Unlike our Corvettes I don't think Cadillac expects many people to use these as a secondary vehicle so there isn't a built-in port usable with a battery maintainer.

I don't like leaving clips unattended on a battery so if you are using this regularly I would install a permanently attached set of leads to the battery or to a constant on point in whichever of the three fuse/relay blocks in the ATS is most convenient. If you have the Ctek 3300 it probably came with a set of leads with ring terminals on one end and one of their matching "comfort connectors" on the other end and this would be the one to use for permanently connecting to the battery. If you opted for the GM branded version I believe it also uses the standard Ctek connectors because Ctek is the OEM. I would also install an inline fuse holder and fuse (7.5 to 10 amps should be fine) in the positive lead as close as practically possible to the battery connection point to protect against vehicle fire if something goes wrong with the wiring.

I am being too anal retentive but I wish my Corvette (C7 Z06) didn't require the battery maintainer lead to run over the hatch weather stripping although it is resilient enough that it should be fine and resist taking a "set" over winter.

 

Thanks for the info.

I usually only use the tender overnight.
and only after the cars have been sitting
for a couple of weeks.

Thanks again,

 

I use a Battery Tender on my BMW during the winter. Hood is open, using studs for ground and lead (battery is also in the trunk) don't see anything wrong with just doing it this way but I agree it does take another minute or two. You can also attach one to the positive terminal and the other to somewhere else on the chassis.

 

Submarine patrol periods are 100 - 106 days away from home/car. Had used BatteryMinders/Tenders - plugged in all 100 days - for years with never a problems - and the new ones even have a desulfation cycle which lengthens battery life. Study to find out why.

DO NOT, ever, try this with a $29.85 ferroresonant charger. Battery death guaranteed. Even overnight. Ask me how I know.

The STS has a 0.7A 3 stage BatteryTender connected, plugged in, right now.

 

I wouldn't worry about using the tender if your car sits for just a few weeks. Unlike Corvettes which will flatten a battery in about 3 weeks, ATSs don't seem to have huge parasitic draws that you have to compensate for. The alternator will charge it just fine on your next drive.

 

I agree and the only exception for most vehicles would be when operation is both infrequent and of such short duration that the battery isn't fully recharged, this is especially true in winter. These same short trips don't allow the oil to reach normal operating temperature which is not good for the engine and this is somewhat reflected by how much more quickly the OLM reading will drop under these conditions as GM well understands the problems with this type of operation. It isn't a problem for me where even a trip to the post office in the village is a 10 mile round trip but if your usage consists of 1 mile jaunts it will be much better for your ATS (or any vehicle except electric only types) to either put a number of these trips together or take a longer drive fairly often to get the vehicle fluids up to normal temperature.

As someone who works with a lot of different electronic "stuff" I don't like seeing any sort of direct connection to the battery or a high current bus without a fuse sized for the wiring involved and this is especially true when using clips or other temporary connections that are prone to slipping. An inline fuse holder and appropriately sized fuse located in the lead close to the connection is extremely inexpensive and can easily prevent damage, including fire, that will result if the leads themselves become the fusible element. A car battery can easily source several hundred amps for a short period of time as it does during engine starting and that level of current can turn poorly thought out connections into a very effective incendiary device. Growing up on the MS gulf coast there was a period during the CB craze when it was common to see burning boats from people who haphazardly installed these two way radios in their small craft without benefit of fuses and other proper wiring techniques.

Although it isn't common with smaller charger and modern "semi-sealed" batteries hydrogen is a by-product of charging lead acid batteries and a spark from a clip lead to the battery terminal isn't a good thing which is one reason why I would install a more permanent connection setup for any regular usage of a maintainer especially if you are connecting in the battery compartment.

 

David,
I think this depends upon which maintainer you are using. For example the earlier Ctek models did not have a fuse in the set of leads that clips to the battery and the current manual that came with mine still shows a photo of the fuse-less leads although the currently shipping version should have them. There are a lot of battery maintainers sold and I expect a number of them include leads that are not properly fused. Damage to those leads (i.e. crushed between two hard surfaces where the cable is routed out to the maintainer proper) can result in them shorting together or to vehicle ground. The Ctek maintainer I use is specified at ~3.3 amps nominal output and if I were connecting directly without fused leads i would go with a 7.5 or 8 amp fuse to provide reasonable protection without nuisance fuse opening.

Obviously lots of people are using maintainers without cars burning up everywhere. I spent much of my career in risk management and the simple scenario for this is:
1. Probability of failure: low
2. Cost of failure: moderate through extremely high (i.e. associated garage/house fire).
3. Cost of greatly reducing failure probability and/or consequential damages from failure: extremely low both cost and time.

In cases like this even when the probability of failure is low IF the potential consequences can be very costly and the costs of avoiding failure are very low then it makes sense to do a proper installation.

 

I own 4 battery minders from Xantrex, Guest, and 2 other oddballs from ??? Northern Tool. Of course, all are Chinese. All have overcurrent protection and all have positive lead 10 Amp ATC fuses.

I am not a proponent of permanently installed maintainers - Spring clips are perfectly adequate for the small amperages used. I also do not like the ones that plug into a power port to reverse-feed the car system. (and, in some of our cars, those 12V ports go dead when RAP drops out after 10 minutes, so you're screwed anyway.)(Yes, if you read the service manual you can move the RAP fuse(s))

As a former Navy Interior Communications Electrician I use common sense and experience when rigging electrical stuff to lead-acid batteries and cars.

 

Re: Dead Bat'ree Again

Hi. Got the same problem with my previous car, when it sits for a few days the battery will not turn the starter. ( previous car not a Caddy ). On feb 2013, I bought a new battery and install a battery tender that I kept during winter time. That battery was still top shape by dec 2017. On my new to me ATS4 loaded with options, I did installed the same battery tender where the spare tire use to be and wire to the battery ( driver side in the trunk ). I use hydro power wire connected to the battery tender passing throught the gas filler cap. Pics are on the outside, no use to show one inside goes it pass under the lining.

So it keep the load on the battery but don't start the engine when the battery is connected to domestic power. Safe side. Hope it works for you.

 

Re: Dead Bat'ree Again

On my new to me ATS4 loaded with options, I did installed the same battery tender where the spare tire use to be and wire to the battery ( driver side in the trunk ). I use hydro power wire connected to the battery tender passing throught the gas filler cap. Pics are on the outside, no use to show one inside goes it pass under the lining.

Moved from the 11-year-old thread in a forum dedicated to a different model of car. This seems like a better thread for your post.