Since my truck is only used to haul race trailers, sometimes it does not get enough use and stays parked even more than a month.

After the batteries went dead a couple of times, I used a slow charger to get them back to life, but later on the batteries were diagnosed as bad (7 years old units), so I replaced them with new ones.

To avoid the batteries to become dead again because of truck's seldom use, I was thinking on getting a couple of those quick disconnect battery terminals and have them installed on both batteries, so I can disconnect the truck's baterries when the truck is not in use, this because I can not have a trickle charger hooked all the time at the place the truck is stored.

With this in mind, I will like to ask you guys the following:

Is it safe to disconnect the batteries from the truck using this method?

Will it hurt any sensors or electronics to do so?

Is there any special instructions needed to follow to restart the truck after being disconnected from the batteries a few weeks?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Carlos

i'd put those quick disconnects on the negative terminals, but thats me. when reconnecting the batteries you will not get a wait to start light for more than 1/2 a second or so and you will get no glow plugs until you get the truck started. i' would say look into one of those "Battery Tenders" that trickle charge the batts and keep them in a "full" state of charge. some of the battery tenders have a quick disconnect that can be wired right into the battery(two wires and terminals that attach to the studs that connect the battery to the cables) and then plugged into the battery tender unit when needed.

One way of finding where your 'leak' is, is to pull fuses one by one from that fuse box under the hood beside the brake booster and lightly touch the fuses to the terminal to check for a spark. This works much better in the dark. I found on my truck that I got a bit of a spark when I pulled the ignition fuse. It was very slow but I found if I was planning on letting it sit for more than a few days if I just pulled this fuse the battery stayed up, it was easier than disconnecting the battery.

A) Go ahead an use the disconnects.

B) Get a small trickle charger solar panel to throw in there during storage.

you can possibly use a solar charger that plugs into a cigarette lighter. volkswagon come with one from the factory so the battery stays charged while it's on the dealer lot. lotsa people sell them on ebay. whether it has enough to keep the charge is debatable but on a hot sunny day i don't advise you touch the plug to your tongue. don't ask don't tell. Ed

I highly recommend the Battery Tender units. I keep one on my motorcycle and ski boat all year long. The batteries will last longer, and will always be ready to start. If you don't have AC power where you park your truck, the solar chargers can help. No personal experience here...but buy one with as much output as you can find. Most of the ones I have seen are minimal in output (5 watts). That's not a lot of power. My Battery Tender puts out over 14 watts, if needed. Also, cheap solar chargers don't have a diode to keep them from draining your battery when the sun goes down. This is important for them to have any lasting effect on your battery.

Jake

A battery lasting 7 years seems like you got your moneys worth out of them.

If your vehicle stays outside I would purchase the solar power battery tender(see if I can find pics). That away you have no power cords to bother with.

Here is a picture of what I am talking about; I can PM you a link if you want it.

i'd put those quick disconnects on the negative terminals, but thats me. when reconnecting the batteries you will not get a wait to start light for more than 1/2 a second or so and you will get no glow plugs until you get the truck started. i' would say look into one of those "Battery Tenders" that trickle charge the batts and keep them in a "full" state of charge. some of the battery tenders have a quick disconnect that can be wired right into the battery(two wires and terminals that attach to the studs that connect the battery to the cables) and then plugged into the battery tender unit when needed.


My personal experience is that yes the glow plugs come on for only a second or so but if I leave the key on for a few seconds, then shut it off and retry the glowplugs stay on

Since you mentioned you can't have a powered battery maintainer (technically you don't want a "charger") I'd agree with the above posts that solar is the way to go. Face your truck South if you can and put the solar panel on your dashboard. The more direct sun the better. Typically you'll be looking for a panel that has a rating of between 2 and 5 watts.

My personal experience is that yes the glow plugs come on for only a second or so but if I leave the key on for a few seconds, then shut it off and retry the glowplugs stay on

This was my experence also. Glowplugs cycled after sceond or third key cycle.

i'd put those quick disconnects on the negative terminals, but thats me. when reconnecting the batteries you will not get a wait to start light for more than 1/2 a second or so and you will get no glow plugs until you get the truck started. i' would say look into one of those "Battery Tenders" that trickle charge the batts and keep them in a "full" state of charge. some of the battery tenders have a quick disconnect that can be wired right into the battery(two wires and terminals that attach to the studs that connect the battery to the cables) and then plugged into the battery tender unit when needed.

after reconnecting the battery:
you will not get any glow plugs, crank the engine for 5 seconds, then key off.
Then key on, Wait to Start should stay on. Start as normal.

I have seen this on my truck every time I reconnect the batteries.

I have not seen any official reason for this on the 6.5. On ODB-II Gas motors, the initial crank after applying power, the PCM does a sensor learn for the crank / cam sensors to set initial spark timing. They eventually start, but will start immediately on the second crank. Usually it takes a 1 1/2 - 2 revolutions to perform this learn.

I suspect this is the same on the 6.5. The optical sensor and crank sensors probably are learned the same way.

Also:

Since you got 7 years out of those batteries, I doubt you have any type of excessive draw or short. The maintainer is exactly what you need to replenish the miniscule amount of juice being drawn off from things like the radio memory and the natural battery discharge from sitting.

Also:

Since you got 7 years out of those batteries, I doubt you have any type of excessive draw or short. The maintainer is exactly what you need to replenish the miniscule amount of juice being drawn off from things like the radio memory and the natural battery discharge from sitting.


2x

7 years is a great battery life. 5 years is good for most batteries.

As a battery ages, the lead plate lose the ability to convert lead oxide back to lead. (sulfated battery) The lead plate are made from pressed lead paste. The paste begins to loosen and settle in the bottom of the battery as it is used.

The color of the electrolyte is an indication of battery condition / age. Under heavy use, large drain / heavy charge rate, the electrolyte stirs up. A light brownish or purplish color of the electrolyte is an indication that they're getting tired. The darker the coloring the closer to failure.

Excessive vibration or shaking of an old battery can cause a short by stirring up the stuff that has settled in the bottom of the battery. (done it, went 4 wheeling, later the truck had problems starting - cell shorted out)

The solar battery maintainer would be a good idea if the truck sits a lot. They are not that expensive.

Man, i thought 7 years was good life for a battery? My truck sat for 2 years and i bought it charged the batts for two or three days and they have been good ever since (going on a year and a half now) Dates on them indicate they are almost four years old.

I used a continuous duty solenoid between the batteries.It was triggered by the ignition switch.With engine off the batteries were disconnected.While starting and running they are connected.Worked great for me.

One other thing I just thought of - if you're going to use a solar panel that plugs into one of the dash 12V plugs. Make sure you plug it into one that is live when the key is off. :banghead: