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

Vaughanabe13

The PSA part of my post is because the manufacturer that makes the charger said it isn't supposed to be used on the 370z. Their words, not mine. Take that information as you will but I have already verified my charger is not faulty and neither is my battery/z. Making claims that my Z is somehow damaged from the previous owner is beyond asinine. Especially since "parasitic load" isn't damage in the first place, and there's no way the previous owner sold the car because of that. I actually know the reason the previous owner sold is because they couldn't make the payments. Not that it matters at all.

Those of you who claim your battery tender jr. has been working just fine on your Z - Have you actually verified that with a multimeter? And was this during long term storage or were you also starting up and/or driving the car during the storage period? I have no access to my z in the winter so a tender is my only option (or nothing).

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2009 Nissan 370Z Touring, w/sport, 6MT, chicane yellow/black.

kenchan

hummmm... in order to make this an actual PSA, can you ask the manufacturer wat the maximum allowed drain amperage is for the jr?

and what is the drain amperage of the 370Z they have on file?

would like to make sound decisions based on data, not based on potential xmas-season-hired-part-timer..

Vaughanabe13

Will do.

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2009 Nissan 370Z Touring, w/sport, 6MT, chicane yellow/black.

kenchan

verify wat with a multimeter? verify the battery's cca using an ammeter you mean?

but why would i need to verify anything if everything is working fine the last 7yrs on one unit and 4yrs on another?

Vaughanabe13

So I guess that's a "no". A multimeter can verify the BTJr is maintaining voltage according to their float curves. It could be you perceive the BTJr to be working but really leaving it off would make no difference. Do you start your car during storage or do you rely solely on the tender? And if you don't start your car at all during storage, how long is it stored for? I'm not trying to prove you wrong/be antagonistic here, I'm trying to figure out the answer.

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2009 Nissan 370Z Touring, w/sport, 6MT, chicane yellow/black.

kenchan

well the battery is showing a healthy 12v+ at all times. it's really the cca that tells if a battery is good or not. for that, you can't just use your multi-meter.

i dont start the car at all during the 4-6month hibernation.

Ubetit

Nothing is an option. I've done it every year. Mustang GT for years, S2000 for 6 years, Z for 2 years. I haven't had to charge the battery once. Never replaced the mustang battery, replaced S2000 battery in year 4 or 5, still on factory Z battery.

Don't start the car for a few minutes, it won't do any good. Either let it sit the entire 4-6 months or start it and drive it enough for all fluids to come up to operating temps.