36 replies to this topic

[croc7]

We all know that reaching the battery in a mini for routine maintenance or to attach cables for charging is a pain in the backside. Spare parts out, tools out, boot board out, emergency stash of beer out, etc.

To avoid all of that monkey motion, is there a reason not to attach the positive lead of the charger (or trickle charger-winter months are approaching) to the battery terminal of the starter solenoid and negative terminal to ground in the engine compartment?

Mine’s a ‘76.

[Earwax]

Hi croc7,  not sure,,, but i am kind of leaning away from that as a solution.  What about hardwiring a 'tail' with protected ends in.. ( for example the cTek chargers come with different connectors) to the battery..... it means Yes you have to faff about  the first time , but then just connect the tail for easy charging.   An example in this link 

[nicklouse]

Sure not an issue. You could even charge it through a cigarette lighter socket if it was live with the ignition off.

[sonscar]

Go hardcore and fit an Anderson plug somewhere visible,Motorsport look.An accessory I don't think I have seen on a Mini.Steve..

[nicklouse]

Go hardcore and fit an Anderson plug somewhere visible,Motorsport look.An accessory I don't think I have seen on a Mini.Steve..

Pointless for charging. 

[Ethel]

Look at the size of the cable between the charger & its crocodile* clips - anything bigger that's connected to your Mini's battery will do.

 

*Do you call 'em alligator clips 

[gazza82]

My CTEK has a separate lead that you can fit to the battery clamps and simply plug the charger into. Shouldn't be hard to convert a normal charger to do the same with some modern plugs/sockets.

[Midas Mk1]

Sort of designing a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist, even with a boot liner it’s 20 seconds to connect a battery charger up.

[cal844]

On my mates race car we made up a couple of wire (one end has a ring terminal and the other has spades or bullet terminals) to go from the battery to an easily accessed area. My thinking is that you can make these and route them upto the drivers rear quarter window

[gazza82]

Sort of designing a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist, even with a boot liner it’s 20 seconds to connect a battery charger up.

Depends how and where the car is parked. If the battery was in the boot of my cars it would be fun to get to without moving it forwards everytime. I plan to relocate the battery in my A35 to the boot so the fly-lead idea is worthwhile .. especially as the fly-lead (or croc-clamps) came with the charger.

[leyland73]

Sure not an issue. You could even charge it through a cigarette lighter socket if it was live with the ignition off.

Yes , I charge my 1100 Special through the cigarette lighter, I have a trailing c-tec lead on my Thirty attached to the battery, saves fumbling about in the boot getting the connectors attached.

[Steve220]

As i'm limited for space with both mini's in the garage, i have the CTEK ring terminals attached to the alternator post and one on the slam panel. No error messages on the charger.

Edited by Steve220, 01 November 2021 - 12:07 AM.

[Tornado99]

No problem using alternative battery connection points like OP describes under the bonnet. But, having to connect/remove the charger clamps regularly seems daft. Just hook up an easy to reach connector that lives permanently on the car. Could be under bonnet, leading out under the front grill or elsewhere or direct to battery posts and out into accessible boot area.
The Battery Tender brand of trickle charger I use uses SAE type connectors on a pigtail with in line fuse and ring terminals to battery clamps.

[Dusky]

Just use the sigarette lighter or the starter terminal. Nothing wrong with it, why search for problems that don't exist?

[Cooperman]

What I usually do is to mount a rear exhaust 'cotton-reel' fitting under the bonnet bolted through the bulkhead or inner wing. I connect the main battery feed to the threaded stub, which is insulated by the rubber in the mounting. That gives a good power source to feed to additional fuse boxes without attaching to the starter solenoid. I put a rubber cap onto the live stub and when i need to charge the battery I just have to open the bonnet and take off the rubber cap.

The advantage is that crimp-on ring terminals can be used to take power to fuse boxes and the cable lengths are relatively short and look tidy.