battery tender issue? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

dakota74 · 03-04-2017, 08:08 PM

I have a deltran battery tender. I've had it for maybe 2 years, and never a problem.

I've had the camaro in the garage as i do every wintertime. Now, it is like the tender is not even hooked up!

I just went outside in the garage, disconnected the tender, and turned the car on. it almost didnt start and when it finally did turn on, the information center freaked out. stabilitrak issue, CEL on, even said "there are 4 keys" somerthing.

even the windows needed to be reset.

I backed it out of the garage, and turned it off to get the stuff to reset.

turned it back on and poof. dead dead.

WTF! what's going on??? i know it is cold, and that may have a little to do with this, but def not to this extent!

is there a more powerful tender???

HELP!

1Coopgt · 03-04-2017, 08:41 PM

How old is the battery? It may not be the tender .

dakota74 · 03-04-2017, 08:55 PM

It's only 2 years old -- I really doubt that's the issue....

Tom And Cheryl · 03-04-2017, 09:12 PM

A battery tender is designed to keep a fully charged battery charged it will not charge a battery. If it is weak now you should get it charged and than load tested to see if the battery failed. Yes they can fail after two years. I did have a battery tender go bad on one of my snowmobiles last year and the battery went bad so both need to be checked. I charge the Camaro with a battery charger every couple of weeks for 12 hours at a time, I have a battery tender on the 4 wheeler and snowmobile batteries.

Pollock · 03-04-2017, 09:28 PM

My car is always hooked to a battery tender. But a battery does not last much more than 5 years on average. Had to replace my battery last fall.
Some tenders will have a charge mode. Its very very slow but they will charge a low battery.

CamaroFred · 03-04-2017, 09:42 PM

Are there any indicator LEDs on the Deltran?

Turn on the key and check the voltage. Connect the tender and if the voltage doesn't increase it's broken.

And as Pollock said my Jr. will charge a battery but it takes days. That's what they advertise. Charge and Maintain.

Rock-It Man · 03-05-2017, 09:54 AM

What kind of battery tender do you have?

Mine is a Battery Tender Plus. It has red and green LEDs. Green means full charge, flashing red means 80% charged, red means charging, and red and green flashing together means either poor connection or failed battery.

And yes, it will charge a discharged battery that has not failed.

dakota74 · 03-05-2017, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rock-It Man

What kind of battery tender do you have?

Mine is a Battery Tender Plus. It has red and green LEDs. Green means full charge, flashing red means 80% charged, red means charging, and red and green flashing together means either poor connection or failed battery.

And yes, it will charge a discharged battery that has not failed.

I have a Deltran. Got it a year ago. I did notice that both the lights (one is the charge light. I forgot what the other one said. ) or lit and blinking. I also remember that the second day after I went out to disconnected, they were both still blinking.

Honestly , instead of the battery being faulty, I think it's the tender. I'm going to call deltran tomorrow

Rock-It Man · 03-05-2017, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakota74

I have a Deltran. Got it a year ago. I did notice that both the lights (one is the charge light. I forgot what the other one said. ) or lit and blinking. I also remember that the second day after I went out to disconnected, they were both still blinking.

Honestly , instead of the battery being faulty, I think it's the tender. I'm going to call deltran tomorrow

Well, you have two indications that it's the battery.

1. Both lights blinking
2. Car doesn't start

Maybe try hooking the tender up to a buddy's car. If you don't get both lights flashing, it's the battery. That is the most likely explanation.

Pollock · 03-05-2017, 07:23 PM

While battery tenders do fail. Based on the age of your car I am pretty sure its the battery. When my battery failed it made the tender act strange and was originally thinking my tender was bad. So I pulled the battery and had it tested at a local Napa. A battery cell had failed so I bought a new battery and the tender is still fine.

Mnhdrider · 03-06-2017, 12:56 PM

The best one I have used is a CTEK brand. Comes with new Corvettes that are ordered with the battery protection package, Mercedes Benz sells them too. They work with all types of batterys. I like it because it also has a cold weather mode.

chef-beavis · 03-06-2017, 01:24 PM

I have Schumacher tenders and I need to unplug the tender and reset it if I use my keyfob on the car. Otherwise, it quits working.

shibbs · 03-06-2017, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chef-beavis

I have Schumacher tenders and I need to unplug the tender and reset it if I use my keyfob on the car. Otherwise, it quits working.

Same. Mine doesn't like AGM batteries anymore, but it's 4 years old. Just once a week when I walk by I unplug it and plug it back in.

dakota74 · 03-06-2017, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pollock

While battery tenders do fail. Based on the age of your car I am pretty sure its the battery. When my battery failed it made the tender act strange and was originally thinking my tender was bad. So I pulled the battery and had it tested at a local Napa. A battery cell had failed so I bought a new battery and the tender is still fine.

I forgot to change my car - I have a 2014 Ss/RS now. I should've said that.

I forgot to call Deltran today. I had it unplugged today from the tender and just tested it. Dead.

I have an amp in the back hooked to the battery but I have not had any issues with that draining the battery before.

I have no clue how to see if there is an extra drain on the battery though. Like no step by step.

I may just get a new batt. Maybe all this charging, going to a dead batt if I don't use it etc has destroyed the battery.

03-04-2017, 08:08 PM	#1
dakota74 Drives: 2014 Summit White; 2SS/RS Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Manalapan, NJ Posts: 182 View My Garage	battery tender issue? I have a deltran battery tender. I've had it for maybe 2 years, and never a problem. I've had the camaro in the garage as i do every wintertime. Now, it is like the tender is not even hooked up! I just went outside in the garage, disconnected the tender, and turned the car on. it almost didnt start and when it finally did turn on, the information center freaked out. stabilitrak issue, CEL on, even said "there are 4 keys" somerthing. even the windows needed to be reset. I backed it out of the garage, and turned it off to get the stuff to reset. turned it back on and poof. dead dead. WTF! what's going on??? i know it is cold, and that may have a little to do with this, but def not to this extent! is there a more powerful tender??? HELP!

03-04-2017, 08:41 PM	#2
1Coopgt Drives: All Black 2012 1LS Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Rochester,NY Posts: 2,042 View My Garage	How old is the battery? It may not be the tender . __________________ Mods, K&N CAI ,VTC , GM Perf Axleback Exhaust, Elite Eng CC and CSS, GM Strut Tower Brace,Carbon Fiber Anvil Spoiler,ASC T5 Splitter,Gen5diy Foglight kit.

03-04-2017, 09:42 PM	#6
CamaroFred Drives: Miss Con Ception Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 2,998	Are there any indicator LEDs on the Deltran? Turn on the key and check the voltage. Connect the tender and if the voltage doesn't increase it's broken. And as Pollock said my Jr. will charge a battery but it takes days. That's what they advertise. Charge and Maintain. __________________ 2011 1SS/RS LS3 CGM

03-04-2017, 08:55 PM	#3
dakota74 Drives: 2014 Summit White; 2SS/RS Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Manalapan, NJ Posts: 182 View My Garage	It's only 2 years old -- I really doubt that's the issue....

03-04-2017, 09:12 PM	#4
Tom And Cheryl Drives: 2013 SS Convertible, ThumperII Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 411 View My Garage	A battery tender is designed to keep a fully charged battery charged it will not charge a battery. If it is weak now you should get it charged and than load tested to see if the battery failed. Yes they can fail after two years. I did have a battery tender go bad on one of my snowmobiles last year and the battery went bad so both need to be checked. I charge the Camaro with a battery charger every couple of weeks for 12 hours at a time, I have a battery tender on the 4 wheeler and snowmobile batteries.

03-04-2017, 09:28 PM	#5
Pollock LT4 M6 Drives: 2018 ZL1 1LE Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Bloomington, IN Posts: 1,249	My car is always hooked to a battery tender. But a battery does not last much more than 5 years on average. Had to replace my battery last fall. Some tenders will have a charge mode. Its very very slow but they will charge a low battery.

03-05-2017, 09:54 AM	#7
Rock-It Man 376 cubic inches of fun Drives: 2023 Camaro ZL1 A10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: MA Posts: 4,043 View My Garage	What kind of battery tender do you have? Mine is a Battery Tender Plus. It has red and green LEDs. Green means full charge, flashing red means 80% charged, red means charging, and red and green flashing together means either poor connection or failed battery. And yes, it will charge a discharged battery that has not failed.

03-05-2017, 07:23 PM	#10
Pollock LT4 M6 Drives: 2018 ZL1 1LE Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Bloomington, IN Posts: 1,249	While battery tenders do fail. Based on the age of your car I am pretty sure its the battery. When my battery failed it made the tender act strange and was originally thinking my tender was bad. So I pulled the battery and had it tested at a local Napa. A battery cell had failed so I bought a new battery and the tender is still fine.

03-06-2017, 12:56 PM	#11
Mnhdrider Drives: 15 black 2SSRS1LE Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Northwest MN Posts: 25 View My Garage	The best one I have used is a CTEK brand. Comes with new Corvettes that are ordered with the battery protection package, Mercedes Benz sells them too. They work with all types of batterys. I like it because it also has a cold weather mode.

03-06-2017, 01:24 PM	#12
chef-beavis Drives: IOM 2013 2SS/RS, Greenie, 06 FXSTBi Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Turd Town, WI Posts: 1,602	I have Schumacher tenders and I need to unplug the tender and reset it if I use my keyfob on the car. Otherwise, it quits working.