Sorry for the OT post- but got no response in the car NGs.
I need to replace the battery in a 2010 Honda CR-V but don't have one of those electronics "settings keepers".
I don't mind re-entering the radio code and station presets-- but will anything else (ECM, etc.) get wiped out- or damaged- if I just disconnect the old battery?
Nothing of any significance has been lost on any cars I've owned. Station presets are even there. Might have to re-enter the date, and time. Some cars did have a radio theft code that you had to re-enter, but I think that was mostly on aftermarket radios. Damaged? That won't happen. Cars wind up with dead batteries or batteries removed all the time.
You can buy one of those temp battery gizmos at any auto parts store for a few bucks. Or Ebay for probably less. Many auto parts stores install batteries for free too and they almost certainly have/use those devices.
I hit both the local NAPA and Advance Auto Parts stores looking for one. I got a blank stare at NAPA.The Advance guy showed me some fancy black box gizmo that connected to the OBD port that they used when they replaced batteries- but they had nothing for sale.
I was thinking of maybe jerry-rigging/attaching a 9 volt transistor battery to the car's battery cables before removing-- but I may just go ahead and pull it.
Two options come to mind. 9v battery hooked to a lighter cord, and put in the lighter socket.
Other option is if you know someone like me who has a battery jumper pack, and a double ended lighter cord (which I use for recharging the jump pack), that can be plugged in via the lighter socket in your vehicle.
Don't know if that link works, but you can probably find it by searching for the name at Adv Auto.
The 9V battery, using some jumpers idea should work too
On 03/02/2016 8:36 AM, trader_4 wrote: ...
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The '99 Chebby pick'um'up had such (unbeknownst to me) and there was no way to recover other than returning the vehicle to a dealer in the factory radio. They can (and had done) deactivate the "feature"; some dealers apparently want a handsome service fee for doing so.
I _think_ that idea died soon after a'borning, afaik the later (2010/11) don't but I guess I otta' check before it needs being done.
That doesn't mean they haven't done other stupid things, of course, one vehicle has a factory radio with no external antenna so there's no reception to speak of in rural areas...if one _lives_ in a rural area it's almost like the '40s and '50s when a radio was an extra add-on.
Needless to say, we now check; I'm d'd if I'm going to pay a premium to some outfit monthly for the privilege of listening to the radio in a vehicle.
Anyway, I'd suggest OP do some checking in the owners manual first on just what is/isn't on his particular vehicle.
Yes, I saw one of these for sale, probably at jcwhitney.com but I made my own and put it in the trunk. I never use it though!
My cars have been a 2000 Toyota, 1995 and 1988 Chrysler, and because of excessive battery drain, in each of them!, I've had an almost dead battery probably 60 times in the last 20 years, and because I use a device that disconnects the battery when it's almost dead, from the car's pov, the battery is dead, disconnected. After I push the button that reconnects the battery, I reset the radio.
All the driving information that adjusts your ignition is wiped out and it goes to defaults, but I've never noticed any difference except it takes two tries, one right after the other, to start the car after the battery is disconnected. But it always started right up on the second try.
Hard to say. Most things intended to remain "nonvolatile", nowadays, use a type of memory that doesn't require power to preserve its contents. It's cheap enough that it's almost silly *not* to use it in new designs.
OTOH, if you want to ENSURE something gets "forgotten" when the power fails, you'd store that information in "volatile" memory -- that requires the continuous application of power to ensure its preservation. Candidates for that include "security codes" -- so a thief pulling a radio ends up with a radio that refuses to work!
In the past, getting LOTS of nonvolatile memory was a bit harder. So, some things stayed in volatile memory simply because it was cheaper ("Hey, there's a battery here 24/7/365 so why NOT store in volatile memory?")
It's hard to know where that changeover would have been embraced by particular manufacturers -- incl after-market equipment!
If it was me, I'd VERIFY that I have the "radio" code (in my hands) and just plan on swapping the battery out "in short order". I.e., don't pull the battery today and replace it tomorrow, if possible. Even volatile memory will retain its settings for some amount of time.
[IIRC, Honda records the code inside the glove box. Newer units don't even need the code to be reentered as the radio and the car kabitz to recognize each other -- I guess dealers got tired of folks calling looking for radio reset codes!]OTOH, the design might include something that deliberately detects the removal of the battery and alerts the microprocessors (plural) that the contents of that memory are NOT to be trusted!
If you opt for a settings minder approach, keep in mind that opening the car door will put a load on that "minder" as the courtesy lights come on, etc.
Remember, batteries die all the time (though usually not DEAD FLAT; "Memory" can be preserved often down to ~2V on the battery)! So, even if something is lost, it's probably not anything that the car can't relearn (logs, driving patterns, engine performance characteristics, etc.)
[I think some cars require you to drive for some period of time after changing a battery and BEFORE getting an emissions test in order for all the codes to set properly]
It would seem a better idea for the device to disconnect the battery so it doesn't go dead to begin with. Or even better, fix the parasitic drain that is the source of the problem.
After I push the
Cars I've had and worked on, the engine computer did not lose it's setting when the battery was disconnected. That seems like a really bad idea when it can be stored in flash.
That's what I said. "Almost dead".
I'll be here this weekend if you want to come over and do that.
What I meant was that it would seem a better idea for the device to disconnect the battery so that it doesn't start to go dead to begin with. What's the point to disconnecting it when it's almost dead? You're hoping there is enough energy left to start the car? Each time you do that deep draining, it significantly shortens the life of the battery.
Why should one of us fix your broken car?
I pay attention and I don't know of anything that does that.
There always has been. The Battery Buddy, no longer made, worked 60 times, probably more than 60 times, and the car always started just fine.
Priority Start has only needed to work once, and the car started just fine. It's still sold, and mostly marketed to companies with trucks.
In one way yes, but since I've had those devices, I"ve actually been to go 3 years and counting with a battery I would consider no good. One of them seemed to improve with time.
Becuase you're the one who brought it up.
He's got a Honda. I'd bet my left nut that the OEM radio requires a code after battery replacement. Some dealers charge up to $50 to give you the code if you've lost the tag that came with the vehicle.
I've got 3 Honda's. The codes are hidden in each car and also saved on my computer. I don't plan on paying a stealer just for the code.
The ECU will lose it's memory so don't plan on getting the car inspected right away. Various monitors will have to reset (become active) before the vehicle will pass inspection.
There are generic drive cycles that you can use to speed up the time it takes for the monitors reset as well as specific drive cycles for specific vehicles. Even if you do nothing special, normal driving will eventually reset all monitors, it just may take a few days to a week.
Google car memory saver and it will show you a half dozen stating at $6 from WalMart.
Alternate method is to find a place that does free battery changes and let them do it.
Alternate alternate method is to buy a new car every 3 to 4 years.
Get a battery holder to hold 10 dry cell batteries and connect to a cigarette lighter plug.. Plug it in to maintain voltage. Actually, a lot of the "commercial" units use a 9 volt battery and a shotky diode to keep the 12 volts from the car from trying to overcharge the 9 volt battery. Apparently 9 volts is enough to keep all the settings in memory.
Virtually ALL newer than 1996 (OBD2 and above) require the computer to complete a full "drive cycle" to set all the monitors before going for e-test.
A 9volt battery wont do shit. You could probably put some leads on a 12V garden tractor battery and plug it into your cig lighter socket, but why go thru that hassle. Just change your battery and reset your clock. The TIME/DATE is about all you'll lose. I never saw radio resets getting lost, and your cars computer will not be affected.
There is a good chance you car's clock needs to be reset anyhow. I know mine seems to lose several minutes during extreme cold weather. (And I have a very good battery). Dont forget next weekend we go to "Daylight Savings Time", so you'll have to reset your clock anyhow.
By the way, your cellphone has the most accurate time. Use it to set your car's clock.
Yea, the "Auto" newsgroups are all of dead.... But I dont think anyone objects to auto related posts on this group. Us backyard mechanics are doing "home repair", just doing in on the car rather than the house.
Why would that be? With the car off, the drain is very small. IDK what it is for all cars, but BMW X5 for example, it's about 30ma. It has to be low or your car would go dead in a airport lot or similar when it hasn't been driven. Plus there are devices on the market for exactly that purpose, they use a 9V battery or similar to provide power while the car battery is changed. I provided a link to one.
but why
I agree that's a typical case and it's been my experience too. But we don't know about all cars or what aftermarket equipment people have. Some radios had security codes which could be lost when power is interrupted.
9 volt battery is used in virtually all commercial "memory savers". So you are right - it won't "do shit" - it will "work"
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