As many of you know, Diane and I are cruising our boat up the eastern seaboard next year for 6 months. I need to decide how to handle our two cars.
There are some potential complications with the computer if the battery is disconnected, so I am leaning toward trickle charging. I plan to put the liability/collision insurance on vacation, so having someone drive them is not going to work. Switching to non-ethanol fuel for the last few tanks seems like a good idea, plus I will add stabilizer to the last tank.
Other thoughts are welcome, but here is a question. I have a 2A trickle charger. I see no reason I cannot use jumper cables to connect both car batteries (pos to pos, neg to neg) and have the trickle charger handle them both. Can anyone see a reason not to do this?
Duane Ising - Past Commodore (2011-2012)
s/v Diva Di
1999 Catalina 36 Hull #1777
Std rig; wing keel, M35B, Delta (45#)
Punta Gorda, FL
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/diva-di/
I don't see a problem, unless you're a worrier like me and I'd constantly worry about the bloody charger catching fire or something like that. What I had planned to do with our cars this year when we were supposed to be gone south for a year was put them in the garage attached to the house, change the oil, fog the engine like you would with an outboard only not quite so heavily, jack them up on stands, take the batteries out and put them in the basement.
Inflate the tires to maximum to avoid them developing a flat spot. Put a separate Battery Tender on each car. Add some Seafoam to the fuel. Enjoy your trip.
Mike
Deja Vu
1991 MK I # 1106
Marina del Rey, CA
Fuel conditioner! Jeez, forgot totally about that. That would have been ugly!
Thanks, all. I remembered Stu's oft-stated advice: go straight to the manufacturer.
In this case, I called the service manager at the dealership. He said for 6 months:
1. Leave the battery connected; a trickle charger can't hurt but is not really necessary because the current draw on my 2011 Camry when the car is off is almost negligible. I asked about self-discharge rates and sulfation of the battery and he said it would definitely be weaker upon return without charging, but sulfation shouldn't be an issue.
My take: use the trickle charger
2. Switch to non-ethanol fuel for a tank or two and leave it full of non-ethanol fuel to reduce chance of phase separation. He agreed a good stabilizer is important, too.
My take: I have read that mixing ethanol and non-ethanol fuel can cause gelling and clogging, but that is mostly if you are going to let it sit like that. Running the tank low, then filling with non-ethanol fuel and running the car enough over the next few days to get out the old fuel in the lines will be fine, so they say.
Having personally been cursed by ethanol fuel problems in a dinghy engine, I am not eager to chance leaving that in my car tanks for a 6 month hot, humid summer.
Feel free to debate and suggest further, if you like.
Duane Ising - Past Commodore (2011-2012)
s/v Diva Di
1999 Catalina 36 Hull #1777
Std rig; wing keel, M35B, Delta (45#)
Punta Gorda, FL
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/diva-di/
Duane,
I have a runabout that gets to sit in storage for 6-7 months during the winter. It has a 50HP Yamaha 4 stroke, which is not that dissimilar from your Camry. The proceedure I've used for the past 5-6 yrs, since the engine was new, is to top off the fuel tank (we can ONLY get E-10 around here), and then put the proper amount of Sta-Bil in the tank. I then run the engine for 15-20 minutes in fresh water, so that the cooling system is flushed out, and the fuel in the tank is distributed thru the hose and fuel system. Change the oil, then put the boat away. That's it. I don't drain anything, and I don't take the battery out. In the spring I top off the battery, and the engine starts in 2-3 seconds. Full tank and stabilizer are the keys, at least according to my reading. Hope this helps.
Tom Sokoloski
C36/375IA Past Commodore
Noank, CT
Thanks, Tom. I can't argue with anything you said.
Duane Ising - Past Commodore (2011-2012)
s/v Diva Di
1999 Catalina 36 Hull #1777
Std rig; wing keel, M35B, Delta (45#)
Punta Gorda, FL
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/diva-di/