[Unknownsir]

I was told that if you pull the fuses to prevent a draw on the vehicle while it was In storage,that you could still start the car like when it is in shipment mode before a dealer gets it. How do you do this?

 

[Corybud3325]

I have always just used a battery tender on all my rigs that don't get ran in the off season. On the 124 I just ran an extension and routed it by the drivers side windshield wiper. Works great and keeps the battery in tip top shape.

 

[sflier]

+1

I use a battery tender for all the vehicles I store during the winter. Your battery will also last years longer as an added benefit.

 

[canesice]

there is a whole lot of battery tender products. Which one are you using?

 

[sflier]

Battery Tender Plus: http://www.batterytender.com/Chargers/Battery-TenderR-Plus.html

I've had a few of those for years. Seems Deltran has upgraded them to this model: http://www.batterytender.com/Chargers/Battery-Tender-Selectable-6V-12V-1-25-Amp-Plus.html

 

[Corybud3325]

I use the Deltron Battery Tender products.

I originally tried to route the extension through to the front so I don't have to raise the hood to plug it in but that turned into a big hassle so ended up just routing it to the windshield with zip ties. There is a cut out by the drivers side wiper so all I need to do is pop the cap off and Plug the tender in just as I did on my Scion FRS.

 

[wedgewa]

I use several of these (car, scooter, lawn tractor) and they work very well. http://www.sears.com/diehard-battery-charger-maintainer/p-02871219000P

 

[notlostnow]

Winter Storage?

What is this "winter storage"? Where I live, wintertime is the best time to enjoy a convertible!

 

[Unknownsir]

What is this "winter storage"? Where I live, wintertime is the best time to enjoy a convertible!

Ppttttthhhhhh!!!!!!:laugh:

 

[Greg]

I was told that if you pull the fuses to prevent a draw on the vehicle while it was In storage,that you could still start the car like when it is in shipment mode before a dealer gets it. How do you do this?

Im not sure what "shipment mode" is. Why would you want to do this? If the car is going to be stored a long time you can just disconnect the battery.

Greg

 

[ameridan]

There is usually one fuse that retracts enough to disconnect slow current draw components like keyless entry, radio / clock memory, etc so that there is NO drain on the battery. That way the car will start after sitting in storage for long periods. It usually is part of dealer prep to push it all the way back in. Perhaps someone knows which fuse it is in the ND Miata & Fiat 124.

 

[ameridan]

There is usually one fuse that retracts enough to disconnect slow current draw components like keyless entry, radio / clock memory, etc so that there is NO drain on the battery. That way the car will start after sitting in storage for long periods. It usually is part of dealer prep to push it all the way back in. Perhaps someone knows which fuse it is in the ND Miata & Fiat 124.

I just found it in Mazdas Pre-Delivery documents (couldn't find the Fiat version). The fuse is identified as the Room Fuse (a grey 25 amp fuse) per the Pre-delivery Battery Maintenance Record Form. Both it and the Audio Fuse if used, are on a raised platform to easily differentiate them. By using the fuse puller and lifting them, your battery should not require charging for extended storage periods. This is what someone meant by "Shipment Mode" (Long Term Storage).

I imagine this is what keeps the key fob batteries from discharging as they are probably stored in the vehicle, but keyless entry is not active while the fuse(s) is not engaged.

 

[Unknownsir]

my understanding is that the vehicle won't start normally either when in this mode. Normally all the things that have power when key is turned off no longer have power when these fuses are pulled. but in the case of the 124 it won't start just by pushing the push button start, you instead need to do something special.

 

[ameridan]

my understanding is that the vehicle won't start normally either when in this mode. Normally all the things that have power when key is turned off no longer have power when these fuses are pulled. but in the case of the 124 it won't start just by pushing the push button start, you instead need to do something special.

I haven't verified whether the car will start with those 2 fuses disengaged, so I'm not going to go further on this. In days past it was just a radio, but not knowing how the CMU interacts with the rest of the computer modules, you may be right - those 2 fuses may need to be engaged in order to start the car. My point was that disengaging or removing these 2 fuses is much easier than disconnecting the battery for long-term storage.