Long Term Parking

[Fcarl]

I will be parking my Mav on Oct/27 in Montana until Dec/19, weather will be a mixed bag could be average of 0 with lows of -20 !! is there a solar dash charger i can use to keep up my battery? will the constant trickle affect the main drive battery ??

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[Glen Baker LLC]

Will any snowfall keep it from working ?

 

[oysterville]

You could save the money and just disconnect the negative?

 

[Rivers90]

I have tried solar dash chargers on other cars a few years ago and they have never worked out.
So now I run a extension cord to and use a "BatteryMINDer" or a "Battery Tender" any car I will not be driving for a few months.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

I have tried solar dash chargers on other cars a few years ago and they have never worked out.
So now I run a extension cord to and use a "BatteryMINDer" or a "Battery Tender" any car I will not be driving for a few months.

That would be great except.
The OP stated. His Maverick is going to be parked at an airport in Montana from October to December.

 

[Rivers90]

That would be great except.
The OP stated. His Maverick is going to be parked at an airport in Montana from October to December.

I will be parking my Mav on Oct/27 in Montana until Dec/19, weather will be a mixed bag could be average of 0 with lows of -20 !! is there a solar dash charger i can use to keep up my battery? will the constant trickle affect the main drive battery ??

I see him saying it will be parked in Montana but I don't see him say it will be at an airport.

If it is at an airport then it will limit his options.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

I see him saying it will be parked in Montana but I don't see him say it will be at an airport.

If it is at an airport then it will limit his options.

You are correct.
When the OP said long term.
I assumed, at an airport.
It may not be.
If it is at somebody's house or apartment. He may not want to use their electricity, no matter how small it is.. there may not be a convenient option to run an extension cable maybe it'll be parked in front of the house or at an apartment complex parking lot.
Hopefully we'll get more details.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

I have tried solar dash chargers on other cars a few years ago and they have never worked out.
So now I run a extension cord to and use a "BatteryMINDer" or a "Battery Tender" any car I will not be driving for a few months.

Why do you feel the solar chargers didn't work out for you?

 

[Derwood]

That would be great except.
The OP stated. His Maverick is going to be parked at an airport in Montana from October to December.

He just needs a three hundred foot ext cord and he's all set. No sweat. Lmao

 

[Rivers90]

Why do you feel the solar chargers didn't work out for you?

I am not sure. The solar chargers have an LED light to show they are doing something and the light was on during the day when the sun was on them. I ran wires right to the battery because the power ports don't always stay on when the vehicle is off. so it should have worked.

Problems maybe that it was winter and there is less sun. That the sun light has to go through the windshield and even though it looks clear some light is blocked. That after sitting a few months the window was dirty and that also could lower the light levels.

What ever it was, in about 6 months the battery would not start the vehicle.

A friend tried to do the same thing but knew it had not worked for me so he put two of the solar panels on his dash and wired them up. The car did sit for a longer time but it was not starting when he tried.

As a comparison I have an old truck that has sat for as long as 2 years using a "BatteryMINDer" or a "Battery Tender" I have used both at different times, and the truck started right up when I needed to drive it. It is more work to run an extension cord next to my house and limits where I can park but I have 100% success on a cord comparted to 100% failure with solar.

 

[Fcarl]

Folks ! i will not have the option of being able to plug into power ! i only have mother nature to assist me !

 

[Fcarl]

I am getting the drift that i should disconnect the negative post of the battery and hook the charger to it ! will this effect any of my settings ! the disconnect scares me a bit ! with a trickle charger it should be okay ??

 

[Maverick2022XL]

I have tried solar dash chargers on other cars a few years ago and they have never worked out.
So now I run a extension cord to and use a "BatteryMINDer" or a "Battery Tender" any car I will not be driving for a few months.

If they had a BMS like the Maverick then the negative needs to be hooked to metal on the chassis not the battery terminal. Same way you would charge an older Ford with the 1st gen BMS sensors.

 

[Rivers90]

If they had a BMS like the Maverick then the negative needs to be hooked to metal on the chassis not the battery terminal. Same way you would charge an older Ford with the 1st gen BMS sensors.

I don't think the car I was putting on the solar charger had a BMS, but my buddy had a 1969 Camaro and it for sure did not have a BMS. Definitely disappointing when the car would not start.

 

[colinl]

You could save the money and just disconnect the negative?

if you did this it could sit for much more than 2 months if you did this, provided the battery was at least 80% charged at the start. worst case, ensure you have jumper cables or a jumpstart pack handy.

I am not sure. The solar chargers have an LED light to show they are doing something and the light was on during the day when the sun was on them. I ran wires right to the battery because the power ports don't always stay on when the vehicle is off. so it should have worked.

Problems maybe that it was winter and there is less sun. That the sun light has to go through the windshield and even though it looks clear some light is blocked. That after sitting a few months the window was dirty and that also could lower the light levels.

What ever it was, in about 6 months the battery would not start the vehicle.

A friend tried to do the same thing but knew it had not worked for me so he put two of the solar panels on his dash and wired them up. The car did sit for a longer time but it was not starting when he tried.

As a comparison I have an old truck that has sat for as long as 2 years using a "BatteryMINDer" or a "Battery Tender" I have used both at different times, and the truck started right up when I needed to drive it. It is more work to run an extension cord next to my house and limits where I can park but I have 100% success on a cord comparted to 100% failure with solar.

the simplest explanation is actually that it overcharged.

unless the charger has voltage sensing and smart charging, it's likely going to overcharge the battery, which kills it much faster than deep discharge.

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