Solar Battery Maintainer through Batt B+ post

[Redraptor141]

Evening all,

I’m going on business in the summer for a month and the X5 will be parked up at work with no one to keep her ticking over.


Ideally I’d plug in a battery conditioner to the mains and leave that on but that’s not an option.

My father in law though has a solar panel with a voltage regulator on it for his Motorhome. And he said I can borrow it. Problem is the X5 has darkened windows on the rear so it needs to go on the dash, and the panel has shortish cables (it’s designed for a battery in the engine bay) so would I be able to hook it up to the B+ Post in the engine bay and find a suitable earth for the negative?

I know the alternator charges through this loop and the current for the starter flows through it. But my main concern is the negative terminal. Where do you think I should hook that up to? Just any Earth I can find under the hood?

[Redraptor141]

I should say the panel/regulator is a designed for purpose thing! Reading that first post makes it seem like we are Jerry rigging something! It’s a Ring 600 solar battery maintainer.

I know there is an OBD2 adaptor for this unit as well so that’s also an option but I’m being cheap and trying to use what he’s got!

[Clavurion]

Why not connect it to front cigar lighter connector? It's connected via 25 A fuse to continuous (terminal 30) voltage rail and the charger seems to output max 343 mA.

[Redraptor141]

Ahh is the e53 lighter a constant 12v? I thought it ran through a ACC relay so was only energised when the key was in the ignition?

If it’s a constant live than that makes it easy as he’s got the cigarette lighter one.

[Clavurion]

It's constant voltage.

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...nation/nui5fgi

[cpie168]

I have a solar maintainer that I plug directly into the 12V cigarette lighter socket and I just leave it on the dash for good. Been working well for me.

[Redraptor141]

Cheers guys that saves me a lot of hassle! I just assumed the lighter must be on the ACC circuit to stop people draining their batteries by leaving so
Thing plugged in!

[Effduration]

I would remove the battery and store it somewhere I could plug in a battery maintainer

I would then cover the X5 with a breathable car cover or other and not leave it in the sun in the same position for a month.

[EODguy]

Originally Posted by Effduration

I would then cover the X5 with a breathable car cover or other and not leave it in the sun in the same position for a month.

He's in the UK, I'd be surprised if he'll get enough sun to use the maintainer...

Sent from my SM-A730F using Tapatalk

[Redraptor141]

Haha I was just thinking this. I think you may just be getting sun damage to you 1990s car if your unlucky! With the 6W panel In the UK I’m hoping to get 1-2W lol just enough to cover any parasitic drain from the alarm!

Yeh a battery maintainer would be ideal but it’s not really an option as there isn’t somewhere to leave the battery plugged in for a month. Plus I don’t want to get back and have to refit the battery, I just want to jump in and get home.

And the cover is out of the question as the car is parked on an airfield so no chance I would leave one on for a month unattended in Cornwall with the wind we get!