993Maineiac

Good point and the answer is no. I've done it twice now but since posting I will have to be extra careful next time so as to assuage the karma gods.

cmat

I would not leave any operating charger connected to the car when the battery is out. Also, I have heard of removing the battery and running the car off the alternator. This is very dangerous and can easily apply damaging voltages to the electronics.

2Many Cars

Yeah that's a really bad idea and will usually take out at least the voltage regulator....if you're lucky. Steve's advice is the best. Visit Radio Shack and get a 9V plug in for your lighter. I doesn't last long but long enough and it's pretty safe.

IXLR8

If its a pure DC source, you have nothing to worry about.

But cheap battery chargers are nothing more than a transformer with either full wave or bridge rectification. Unloaded and unfiltered (the battery is a filter), they can produce much higher peak voltages. If it is an "automatic charger", then it should have voltage limiting.

I just use one of my spare 12V motorcycle batteries and power up the system through the cigarette lighter as many here have done.

DanL993

Alex,

This may have been a mod from the PO, but my bolt has two washers prior to the hold down flange gizmo. Those washers, which I presumed were there to avoid some sort of corrosion, take up slack and make installing the hold down bolt difficult but not impossible. Now I wonder if they should be there at all.

I'm now going to PET and the shop manuals to see if that is OEM.

UPDATE: PET shows a washer, but only one. I suspect the metal one to be OEM and the rubber one to be added.

Thanks for asking.

Meatball964

I went to Radio Shack & they did not have anything like this. Would this be an Auto Zone/Advance Auto type of gadget ? Relacing battery today so this would be helpful.

IXLR8

All you need is a cigarette lighter plug that terminates in a couple of eye connectors which you end up crimping onto the end of each wire. I then connect those eye connectors to a spare battery...lawn tractor or motorcycle battery. Make sure you get the polarity right...center pin is positive.

BTW, I got my cigarette lighter plug at Radio Shack.

Meatball964

At some point the car will be breifly hooked up to two battery sources (regular auto and motorcycle battery thru the cig. lighter). Is this a problem ? Don't won't to overload & take out anything (ie:voltage reg.)

IXLR8

No.