Battery Tender external receptacle install

[gmarcucio]

On occasion my TRD PRO will not be driven on a daily basis and could be sitting for a week or two. I like to keep a battery tender on my 12V battery during that time. To avoid having to open the hood and remove the fuse panel cover to install the Battery Tender, I installed an external Battery Tender receptical.

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[Jets Fan]

That’s a brilliant idea.
Which tender model number are you using to mate to the receptacle?
Do you have any pictures of the wire running under the hood?

 

[gmarcucio]

I'll have to get the model number off the Tender tomorrow but The connections I think are all the same on all of the Tenders I have. I connected the 16 guage positive wire to the battery terminal in the underhood passenger side fuse panel. I drilled a small hole in the side of the panel to allow the wire access into the panel. I connected the negative ground wire with a bolt to a threaded hole on the inner fender body panel in the engine compartment.

 

[Jets Fan]

Thank you.

 

[Nodak]

wouldnt it be easier to just disconnect the battery ??? unless you have a cold garage

when going on long tdy's (week or longer) i just disconnect the battery terminal and wrap it so it doesnt accidently touch anything to close the circuit (that bundle of wires tends to want to go back to its normal resting spot if you pull it back)

 

[brumey]

I like the plug-in attachment. I did not know they had that accessory. Very tidy setup.

I have the battery tender cable connected direct to the battery terminals (it has an in-line fuse). The cable protrudes on the passenger side, top of fender under the hood lip. Its fairly hidden, cable ties in place. My tender is on the wall near this location so its an easy plug-in. Also, you can see it clearly reducing chances of driving off while still attached (done that a few times in other vehicles).

As for using the tender, if I drive every day, I don't bother. If I am parked or plan to be for more than 2 days without use, I plug it it. I have used these devices for 20+ years on all vehicles, ATV's and motorcycles. My truck sits for a months at times and it has two large batteries. I get 6-7 year use from these cells.

I understand that keeping the battery on a tender maintains the chemistry and may result in longer battery fife. Your experience may differ but I tend to get long battery life.

 

[gmarcucio]

wouldnt it be easier to just disconnect the battery ??? unless you have a cold garage

when going on long tdy's (week or longer) i just disconnect the battery terminal and wrap it so it doesnt accidently touch anything to close the circuit (that bundle of wires tends to want to go back to its normal resting spot if you pull it back)

No, disconnecting the battery is not easier for me than just plugging it into the socket in front of the vehicle. Disconnecting the negative battery cable doesn't keep the battery chemically active and proper voltage maintained during storage. Disconnecting the battery does stop the parasitic draw on it though. My TRD Pro is a hybrid and battery is located in the rear cargo area. The manual says not to go directly to the battery for charging or jumping. It needs to be done at the positive post in the engine compartment fuse panel and engine ground. Also constantly disconnecting the battery terminal and reconnecting could eventually fatigue the clamp and/or damage the voltage sensor. With that said, whatever works for you.

 

[gmarcucio]

I like the plug-in attachment. I did not know they had that accessory. Very tidy setup.

I have the battery tender cable connected direct to the battery terminals (it has an in-line fuse). The cable protrudes on the passenger side, top of fender under the hood lip. Its fairly hidden, cable ties in place. My tender is on the wall near this location so its an easy plug-in. Also, you can see it clearly reducing chances of driving off while still attached (done that a few times in other vehicles).

As for using the tender, if I drive every day, I don't bother. If I am parked or plan to be for more than 2 days without use, I plug it it. I have used these devices for 20+ years on all vehicles, ATV's and motorcycles. My truck sits for a months at times and it has two large batteries. I get 6-7 year use from these cells.

I understand that keeping the battery on a tender maintains the chemistry and may result in longer battery fife. Your experience may differ but I tend to get long battery life.

I too have had good battery life in my vehicles using the Tender. What you have is a good setup too. To keep me from driving off with the Tender attached I put a clothes-pin on the front drivers seat when the tender is connected. When I open my door I take the clothes-pin off the seat and disconnect the tender wire and attach the clothes-pin to it. So the next time I plug the tender in, I put the clothes-pin back on the front seat. It works for me!

 

[Dr_Al]

My Tundra sits for months at a time without anything connected to the battery. Never needed it. I do have a solar charger if I know it'll sit for very long periods of time. I never use it in winter so it doesn't see any salt. I guess it couldn't hurt plugging it into a trickle charger but 2 days of sitting is nothing.

 

[Nodak]

fortunately for me, my vehicle is driven 4 days a weeks 35 miles round trip doing 55/75 mph. so at least it drys out the exhaust system and the hybrid and 12v battery gets worked/recharged.

outside of that, it sits in the garage thursday night until monday morning. only when i go tdy for week or longer do i disconnect the 12v battery, as the daily evap system purge would drain the battery down. ( i am guessing daily but its min 5hrs after last ignition off at least). not sure if it cycles every 24hrs or so. dont track it but i have heard it cycle around 4am on a saturday morning or sunday morning after being parked on thursday night ( get restless during the night on the weekends, old age i am guessing )

 

[j41ruX]

wouldnt it be easier to just disconnect the battery ??? unless you have a cold garage

when going on long tdy's (week or longer) i just disconnect the battery terminal and wrap it so it doesnt accidently touch anything to close the circuit (that bundle of wires tends to want to go back to its normal resting spot if you pull it back)

But this did not reset the configuration, hour , time and settings / customization?

 

[bakutheleo]

Nice install! That said, I would not expect a week or 2 sitting should not require a charge. Normally I drive mine nearly daily (sometimes sitting for the weekend) but recently there were a couple weeks it sat--no issue starting it up again. Disconnecting the battery is a bad idea--not only does it reset the clock and, probably, customization, but also may reset engine and diagnostic data and have to relearn everything every time. I know it resets emissions data, as when a battery is disconnected you have to drive for a while (30-50 miles I think) before getting a smog check if you are in an area that requires that.

 

[Nodak]

But this did not reset the configuration, hour , time and settings / customization?

it does but the profile and other key components dont so its a meh. at least on the 2014 it didnt.

havent tried on the 2025 yet. most of the stuff that resets i could care less.

the only time i use the radio is on long trips. at or around home i dont even use android auto or even the radio/spotify.

i just prefer the sound of silence will driving except when the wife is with. she absolutely needs the radio on as she cant stand the silence when driving.

 

[bkw777]

They also make a plug that goes in the OBDII port.

It's not as convenient for regular frequent repeated use as a jack on the outside. If you are going to want to plug in regularly, then it's definitely worth installing a jack.

But if ity's only going to be occasionally, you don't have to install enything under the hood or touch the battery or anything.

Another thing is it allows to keep the charger and the end of the lead cord out of the rain inside the cabin in case the truck is not parked inside a garage.

You just need to find the best place to run a lead cord outside through a closed door without making a spot that leaks or pinching the cord.

https://www.batterytender.com/products/battery-tender®-obdii-accessory-cable

 

[bkw777]

I would probably be constitutionally incapable of resisting the urge to make this jack do double duty as a 12v power source, and add a switch to make the exposed jack not live so water/snow/salty snow can get all over it.

Or conversely maybe adding a big diode so that the +12v can only go in and not also be live from the battery back out.

Anything but just do the simple thing and leave it at that like a reasonable practical sane person.

Might even go as far as mounting the tender under the hood and have the jack be for ac power like an IEC jack, and have a couple block heaters on the engine & tranny and 2 switches for charge, heat, both, neither.

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