BatteryMinder For Idiots

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RapmasterD

Active member
Joined
Aug 7, 2017
Messages
25
1) Do I have to disconnect the existing cables before connecting the BatteryMinder cables? I haven’t noticed folks in YouTube videos doing this. But......

2) Do I connect the negative cable to the negative battery terminal, or to some part of the engine to ensure a ground? I thought I read that it should be the latter, but again, I see folks on videos with battery tenders connecting the negative cable to the negative battery terminal cable.

I can barely screw in a light bulb. This, the questions.

Thank you.

P.S. 2017 Nissan Leaf SV
 
For charging the 12 volt, I connect the negative to the terminal connected via black cable to the PDM. I NEVER connected to the negative terminal of the 12 volt.

There's no way I have the time to disconnect the 12 volt to charge/maintain the 12 volt. It stays attached to the car.
 
cwerdna said:
For charging the 12 volt, I connect the negative to the terminal connected via black cable to the PDM. I NEVER connected to the negative terminal of the 12 volt.

There's no way I have the time to disconnect the 12 volt to charge/maintain the 12 volt. It stays attached to the car.

Thank you! Since I don’t know, I’m thinking the PDM is one of the few pieces of metal I could find.

Is it the thingie in the background of the photo?

https://imgur.com/a/7StLcfN
 
Look at the thing that looks like a valve cover (that's the PDM stack) from the front of the car. On the right side, a little way down from the top from that perspective, you will see a small bolt that isn't doing much of anything. Use that. I use an SAE hardwire connection and run it from the battery & PDM through a hole drilled in the charge port compartment (use a rubber grommet large enough for the widest part of the SAE cable), so you can plug in the maintainer just by opening the charge port door. If the car is leased, remove the cable and grommet before turning the car in, and replace the grommet with the same size black rubber plug.
 
Thank you, Leftie. Yeah...that’s a bit much for me. Grommet, etc.

I think I’ll just buy a new battery every three years....
 
RapmasterD said:
cwerdna said:
For charging the 12 volt, I connect the negative to the terminal connected via black cable to the PDM. I NEVER connected to the negative terminal of the 12 volt.

There's no way I have the time to disconnect the 12 volt to charge/maintain the 12 volt. It stays attached to the car.

Thank you! Since I don’t know, I’m thinking the PDM is one of the few pieces of metal I could find.

Is it the thingie in the background of the photo?

https://imgur.com/a/7StLcfN
That's not the PDM. That's some braking module w/the brake fluid reservoir.

PDM stack is in https://web.archive.org/web/20130714194707/http://www.sae.org/mags/aei/11993/.

On earlier "gen 1.5" '13 to '17 Leafs, there's a Nissan logo on top of it. They got rid of the logo later. There should be a black wire attached via a terminal to the right side of the stack. It will come from the vicinity of the 12 volt battery.
 
RapmasterD said:
Thank you, Leftie. Yeah...that’s a bit much for me. Grommet, etc.

I think I’ll just buy a new battery every three years....

Heh. The grommet is optional. You can just drill a large enough hole, wrap some electrical tape around the extension where it passes through, and add the plug if you ever want to remove it.
 
cwerdna said:
RapmasterD said:
cwerdna said:
For charging the 12 volt, I connect the negative to the terminal connected via black cable to the PDM. I NEVER connected to the negative terminal of the 12 volt.

There's no way I have the time to disconnect the 12 volt to charge/maintain the 12 volt. It stays attached to the car.

Thank you! Since I don’t know, I’m thinking the PDM is one of the few pieces of metal I could find.

Is it the thingie in the background of the photo?

https://imgur.com/a/7StLcfN
That's not the PDM. That's some braking module w/the brake fluid reservoir.

PDM stack is in https://web.archive.org/web/20130714194707/http://www.sae.org/mags/aei/11993/.

On earlier "gen 1.5" '13 to '17 Leafs, there's a Nissan logo on top of it. They got rid of the logo later. There should be a black wire attached via a terminal to the right side of the stack. It will come from the vicinity of the 12 volt battery.

Boom! Thanks to a Performance EV video, this idiot (me!) can now find the PDM ground.

https://imgur.com/a/M2NwpY2
 
cwerdna said:
For charging the 12 volt, I connect the negative to the terminal connected via black cable to the PDM. I NEVER connected to the negative terminal of the 12 volt.

Can you explain why you don't connect to the negative terminal of the battery for a low amp charger like the BatteryMinder @1.5 amps? What are your concerns?
 
Learjet said:
cwerdna said:
For charging the 12 volt, I connect the negative to the terminal connected via black cable to the PDM. I NEVER connected to the negative terminal of the 12 volt.

Can you explain why you don't connect to the negative terminal of the battery for a low amp charger like the BatteryMinder @1.5 amps? What are your concerns?

I quickly perused the BatteryMinder manual online, and believe it instructed to connect the negative cable to a ground.

I’m generally a rule follower.
 
RapmasterD said:
Learjet said:
cwerdna said:
For charging the 12 volt, I connect the negative to the terminal connected via black cable to the PDM. I NEVER connected to the negative terminal of the 12 volt.

Can you explain why you don't connect to the negative terminal of the battery for a low amp charger like the BatteryMinder @1.5 amps? What are your concerns?

I quickly perused the BatteryMinder manual online, and believe it instructed to connect the negative cable to a ground.

I’m generally a rule follower.

That is probably to prevent a spark that could ignite the hydrogen that could be outgassing...just like the warning when hooking up jumper cables.

My concerns is... does the Leaf have some computer issue caused by directly connecting a low amp charger directly to the battery?
 
LeftieBiker said:
There is a current sensor on the Negative battery terminal cable. You won't necessarily cause damage if you use the terminal, but avoiding it is suggested.

Helpful! Thank you.
 
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