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Charging Battery on 2013 Taurus


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I only drive my 2013 Taurus once a month, so I use a float charger to keep the battery up. My question is connecting the cables to the terminals. The new Taurus has very little room to connect the cable to the posts and I wanted to know if I can connect the cables to the metal plates that surround the posts instead.

It would prevent the posts from getting scraped up by the sharp cables over time. Thanks!

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As long as it's a solid connection, I don't see why it would be a problem. I don't have the cable connected directly on the post on my Mustang either, although I went the route of connecting it to the bolt that holds the cable end on the battery cable. I don't think the factory cables use those kind of connectors though, do they?

Edited by NickF1011
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You are right, instead of the traditional post with a bolt/nut that holds the cable, its different on the 2013 car...instead its a metal template the surrounds the post and then has a bolt/nut holding the template. The dealer said connecting the cable to the template that surrounds the post is okay. Also, the new 2013 has a plastic cover on the positive cable (red cover for positive) that covers the entire half of the battery. Its a pain to remove so I bent it back to allow me to lower the hood to about 5 inches from closing. I think thats sufficient for air circulation since the charger instructions stress the need for ventilation. I cover the car with a car cover, so leaving the 4-5 inches open seems sufficient.

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I use battery tenders on all my stuff. For the cars I dont even lift the hood. I bought an adapter to run the trickle charger through the cigarette lighter plug. As long as its a 'always on' plug youre good. Its essentially hardwired to the battery. No need to play around connecting to the battery.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-Deltran-Cigarette-081-0069-5/dp/B003CJ927I

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I use battery tenders on all my stuff. For the cars I dont even lift the hood. I bought an adapter to run the trickle charger through the cigarette lighter plug. As long as its a 'always on' plug youre good. Its essentially hardwired to the battery. No need to play around connecting to the battery.

 

I quickly discovered that it seems like only Ford has "always on" plug in their cars...all the rentals I had while my Mustang was laid up getting fixed after an accident didn't provide power to the cell phone charger I had the time... majorly annoying!

 

Thanks for the link with the lighter plug in tender...I need one for my Mustang next year when she becomes a garage queen

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Some float chargers (Battery Tender) give you a pigtail that you can permanently attach to the battery/wiring. The other end is a quick disconnect to the charger. If you use something like this, make certain the quick disconnect is protected from moisture and dirt when not connected to the charger.

 

In the "ounce of prevention" department, coat the battery terminal and all connections near the the terminal with a thick coat of silicon dielectric grease. It will prevent corrosion build up.

 

I no a good float charge should not overcharge a battery, but I would still leave it turned off about 50% of the time.

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You mentioned 'cigarette lighter plug!' Since I don't have the smokers package..do you mean the USB port, since I have no cigarette lighter outlet. The manual doesn't mention it in the directory.

 

They're now called 12V power points - the big round plug in the dash/console.

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Some float chargers (Battery Tender) give you a pigtail that you can permanently attach to the battery/wiring. The other end is a quick disconnect to the charger. If you use something like this, make certain the quick disconnect is protected from moisture and dirt when not connected to the charger.

 

That's how mine is set up. The pig tail came with a connected rubber cap that pops over the cable end when not in use.

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Some float chargers (Battery Tender) give you a pigtail that you can permanently attach to the battery/wiring. The other end is a quick disconnect to the charger. If you use something like this, make certain the quick disconnect is protected from moisture and dirt when not connected to the charger.

 

In the "ounce of prevention" department, coat the battery terminal and all connections near the the terminal with a thick coat of silicon dielectric grease. It will prevent corrosion build up.

 

I no a good float charge should not overcharge a battery, but I would still leave it turned off about 50% of the time.

 

Ya the dentron battery tenders have that optional pig tail. I use it on my motorcycles. Ive had my tender plugged in for years on one cars and have never had an issue, forgot about it lol. They seem to be a solid product. I have about 5 of em 2 bikes, 2 cars and a snowmobile.

 

I learned about the cig plug from a corvette guy who was reluctant to have the fiberglass hood popped open to clear the tender. He was afraid of having the hood warp sitting like that over time.

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