Battery charging questions

[ahlem]

I have a 2001 3.0 M54.
The battery is about a year old.
The X5 is the third vehicle at the moment and sits as a backup until I can change the rear end bushings etc. (it started making unauthorized swerves in the snow)
I believe I hit the hatch button and it sat like that for some period of time. It sits outside because the e30's are hogging the garage.

Is there a sleep mode that would keep the battery from draining completely?

It's been in the single digits a few times in the last two weeks.
I went to move it today and the battery was pretty well drained to the point that a few dash lights came on but no crank. I jumped it using the underhood locations on both cars.

Can I put the charger on it using the underhood locations or should I unhook the battery and charge there?
What amps should I charge at? I have 2 and 10 and then a big jump assist of about 50 for a very brief interval.
I welcome your input. I drove around the block about 5x in second gear.

[andrewwynn]

Unauthorized snow swerves? Is the DSC inactive? The car has full time AWD so without DSC working you will get random wheel engine braking and "unauthorized swerving".

You can charge from the B+ jump point under the hood.

[ahlem]

Unauthorized swerves due to rear end toe out at 170K miles on the probably original rear end parts.
Trickle charge at 2 amps for a while and check with Mr Foxwell?

[andrewwynn]

E53 doesn't have A battery brain, but it can have an AGM battery.

If you don't remember, check before charging you only want to charge AGM with an appropriate charger. If flooded battery 2a until the amps get to maybe 1/2A is probably good to top it off. Trickle charge to maximize voltage prob not good for any battery.

I recently did the suspension refresh on the back of my BMWЯ₁ (e53) and the main problem is that the wheels will steer left and right from brake/acceleration so I could see that causing some back end "squirreling"

If your sleeping drain is near 50mA as designed, BMW says you can go months between charging though I would prob charge monthly oh a car that isn't being driven

[bcredliner]

Two of the must have tools for DIYers are good battery charger and Multi-meter.

A good battery charger will check and automatically charge a battery. It will have a setting for reconditioning the battery and for type of battery. You can tell type of battery on the battery itself. The are several examples on youTube about how to test a battery with a multimeter. Even though battery is only one year old I suggest having it load tested to verify the battery is not the problem. Most auto parts stores will load test a battery at no cost.

[X5chemist]

Battery Tender has 750 milliamp chargers. For most cars, that works great. Mine does have a sleep problem. The charger takes over 1 day to recharge the battery to full charge then maintain. I bought a new 4 amp charger/maintainer. In 5 hours or less, it will charge the battery to full. Afterwards, it maintains it. The 4 amp version has selections for 6/12V and AMG/Lithium batteries. Both chargers work great. Depending on how long the X5 is going to be parked, I choose one over the other. Both are available at Lowes.

[workingonit]

I don't drive every day, sometimes not for a week or two, while my wife is likely to drive somewhere each day...therefore I like to maintain my vehicle batteries just to make sure all are up to snuff.

Right now, she's been driving my HHR Panel (while I'm still working on her Cobalt's ABS/brakes), but during spring-summer, she switches to her GMC pickup for hauling garden supplies home (almost everyday). Meanwhile, I've been driving the X5 sporadically. The daily-used HHR isn't on a charger, but the Cobalt is on a 1amp Autozone charger/maintainer, the X5 has a 1.25amp Battery Tender Plus c/m, and the GMC is hooked to a 2amp Amazon Basics c/m.

My Chevy 2500HD pickup is seldom needed, and often goes 3 months between uses (I've converted the bed to haul my camping supplies, and it stays on an Amazon Basics 2amp c/m in-between camping dates, and the camping trailer's AGM battery is on a 1.33amp Battery-Minder c/m, too).

I use these charger/maintainers to de-sulfate and float-charge the batteries, also keeping them from freezing in the winter, and to ensure the vehicle is ready to go (I also use Stabil in the fuel to help that, too). The trucks get the 2amp chargers because I can easily/periodically check the electrolyte level (especially in Texas summer heat), whereas the X5, HHR, and Cobalt aren't as easy to check. The X5 battery showed signs of overcharging this summer, using an Amazon Basics 2amp c/m, so I swapped to the lower amperage Battery-Tender that previously was in the Cobalt. I've had that c/m for 10 years, and the Battery-Minder c/m on the trailer battery has been doing just fine for 10 years on the Optima Yellowtop, so it doesn't need supervision.

Ever since I started using (smart) battery charger/maintainers, about 15 years back, starting with the dual batteries on my Chevelle drag racing car, I average about 10-11 years on every battery. Previously, I was swapping batteries every 4-5 years, if lucky. I advise everyone to utilize a battery charger/maintainer. They work for me.

[cn90]

- If you don't drive often...

1. If the car is outside, then a solar charger works great, in full sun, its output is about 500 mA in my experience. Works great, Just plug it into the cig socket, place the solar panel on the dash and forget about it. When driving, kust place the solar panel on pass seat.

2. If inside, then use a "smart charger", they are about $15-$20.

[X5chemist]

cn90,
Can you post a part number or brand? I've been searching for one. The Texas sun is hot during the summer. I can put the panel between the windshield and windshield interior cover.