when storing my 94 C4 is it advisable to disconnect the battery to help advert any harm to the computer? or should in leave the battery connected? for long term storage( like all winter) what should i do?+ why should i do it. thanks boonie
A lot of people use a battery tender. You really should start the vehicle every so often anyhow, so it would be best, in my opinion, to leave it in the car and charge with you favorite tender.
I live in ice-cube country and last winter left the battery in with the plan to start&run every once in a while. Then it goes down to -35 to -40C for 6 weeks and the battery froze and cracked. Luckily the C4 has an acid drain under the battery so no harm done there and Canadian Tire gave me a new one no questions asked. This winter I will be removing it and keeping it in the house. A battery tender would work for shorter times but to park for a 6 month winter like up here I would just as soon pull it out. Not that hard a job either.
Parasitic drain on these cars is infamous and will kill a new battery in a relitively short time.
I don't believe that a charged battery will freeze.
I'd use a battery tender and start the car monthly, running it as long as possible to allow heat-up and vaporization/elimination of harmful stuff in the crankcase.
Or... you could wrap it in a big plastic bag, using long term storage techniques found elsewhere.
A charged battery won't freeze. The parasitic drain on the C4 will first kill the battery in a few weeks then allow it to freeze. My riding lawn-mower battery has never been removed in 5 years of service and has never froze because it stays charged throughout the winter.
You're really not going to cause any harm by disconnecting the battery during storage, I've done that in the past. What will happen (I'd put money on it) if you don't do something (disconnect negative cable or use a trickle charger) is the car will suck that battery dry in no time. Don't ask me how I know.
That said, I prefer the use of a trickle charger when needed.
I use a battery disconnect switch with a bypass so my computer settings don't change...
That way when I leave my vette sitting for awhile my battery stays charged.....simple turn of the knob...and everything is back on line....
Can buy it anywhere....got mine from Corvette Central.....
Good Luck
tony
This is the second battery I had in the car since it was new. I do run it at least once every three weeks in the winter and get it hot. I believe the manual says to run it every two weeks or remove the neg terminal on the battery.
Correct !!! Use the abttery tender and leave it in teh car............during the winter I excercise the battery once in a while by turning the lights on for about 20 minutes to half an hour and then let the battery tender recharge the battery..........i would never start a car unless I plan to run the negine up to full operating temp for at least 15 minutes...........not doing that is more detrimental than leaving the car sit, plus every cold start has cold start up wear involved, so I want to minimize that.......
Ken said:
A lot of people use a battery tender. You really should start the vehicle every so often anyhow, so it would be best, in my opinion, to leave it in the car and charge with you favorite tender.
I agree with the battery tender idea....I am an electronics engineer. Lead acid batteries do not have a memory like NiCad's. It would serve no purpose to run your lights to exercise the battery. In fact the more times a lead acid battery is drained the less life if will have. This is not true for things like your cell phone or home cordless phone. Keepingf these on a trickle charge will shorted their life. I use a battery tender. I'm a little anal and have it plugged into a small UPS which eliminates the chance of an surge current entering the car's electrical system. To avoid doing this you could disconnect the negative side of the battery and connect you're tender. I'm just too lazy to disconnect the battery. This has worked for several years in my car. Hope this helps.
I just put the "Battery Tender" (about $50) on the ole battery in November and let the Vette sleep until April or May. I put it down with a fresh oil change, new coolant every two years, and thats about it. I do not run it over the winter. I think the condensation inside the engine and buildup of acids in the oil are worse than letting it sleep for the six months.
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mike 
