battery storage and maintenance
 

From time to time i feel the need to share stuff
with you guys here at specialservicemustang.net
and as most of you already know it's only here.
Your not gonna see this same post any place but here.
Today's lesson is battery storage and maintenance
I have Batteries that are 10 years old and still work
respond like new. In addition to keeping them clean
and full, I also am a big fan of the float charger.
the kind you can buy at Harbor Freight on sale for
three to five dollars. All these Batteries have a car/bike
that they go to and some share a vehicle or two
but when not in use they hang out at a charging station
and when i need to get a car out for a drive/show I just
put in a battery.
In a limited use and or an occasional use vehicle this
is the best way to keep a battery fresh and always ready
with no charge they will discharge.........the end
http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/31e5fd7f16.jpg

good info Andy. I plan on having a charger like that on every car after they are finished. Those small chargers do make a huge difference.

Good info Andy. I have Schumacher chargers for all 3 of my Mustangs and 1 for the M715 too (available at Walmart for under $20 each). The leads stay connected on the battery (battery stays in the car) and I just connect the cable whenever they are not being driven. Before I did this my 86 Mustang GT (which sits a lot) went through 3 Red Top Optima batteries in 3 years from sitting too long (luckily got them all replaced under warranty). I won one of these chargers at a car show and put it on the GT and have had the same Optima battery for over 7 years. When I got the MSP in April I put it on a new one of these chargers, but it would take forever to charge (the battery was 6-years old) and at a couple of shows this Spring it would not start the SSP when I went to leave (I always carry a jump pack to car shows). At first I thought the charger was defective. Turns out it could no longer be charged to full capacity, so I took it to a Walmart (it was a Sam's Club battery, but I don't have a membership there) and they honored the 84 month warranty with 12 months left on the warranty to save me some money on a new 72 month battery. Once they are gone there's no bringing them back to life.

Those maintenance\float chargers are worth their weight in gold.