Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Ferrari rebuilt alternators

[Dennis Liu (bigheaddennis]

Amen, bro.  And for those of us with batteries that aren't easy to access,
just spend 10 minutes wiring up a plug for the battery.  Below is something
I posted to the List a few years ago:

The "Battery Tender" by Deltran, and sometimes marketed under other names,
is intended exactly for this purpose -- to maintain the battery. I've used
one on my motorcycles for several years, and the 996 and 355 as well with no
problems. More info can be found here:
http://www.batterytender.com/index2.html

It comes with two methods of attachment to your battery -- regular alligator
clamps (like on jumper cables), or a connector where the ends terminate in
metal o-rings (like a washer). Each method connects to the charger through
a little plug-together connector. The o-ring connectors, intended for
semi-permanent mounting, slip right through the bolts used to attach your
terminals to your battery. Then simply tie down the length of the wire,
until you have only the other connector poking out into the trunk. Thus,
when you're in the garage, pop the lid, snap the two connectors together,
and voila!

Alternatively, one can get a charger that attaches, piggyback style, to the
battery (the most popular is manu. by Schumacher, and sometimes marketed as
a "factory" charger, e.g. Ferrari); the 120v plug is located inside the car;
you just have to connect an extension cord when needed.

Why do I consider the Deltran method better? Well, I'm presuming that the
Schumacher is also a computer controlled charger like the Deltran. The
primary advantage, in my mind, is that you don't have the charger sitting in
the car -- only the wiring. Thus, (a) it's lighter, (b) you can use one
charger for more than one vehicle if you alternate, (c) the wire coming out
of the trunk is thinner and you can in fact close the lid with the wire
dangling out, if you wanted to do so, you can put the cover over the car,
(d) I guess if the car gets stolen, you didn't lose the charger as well, (e)
if the circuit breaker (or whatever) inside the Schumacher fails, it melts
INSIDE the car, right next to your battery; I'd prefer to have the thing
melt down outside my car, not in it!!, and (f) another "clean" method of
attaching a battery tender is to go to Radio Shack and buy a cigarette
lighter adapter with a 9 foot cord attached. Then wire this into the "hard
wire" connector kit, by removing the o-ring connectors and splicing in the
cigarette adapter instead. No having to pop the hood anymore, just remove
cigarette lighter and plug in, provided that the cigarette lighter is
POWERED when the key is off.
________

Voila! And if you think the rings to the batter post look "small", keep in
mind that they are designed not to fit over the batter post, but rather over
the bolt that secures the wires to the post....

Hope this helps!

vty,

--Dennis
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Doug and Terri Anderson [mailto:dnt [at] dock.net] 
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 9:55 AM
To: Dennis Liu
Cc: 'The FerrariList'
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Ferrari rebuilt alternators

Hmmmm - thot I would add a note or two here.  First, many Ferrari cars are
not driven frequently enough - the battery drops in charge but not voltage -
we can still get 12.5 volts across the terminals.  Second, alternators do
one fine job charging and in this process create quite a bit of heat.  As
such, if we have a low battery, the alternator ends up doing way more and
more often than they were designed for, charging.  Your reward - pooooof. 
Red light.

I found this out when I removed a melted alternator from another car after I
had left the lights on during a foggy morning at the airport.  Come back two
days later and - - - not even a click.  AAA got me going and I drive home. 
Next day - car starts and off I go little knowing I have about half a charge
in the battery.  Several days of this - just in time for the weekend - and I
get an extra chore - change alternators. $#**^$?

Guy at the alternator store asks - use this to charge a dead battery?  Um,
not really - but here's the story.  BUWHAHAhahahahahaah  he says - should
hooked up a charger.  This poor old guy woulda out lasted your car if you
hadn't done what you did.

So just about every week or so I charge the battery (so freaking easy to get
to in a 308) and lo and behold, on a 2 year Interstate, I get about an half
hour charge before the green light.

Yeah, I do have a trickle charger - see above para regarding how easy the
battery is to get to.  I really mean to hook it up - but I am pretty lazy
coming in from a jaunt and aside from creating an external aircraft battery
charger fitting similar to aircraft - I put it off.  Well, now I do it
before I take the car out. I think this will forgo an early replacement. 
Stinkin' thing is only 30 years old.  heh heh

DOUG