[968kid]

Is it ok to charge the battery (slow charge 2amp) with both + & - terminals connected? If not and one disconnects the - terminal will any kind of memory or code be lost. Are there any other things to avoid like don't close the hood without the battery connected?

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[Cloud9...68]

I routinely put a slow charge on my battery, and I've never disconnected the terminals before attaching the charger. I've never heard that you have to, and I've never had any problems. Also, I place a folded-up towel over the hood latch, and let the hood then rest on the towel. This way, it leaves enough room under the hood for the charger, without having to leave the hood up.

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[stewhatch]

I don't know for sure but I can't imagine it would hurt. I've seen trickle chargers that consist of a photoelectric mat that sits on your dash and plugs into the lighter. Based on that setup I would assume a trickle charger connected directly to a battery in situ, with cables attached, would be maintaining a charged battery in a similar fashion.

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[flash]

2 amps is a pretty good charge, and unless the charger has a voltage sensor in there to turn it off when it's done, i wouldn't leave it on too long

a for disconnecting a terminal, most radios will lose their programming

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[DaveN]

The battery acts as a large capacitor anyway and will absorbe any connection/disconnection variances that the charger may impart to the electrical system.

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[Cloud9...68]

"The battery acts as a large capacitor anyway and will absorbe any connection/disconnection variances that the charger may impart to the electrical system."

Makes sense - thanks for the info.

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[flash]

i'm not sure how much insulation from issue the battery provides

i've seen the airbag light go off a a result of jump starting

i've seen the airbag light go off as a result of a charger

i've also heard of somebody frying their DME with a charger on a higher amperage rating

so the "capacitor" feature must be limited in some way, and likely it was the ground cable - i'd be careful, and first make sure all connections and grounds are solid, clean and tight

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[DaveN]

I'm all for hooking up a charger if "it will make my airbag light go off" [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]
Ohhhhh, you mean OFF!

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[flash]

don't get me wrong - i use a charger all the time, and on very high settings occasionally - but my grounds and cables are in top flight condition, so the battery takes the brunt, and not the electronics or chassis

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[DaveN]

I know one tends to generalize this kind of advice, there are always exceptions. 99.9% of the time if your battery is within a reasonable charge range the Z/conductance of the cell(s) will appear as a dead short with respect to the cars wiring system and you should have no problems.
The other .1%, well you know [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

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