A confession...


BigsGT

BigsGT

Tungsten GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Mar 8, 2006
604
Austin Texas
I moved a bunch of stuff from my X's house before she moved a few weeks ago, and in a rush I just stacked it all around the cars in my garage. This weekend I pulled everything out and arranged it; garage looks right now. However when I went to start the Viper AND the GT, both batteries were dead! I have tenders for them both but typically drive them enough where I don't usually have them hooked up.

Anyway about an hour each on a Shumacher trickle charger and they started right up. Drove them each for awhile and they seem to be fine but are back on the tenders. The GT battery is easy to get to but you have to remove the trunk liner in the front, takes 2 minutes. I just felt ashamed that I let them sit long enough for this to happen and felt it would be good for my soul to come clean here in the forum.

Any other dead battery stories?
 
If you always keep your vehicles plugged into your battery tenders when not in use you won't ever have a battery problem. They will keep your batterys in perfecto shape. Trickle charging with most chargers is not good for your battery. Battery tenders is the only way to go. Have had 7 yrs on cobra and 2 yrs on GT. TGH
 
Yes as I said I have the tenders just need to use them. I'm very cautious with the trickle charger, believe me. I had to use it as I couldn't jump either car (they were in the garage) and I wanted to get them going asap so I could finish the cleaning and organizing.
 
Fire up!

BigsGT said:
I have tenders for them both but typically drive them enough where I don't usually have them hooked up.

Anyway about an hour each on a Shumacher trickle charger and they started right up. Drove them each for awhile and they seem to be fine but are back on the tenders. The GT battery is easy to get to but you have to remove the trunk liner in the front, takes 2 minutes. I just felt ashamed that I let them sit long enough for this to happen and felt it would be good for my soul to come clean here in the forum.

Any other dead battery stories?
Click to expand...

Bigs,

I found out that if you turn on the ignition key to hear your new Shadowman speaker box relocation and then leave the garage, returning a full week later (the ignition on the whole time!) to go for a drive, the GT battery will be about as dead as dead can be. I was advised that when an Optima battery is that thoroughly discharged it is probably toast so I went ahead and bought a brand-new one. Before installing my brand-new Ford GT battery however I put a two amp trickle charger on the original completely discharged battery for three days. After three days my GT started right up and that original battery has continued to provide faultless service for me for the last eight months. My brand-new GT battery is still sitting on a shelf in my storage room connected to a battery tender. Optimas are great batteries. :thumbsup

Chip
 
I swear by the float charge battery tenders. I often cite the example of my 1990 Ferrari 348 that I just sold vs. my 2002 Porsche. The Porsche was NOT on a tender and I needed to replace the battery in less than three years. The Ferrari on the other hand has had the same battery in it for over 7 years, with no hiccups, problems or dim lights! I am sure that the battery will go sometime soon, but when? The new owner says it's still "ticking".
 
I've loved the battery tenders, having lived in Northern CA and ridden motorcycles for over two decades. A winter could easily kill a motorcycle battery, even with occasional riding.

I haven't used a battery tender yet on the GT, it's my justification to make sure I drive it 1-3 times a week.

Is the factory charger that came with the car - junk? Or is it okay to use for say, an 10 hour stint, on occasion?
 
SYCO GT said:
I've loved the battery tenders, having lived in Northern CA and ridden motorcycles for over two decades. A winter could easily kill a motorcycle battery, even with occasional riding.

I haven't used a battery tender yet on the GT, it's my justification to make sure I drive it 1-3 times a week.

Is the factory charger that came with the car - junk? Or is it okay to use for say, an 10 hour stint, on occasion?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure anyone knows!:eek For my $.02, I left mine in the box and bought CoolTech's Battery Tender!
 
Any other dead battery stories?[/QUOTE]

Went to an Avanti meet on Saturday. On the way home I snapped the clutch adjusting rod, which is a weak point on the car. So sitting with the engine off and clutch pedal on the floor, I decided to drive the 10 miles or so home without using a clutch. Done it before many times. Put the car in first and hit the starter to get the car moving, and pow, the battery blew up. It split the case down the side, but didn't do any damage to the car. So now I figured I better just park it and don't press my luck. Got a ride home with some friends and called a tow truck. From now on I take the GT to all Avanti meets.

Gary Tryhorn
 
I, too, have Cooltech's (Kendall's) battery tender but have yet to use it. Like SYCO, just another reason to drive the FGT regularly. :banana
 
I use the same strategy as Syco and Aloha (justification to drive it), and Dave I also have the Cooltech tender but I was going to use it on the Viper, and was going to use the factory one on the GT. Since it's a tender not a charger it should be good to leave on constantly, wouldn't you think?

My confession was that I let the GT sit long enough for the battery to die, which was only a couple of weeks. It would have never happened except for all the stuff I had stacked around it due to the X's move. For Shame!
 
I'm always amused by the rather snooty language of some car manufacturers and their garages.

When I first had my Bentley, I left it in the garage for about 3 weeks - undriven. First time I went to get the car out the battery was flat, the alarm system had drained the battery - so I phoned up the garage.

"My battery's flat"

"If sir would turn the ignition key in a counter-clockwise direction, sir will find the car will start. Bentley have fitted an alternative battery for just such an occassion..."

A bit like the Vanquish when I got in it at the showroom - sitting behind the steering wheel and pushing all the buttons while the salesman sat in the passenger seat. I flipped down the passengers sun visor and was amazed there was no mirror fitted..

"What the? No mirror!"



"Gentlemans car sir. :lol
 
Neilda said:
I'm always amused by the rather snooty language of some car manufacturers and their garages.

When I first had my Bentley, I left it in the garage for about 3 weeks - undriven. First time I went to get the car out the battery was flat, the alarm system had drained the battery - so I phoned up the garage.

"My battery's flat"

"If sir would turn the ignition key in a counter-clockwise direction, sir will find the car will start. Bentley have fitted an alternative battery for just such an occassion..."

A bit like the Vanquish when I got in it at the showroom - sitting behind the steering wheel and pushing all the buttons while the salesman sat in the passenger seat. I flipped down the passengers sun visor and was amazed there was no mirror fitted..

"What the? No mirror!"



"Gentlemans car sir. :lol
Click to expand...

Neil, love it!
 
I have a 55' houseboat. It has a cranking battery and a battery to power everything else. It also has a switch to select either or both batteries for cranking. It also has a generator that will power all 110 and charge both batteries. The generator makes too much noise to sleep in the master bedroom so off it went at bedtime. I had the battery switched to both and some people still wanted to watch tv.

Some mooring lights were also left on all night. Well when we got up the next morning both batteries were as dead as they could be. We were in a very low traffic inlet and it was late October. Not a prime time for boaters.

I called a friend of mine and he pulled a battery our of one of his cars, balanced it between his legs on a waverunner and drove 20 miles to our boat.

I now have two deep cycle combination marine batteries rated the highest amp hours that would fit. I will not be using the both switch while mooring ever again. DOH!!!
 
Silverbullitt said:
I have a 55' houseboat. It has a cranking battery and a battery to power everything else. It also has a switch to select either or both batteries for cranking. It also has a generator that will power all 110 and charge both batteries. The generator makes too much noise to sleep in the master bedroom so off it went at bedtime. I had the battery switched to both and some people still wanted to watch tv.

Some mooring lights were also left on all night. Well when we got up the next morning both batteries were as dead as they could be. We were in a very low traffic inlet and it was late October. Not a prime time for boaters.

I called a friend of mine and he pulled a battery our of one of his cars, balanced it between his legs on a waverunner and drove 20 miles to our boat.

I now have two deep cycle combination marine batteries rated the highest amp hours that would fit. I will not be using the both switch while mooring ever again. DOH!!!
Click to expand...

Your friend was on the water in his Waverunner for 20 miles balancing a battery between his legs? :eek Good friend. :thumbsup
 
Guy's

The battery tenders are nice but you need to watch them. I have had problems with them burning up batteries or just failing to keep the battery charged. One was an aircraft battery I was storing in my garage. I came in one morning and the garage smelled like acid. I went over to my battery rack and found the aircraft battery foaming out acid.

So I don't trust that battery tender anymore (have 5 of them) and have marked it as such. (can never seem to throw anything away)

For this winter I am using the float charger that came with the GT.

Sure hope spring comes soon, the winter in Chicago has been brutal.
 
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