Need a creative battery solution
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 1,241
Likes: 47
From: Noblesville, IN
Need a creative battery solution So for a number of reasons, my camaro will be sitting in storage for the upcoming winter, and I won't have any way of accessing it. One issue I'm trying to tackle is the battery. The storage unit I'm in has no power, and no light socket I can steal from. I know the easiest solution to preserving the battery is to disconnect the negative terminal, but as soon as I do that all of my fuel trims go out the window.
I was trying to come up with a way I could hotwire the battery (or another) to just the PCM, but I would have concerns about backfeeding or other weird ish. Another thought was just buying another battery and wiring it in parallel, but the car wouldn't be accessible for about 6-7 months, and I don't think both of them would last that long.
A small solar panel is an idea, but I'd have to check with the storage unit to see if they're okay with that.
Any other thoughts? Ideas?
I was trying to come up with a way I could hotwire the battery (or another) to just the PCM, but I would have concerns about backfeeding or other weird ish. Another thought was just buying another battery and wiring it in parallel, but the car wouldn't be accessible for about 6-7 months, and I don't think both of them would last that long.
A small solar panel is an idea, but I'd have to check with the storage unit to see if they're okay with that.
Any other thoughts? Ideas?
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,468
Likes: 266
From: Bossier City, Louisiana
I would not worry about losing your fuel trims and shift adapts, if equipped. When I have to kill power to the PCM on my El Camino, the engine is a little hard to start, runs a little odd for maybe 30 seconds but is good to go very soon.
I'd just remove the battery and not worry.
Rick
I'd just remove the battery and not worry.
Rick
So for a number of reasons, my camaro will be sitting in storage for the upcoming winter, and I won't have any way of accessing it. One issue I'm trying to tackle is the battery. The storage unit I'm in has no power, and no light socket I can steal from. I know the easiest solution to preserving the battery is to disconnect the negative terminal, but as soon as I do that all of my fuel trims go out the window.
I was trying to come up with a way I could hotwire the battery (or another) to just the PCM, but I would have concerns about backfeeding or other weird ish. Another thought was just buying another battery and wiring it in parallel, but the car wouldn't be accessible for about 6-7 months, and I don't think both of them would last that long.
A small solar panel is an idea, but I'd have to check with the storage unit to see if they're okay with that.
Any other thoughts? Ideas?
I was trying to come up with a way I could hotwire the battery (or another) to just the PCM, but I would have concerns about backfeeding or other weird ish. Another thought was just buying another battery and wiring it in parallel, but the car wouldn't be accessible for about 6-7 months, and I don't think both of them would last that long.
A small solar panel is an idea, but I'd have to check with the storage unit to see if they're okay with that.
Any other thoughts? Ideas?
So absolutely two fully charged batts will get you through 7 months....just sitting their parked, just for the purpose of keeping power to the PCM. You may need a jump to start the car....but power will always be there the whole 7 months.
.
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,632
Likes: 2,558
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
What about just pulling fuses for all systems other than the PCM? Under normal circumstances (meaning no excessive drain due to an accessory/wiring fault), the PCM is probably the greatest consumer of power - so this may not help much in the long term. I don't know how much drain all the other systems create as I've never tried storing one in this way before, but nobody will be able to give you a specific discharge rate as this will be partially dependent on the condition of the battery at the time it goes into storage.
TECH Veteran
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,985
Likes: 112
^^^, this. PCM will "re-learn" STFT in short order. I have had battery out of car for months. put battery in and car fires right up and runs normal. You will have to drive for a few hundred miles to get all the IM monitors to set as "ready" which is only a issue if you needed emission testing where they plug in to the car.....or you can have PCM programed to have all IM;s set to be ready :-)
But IM monitors have nothing to do with how the motor runs so if no emission test after car comes out of storage no problem
But IM monitors have nothing to do with how the motor runs so if no emission test after car comes out of storage no problem
