Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Ferrari rebuilt alternators

[Martin Stark (MStark]

The battery in my wife's daily driver (2000 XK8) is still the one it 
came with 7 years ago.  The most important aspect of battery maintenance 
(other that keeping it properly charged) is to regularly maintain its 
electrolyte level using only distilled water.  The "no maintenance" 
batteries that prevent adding water live short lives.

Dave Handa wrote:

> Hasn't happened to me.  I keep my rarely ridden motorcycle on a 800 milliamp
> Deltran Battery Tender year round.  My 355 spider has a 1.5 amp Napa battery
> tender connected pretty much whenever I am not driving it...even though I
> drive it several times a week in summer, and at least weekly in winter.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ferrarisimo [at] hotmail.com [mailto:ferrarisimo [at] hotmail.com] 
> Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 7:59 AM
> To: dave [at] davehanda.com
> Cc: 'The FerrariList'
> Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Ferrari rebuilt alternators
>
> I have found that once a battery is going bad - or if it is left on  
> the tender for a very long time (like a year) the tender seems to  
> overcharge the battery and makes it die quicker.
>
> Any similar experiences?
>
> Scottie
>
>
> On Jun 5, 2007, at 10:40 AM, Dennis Liu wrote:
>
>  
>
> > 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
> >
> >
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