TomoHawk Posted June 8, 2003 Share Posted June 8, 2003 I think I will get a solar battery charger to keep the battery up all summer. What's a decent unit that's not really expensive? I don't think I will be needing a high charge rate. Where is a good place to connect it? I thought maybe soldering the wires onto a blown fuse then plug into the fuse box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted June 8, 2003 Share Posted June 8, 2003 How about using an Optima battery instead. They hold a charge for much longer than conventional if the car is going to sit for long periods. It would be a bolt in installation. http://www.optimabatteries.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 It should connect right to your cigarette lighter! I would try Harbor Freight tools and Radio Shack first, then do a search on the world wide web... Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomoHawk Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 Didn't find anything at Harbor Freight. JC Whitney had one: http://jcwhitney.com/product.jhtml?CATID=5458&BQ=jcw2 BTW, You can't just plug it in the cigarette lighter plug. the Ign. switch has to be turned on (not good to leave your keys in the ign. & car turned on) You have to wire it into an active circuit on the fuse panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Here you go. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=44768 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=41144 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedRacer Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Most cars (including all the early Z cars) have the cigarette lighter wired hot so it will work with the ignition key off. Therefore, a solar charger can simply be plugged into the cigarette lighter socket. I agree with Greimann - why not use an Optima battery instead. They can sit on a shelf for three years and not discharge significantly. Of course, you can't have some device in the car the constantly uses and significant Amps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted June 12, 2003 Share Posted June 12, 2003 Most cars (including all the early Z cars) have the cigarette lighter wired hot so it will work with the ignition key off. Therefore' date=' a solar charger can simply be plugged into the cigarette lighter socket. I agree with Greimann - why not use an Optima battery instead. They can sit on a shelf for three years and not discharge significantly. Of course, you can't have some device in the car the constantly uses and significant Amps.[/quote'] Ahhh, but some of us have marginal to good batteries and not $150 for the Optima. $20 for a solar charger sounds good to me Am I cheap? Maybe. I just like spending money on the shiny stuff Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spork Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 the zx's cig lighter isn't hot wired tho...sucks too...I just need to get around to changing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmead Posted June 27, 2003 Share Posted June 27, 2003 why not just get a pair of the larger aligator clips (like the kind found on higher-wattage car inverters) and snap them right to the battery? It sounds like it won't be driven much so it wouldn't cause a problem not having the wires more permanantly attached. Also, I believe VW includes a solar charger with alot of their new cars, and consequently, there are alot of VW solar charges for sale on ebay. AFAIK they can be had for under $20 and should do the trick with only minor modifications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomoHawk Posted June 27, 2003 Author Share Posted June 27, 2003 Thanks for the idea. I prefer to keep the hood closed for security, so the charger would connect inside someplace. Most solars go for $60+ so the tip is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomoHawk Posted August 24, 2003 Author Share Posted August 24, 2003 I got my solar charger off Ebay for about $25. I think I will connect it to the fuse panel or into the radio harness with a connector so it can be disconnected when not in use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 SCORE! Nice job--totally the way to go. As a side note, I thought that my Z had a short in it, but when I took the time to clean up the terminals and add a second and thrid ground strap, I was pleasantly shocked to find that the car started more easily and cured the 'problem.' However, if the issue ever does raise it's ugly head again, the solar charger seems like a good idea. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Optima batteries for our cars are under 120$ at autozone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 I got my solar charger from HF for 10 bucks. It kept the battery in the ZXT charged while it sat for 3 weeks waiting to get sold. It used to be dead after 10 days! Also, Summit has the Optima batteries on sale now for $90! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baddriver Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 I've seen the optima batteries, but I don't know much about them, Can somebody give me the scoop? Are they lighter than conventional batteries? By how much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedRacer Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 Optima batteries are great - check it out for yourself here http://www.optimabatteries.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest benjlv Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 optimas suposively survive more starts than conventional batteries so not only does it end up costing the same in the end but it holds a charge longer and doesnt eat away at the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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