REALLY energetic you could measure the current draw of the 'lil tyke battery charger into the battery when first connected, and then after overnight. See if the current draw is over the device rating. Felix 808 likes this. Last edited by Fountainhead; 12-05-2013 at 07:24 PM.

12-06-2013, 10:51 AM	#6 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141521	btw troyz- disclaimer is that, that was a joke. (just wanted to make sure) marks370z likes this.

12-06-2013, 12:27 PM	#7 (permalink)
Lug A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 1,926 Drives: 2006 350Z Rep Power: 20	To sum up........ the Z is ingenious. It's quality work. And there are simply too many "electronics", that's all. Just cut a few and it will be perfect. marks370z likes this. __________________ keep Chubbs in your pocket - Chubbs

03-23-2016, 06:52 PM	#9 (permalink)
cooltoy Elite Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Calgary Posts: 13,981 Drives: 14 PW 370Z S/T MT Rep Power: 243722	I have Batteryminder. Not sure if it is OK for the Z. __________________ Member of kenchan's "photoshopped mods" and "proper offsets" gang.

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12-05-2013, 08:25 PM	#4 (permalink)
wrxrcr Base Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: columbus Posts: 74 Drives: 12 370z,09 Wrx Rep Power: 12	Take your battery out of the car or just disconnect the negative terminal.

12-05-2013, 10:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
b15 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Chicago Posts: 3,229 Drives: 4drz Rep Power: 36572	Could be a combination of the JR and your older battery/parasitic draw. The JR's lower amperage design isn't really intended to charge a battery, but rather "top it off" and keep it that way. Give the Tender Plus a shot, or try one of the many other brands with at least 1amp or more. I personally run a 1.5amp Schumacher maintainer.

03-24-2016, 07:05 AM	#11 (permalink)
mishuko A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: bouncin on tigga Posts: 8,062 Drives: '12 Z Rep Power: 9435	I've used the Jr for 2 years now. working fine for me!

03-24-2016, 09:40 AM	#13 (permalink)
barncobob A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: hangtown, CA Posts: 1,164 Drives: 16 370Z auto Rep Power: 590	best to replace after X # of years,,batteries tend to seem fine one day and the next its dead...hopefully ur at home when it expires

03-24-2016, 09:45 AM	#14 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141521	considering my G's battery is 12yrs old and pretty much on battery tender the last 10yrs during the winters and weekdays i dont use the car, im pretty certain they are safe to use. my STI and 370Z are both hooked up to their battery tender jr's as i type.