I'm needing a new car battery after the winter air killed my old one. I can replace it myself but people online have been offering some conflicting information about doing it. Some places seem to imply that swapping the batteries with having the van hooked to an alternative power supply will kill my radio and trip anti-theft systems. Other places don't mention that at all (a video I watched didn't do anything special, just swapped batteries with no mention of power supply). Any confirmation one way or another? 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan, if that matters.
>Some places seem to imply that swapping the batteries with having the van hooked to an alternative power supply
I meant WITHOUT having it connected to an alternative power supply
I had an old Benz that required a code for the radio if it lost power. Dealer always had those available.
Is that what you mean?
Yeah, that's what I've heard. It's a used vehicle that didn't have any paperwork beyond the title. No owner's manual or anything with those codes listed and I've seen that I'd need to VIN number (which I have, obviously) and the radio serial number, which is probably on a sticker somewhere on the radio itself, and I don't feel like pulling the radio out for that.
That uses a Group 75 battery. 750cca's.
'Group' is the dimensions HWD. It's a physical size and terminal arrangement. Looks like that battery runs $190 new. Bring your old to avoid a $10 core charge. Bonus if you can bring additional 12v starter batteries, because they will give you credit for each additional.
To avoid memory loss, you'll just need a small 12v source, like a small 12v7ah battery, to bridge to the existing Neg and Pos while you disconnect the main battery and swap in a new one. A battery powered jump box might work fine.
Get a $40 clamp DC ammeter from amazon. It's a multimeter with all the readouts you'll need. There's a KAIWEETS for $40. A clamping DC meter costs more than one that does only AC current, but it's worth it. Sounds like you don't have one.
There is some debate about them, but I believe the SkyMax Restate Battery tbhlfator from Missouri Wind And Solar helps lengthen the useful life of the battery. Just get the 12v model and wire it across the terminals.
Lead acid batteries are such lowball shit tech. If mfgs wanted to make the battery last 10 yrs they could. They haven't. Batteries like the DL+ from Dakota Lithium are quickly catching up to fill that void, as this isn't the 1960's where you replaced points and plugs regularly, and synthetic oil wasn't widely available and cheap. Maintenance cycles are much lower, and battery tech should have kept up. But they love that gravy train of lead-acid drop-ins.
Li Time made some progress. I wouldn't drop in one of their Trolling Motor batteries yet, as a direct swap with a lead-acid. Improvements need to be made in LFPo electrolyte so they can work well-below freezing. Yes they can discharge, but changes need to be made to the alternator control so it's not trying to charge the battery when the temp is below freezing. Not sure how the DL+ gets around the temp restrictions.
> Get a $40 clamp DC ammeter
For what reason?
>bring additional 12v starter batteries, because they will give you credit for each additional
How do you acquire these additional batteries?
im a battery hunter
What are some good places to find car batteries?
check when the tide is low
From time to time Walmarts and other big box stores will leave the battery cage in back of the store unlocked.
Old junkie I know told me about it, says that it’s not much of a theft charge if you get caught because dead batteries don’t have a real value, and you can sell them to the recycler for $10-$30 each depending how big they are.
He also got caught one night and led the cops on a 100mi police chase and got a few years in prison so…
this pile of expert advice is only lacking a Bepis trip
Bepis probably got tired of you homosexuals harrassing him.
See
I came late with the proper advice, but Opie figured it out.
I think thay Group 75 was some Chat GPT response.
Idk man just replace it and figure it out. I really don't think there's any pre battery swap setting you can initiate and I don't think there is any way to swap a battery without killing power. I think if the radio gets locked out or something then you'll just have to deal with car manufacturers being moronic thinking a battery should never be replaced.
Find a Dodge forum or reddit. It's wise to own a jump pack which is also an alternative power supply but you can use jumper cables too. Connect + cable first after loosening clamps but not disconnecting them. Connect ground cable to your engine (any casting it can clamp to will do) leaving your battery cable free. Swap batteries, tighten battery post clamps and be happy.
Make sure you properly dispose of the old one.
Change the battery already…..GAY
same problem
i think about slamming a charger in the cigarrete lighter
but the cigarette ligther only works when electric is turned on with key
so i not sure
now that i think about
theoretical it should be enough to let the motor run
the electric should come from generator then
and you can theoretical replace the batterie without loosing power
dont do shit like this, the ecu might go nuts
get a 12v power supply and feed power to the battery cables when changing the battery, make sure you dont short shit out
OP here, I replaced the battery with no special tools or precautions. It went fine. Car starts now. No radio or anti-theft issues.
-Ancient Dodge minivans don’t have anti-theft bullshit.
-Memory savers are definitely a thing, just not necessary for this vehicle.
-OP is a wet noodle of a human being for coming to PrepHole for help with a battery swap.
-The AI reply was the only one that was remotely fact-based or intelligent.
-Everyone who posted their shitty speculation without any firsthand experience of swapping a battery on a Dodge fails the Turing Test.
>The AI reply was the only one that was remotely fact-based or intelligent.
>Looks like that battery runs $190 new.
Try $120-.
>Bring your old to avoid a $10 core charge.
>$15
>bring additional 12v starter batteries fo mo moneys
Take them back Tyrone.
>Get a $40 clamp DC ammeter
Not necessary.
>Battery tbhlfator
Not necessary.
>If mfgs wanted to make the battery last 10 yrs they could.
False.
>Li Time made some progress.
Irrelevant.
homosexual
How did it take this long for someone to mention a memory saver? Wrenchlets ITT.
>Ancient Dodge minivans
2010 is ancient?
If the battery is dead, then you've already lost all your settings.
Why is this even a post? Just disconnect the old one, put the new one in and reconnect it. Then set the radio and clock if you need to. Why so fricking hard?? Why would anyone go out and buy shit for 2 mins of temporary power to change a battery?? Fricking man up. The whole country has turned into a bunch of inept pussies that need to hire a mechanic to change a light bulb
New cars aren't just cars,they are computers. Specifically computers that expect to be always connected to the Internet and always have 12v power.
Also many newer cars are required to mate with the battery's CPU using a dealer-only tool.
>Also many newer cars are required to mate with the battery's CPU using a dealer-only tool.
Citation needed. Google just wants to talk about the car's CPU vs. disconnecting the battery, so I'd love to see examples of "many" new cars that have a cpu in the battery that requires a trip to the dealer to swap the battery.
if your car has start-stop functionality then it is expected to pair the battery to the battery management system
Thanks. I dread the day when I actually have to own a modern car.
Clunker Master Race
bosch s5
or if american
walmart battery
You know there's multiple stores, national chains even, that will literally just install the battery for free when you buy it?
Great way to frick up your car.
>2010 Caravan
I wouldn’t worry about plugging it in. That radio code is an older German luxury car thing with DIN radios. It’s not a 1995 BMW.
And on newer cars, unplugging the battery will make parking sensors and all that wig out for a few miles until they recalibrate themselves.
Neither of those will be an issue on a 2010 Dodge Caravan
This exists.
>2010 Caravan radio
lmao do you even read the manual
And as for the rest of you ChatGPT freaks, go back to /g where technology is a fap fantasy. /diy is meant for sissy men with no wallets.
I got one of these that plugs into the OBD2 port, and I have been hesitant to use it. Lots of new cars will turn on the lights and such when you unlock them or connect a battery or maybe the alarm goes off, and I wonder what’s the max current that could go through the OBD2 plug before something gets fricked up. Maybe it’s just a straight power wire but I didn’t want to chance a fried PCM or some gay shit.
I have almost the exact one in you pic, but I’ve seen styles that use 9V batteries so no risk of too much current. I was thinking a 12V male plug from the battery clamps may be better because that’s normally a dedicated 10A-15A fuse and far away from any sensitive electronics.
Picrel shows the OBD plug and then my hackjob alternative for new cars I don’t want to fry. 12V/3A power supply from a cable box with clamps I put straight on the battery cables. She works pretty good.
I figured there was a fuse in there but wasn’t sure what size. This one is 2A, which is actually reassuring. I figured Chinesium 12V plug would have a 10A-20A fuse in there like most 12V plug in devices would probablt have.
Take your meds and look at the obd port you old fart. Fuse aint gonna save jack shit anyways.
Just dont turn on heaters, start the car or enable the goddam ignition. Meds Kevin, Meds.
I've always just thrown a new batty in there and had zero issue
It fricks with different cars. Newer cars with adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist will give you the xmas tree dash if you change the battery without supplying power the whole time. Not sure if there are brands that need dealer support after that, but I know new Hondas take a bunch of miles for everything to relearn and the lights to go away.
It’s not that you would purposely turn something on. Some cars have random shit where the headlights come on if you open a door or maybe you accidentally hit the panic button or unlock button on the keys, at 12V any of these things can pull more amps than expected, and if that somehow goes through an important computer under the dash, it could be bad.
Imagine rigging up some voltage step-up on the USB port of your computer, and then make an adapter for a 120V plug and plugging in a microwave. That USB port can supply some power, but then if you turn on the microwave, assuming there’s no protection in between, all of that power has to travel from the PC’s wall plug, through those circuit boards and the USB, and will burn up some important stuff.
Forgot your meds again. The reason that youre delusionally dumb af is for a few reasons.
a) The fuse is to protect the wire not the ecm. Fuses never protect loads.
b) See pic. It doesnt feed the ecm it goes directly to the battery, no ignition required. You dont even sit in the car at all while doing this job.
c) Usb is designed to have current limitations and is fed by a smps, which also limits available current on each if its rails, and its impossible to step up watts. Its also a meaningless and irrelevant arguement based in fear and delusion. If you did suddenly drop a big load on that wimpy 18awg wire ull pop the 10 amp fuse or burn up the wire or the pins. Thats your true current limit from this auxiliary source.
What you seem be irrationally afraid of is a potential fault that magically turns the ecms outputs into a source feeding set fault, causing it to burn up because theres enough amps behind it to make that happen. In reality youre adding a 2nd battery in parallel for a few minutes so if a fault existed it was there before you fricked with it. The real potential for a decent current draw (assuming you don't turn anything on) will be the float voltages between the two batteries, where the lower one will draw from the higher one in relation to the delta v.
Meds Kevin. Meds. You need to take them regularly.
I figured it would be safe. But they did do a 2A fuse, so they obviously don’t want much juice going through it. If you locked and unlocked the car on the OBD2 battery, you would probably blow the fuse and lose power.
However if it wasn’t protected by the 2A fuse, I’m sure you could melt the pin or something in there if you fricked up. It’s not a totally irrational fear considering some cars will throw tons of lights and stuff on as you open doors and maybe accidentally set off an alarm opening the hood or some gay shit.
The fear is the procedure fails cause u blow the fuse. Not
>hurrr durr my computer will blow up cause the power goes through it
Its irrational af. If the fuse is such a problem, just use jumpers directly to the post connectors, lay them on a rag and stop being such a sissy. Use your head.
Oh and it messes with some old cars. Back in the days of stealing car radios, BMW and Mercedes and probably some other brands would need a secuirty code to unlock the radio when it lost power. That way if somebody ripped it out of the car and didn’t find the radio code in the glove box or something, the radio would be a brick.
And if you own a 1993 BMW, it has been through multiple owners and there’s no way the little card with the radio code still exists. So if you have an OEM radio and unplug the battery, it will be locked when you get the battery hooked up again.
I’m guessing the dealer can somehow get codes with the VIN and such, but I would also assume they’re going to charge and you’re better off buying a new head unit than paying the dealer.
it's not that difficult dude