N_Jay

So my GL has been sitting a lot, and occasionally gets only a short trip before being parked again.

I figure that given this situation, a battery maintainer is a good idea.

I have a couple; one is a DieHard 3A
http://www.sears.com/diehard-platinu...p-02871239000P
and the other is a Bosch C3.

I am going to use the DieHard, since the Bosch requires a push button set to get it going after a power glitch. (Really a dumb idea for a battery maintainer)

Right now, I have it hooked up under the hood using clamps on the jump terminals.

My first question, is about leaving the hood open.
Does this draw any additional power (I don't see a light),
and/or does it prevent the systems in the car form going to sleep?

Second question, other than these terminals, is there a good place under the hood to get a battery connection (for a more permanent installation)?

I think I saw a picture of the jump terminal pre-fuse unit that showed an extra fuse slot.
If so, I may add a fuse and make that the connection point.
If that does not work, I am looking for other clean installation ideas.

I was going to run the wire up to the grill, where I have easy access with the hood closed.

N_Jay

Bump??


Anyone?

KipF

I use the medium size Battery Tender on mine and have had no issues. Under the hood, there is the red cover that you would open to jump start. I attached the cables to the positive under the cover and a nearby ground.

N_Jay

Is there a screw you connected to, or just wrapped the wire and reclosed the red cover?


I was looking for a nice factory look installation.

mercedes4ever

Connect mine to each terminal via existing nuts, then run cord to just under front grill & fix with a cable tie. No need to open the hood to disconnect, just unplug & go!

N_Jay

I'll have to take another look at the hot terminal. Was going to get the ground in the fender wall just below the negative jump terminal.


On most other installs, I have added a fuse to a spare on the main fuse block and back fed it. I run the wires in plastic loom, all neatly tied down.


Nice factory look.
Nice and safe.
Easily reversible.

KipF

That's how I did mine. The Battery Tender comes with 2 types of connectors - the pincher type that are like the ends of jumper cables and another one that has what look like washers at the end of the lines. I unscrewed the hot lead under the red box and attached the red there and then attached the ground to the nearby stud that has nothing attached to it. I think the whole "install" took all of 5 minutes. I do have to open the hood to plug/unplug but it's not like an every day event so it's no big deal. The lines for the Battery Tender aren't long enough to run all the way to the grill but when I have it connected, I do run the part of the line that comes from the charger out the front. When I am using the GL, I just tuck the line in the area next to the red cover.

N_Jay

I gave up on the connection to the Jump post fuse box, and instead front for the other under hood fuse box.
I added a 8MM nut to the top of the incoming power line to hold down a ring terminal, then used an inline fuse holder (inside the spare space in the fuse box and well protected from the weather).
I will get the ground in the ground lug on the right fender below the grounding post for jump starting.


It will look close to factory until you open the fuse box, but should be a good and safe lifelong modification.


I saw a post where an S owner brought out the charger/maintainer connection behind the tow bolt cover. That was kind of a interesting idea, but thinking just having it behind the grill is good enough (and a lot less fishing of the wire)

AnchorMgmt

I use my GL as a daily driver so I don't have to tend it. However, my SL600 is a garage stall hog for 5 months...once ice salt hits the roads. I installed a terminal connector on both batteries and use the quick detach connector with my Battery Tender brand tenders (works with my Peake and Schumacher tenders too). Worked great past 2 winters.

During the summer, they are hidden away in both battery bays. I did the same thing with my old Softail. The installed connector was always connected, but hidden away and capped when I rode. I use the charger gator clips with my tenders for charging boat and ZTR batteries since they are sitting idle in my garage during the winter.

The GL battery is in a PITA location to install the connectors. Good luck!

Connector:http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-081-0069-6-Terminal-Disconnect/dp/B000NCOKZQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1399431994&sr= 1-1&keywords=battery+tender+connector

N_Jay

I have the battery tenders, the issue is a nicely installed connector that I can use without opening the hood or doors each time.


The car is a "daily driver", but for me "daily" can have gaps of 1 to 3 weeks.
I would rather keep the batter topped up, since even when the car is not started for weeks on end, it may have the doors opened every few days triggering all sorts of electrical drain.

I also need it easy enough to disconnect for my wife to unplug and drive.
And as I said before, I really like my added wiring to look close to factory. (Would rather use a proper fuse holder then a in-line fuse holder, but so be it.)