If you store your car for months at a time you might wanna read this....

[Scott M]

Probably good advice.

Kinda funny this was brought up. This weekend was the first time since the day after thanksgiving I have started the car. And amazingly enough, it crank really slow for a couple of seconds, but than fired right up! Did not charge the battery at all during that time. But propbaly help since I don't leave the car alarm on in the garage. So after driving it for about 20 minutes, it turned over just fine after I tried starting it again.

 

[Tom Sessions]

The IOD fuse is Ignition off draw.When you pull this out it cuts to power to things like the radio clock and other items that require power to retain memory.

 

[jwwiii]

Mark;

I just wnted to comment that I cured my storage problem by buying a Deltran "Battery Tender Plus" from the Herrington catalog. I believe it was about eighty bucks, and it administers just the right amount of charge, then it autimatically goes into storage mode. It is really great.

Another comment on storage. Watch out for MICE!.. Those little rascals are just looking for a nice warm place when it is cool out, and a warm engine in a Viper makes a pretty swank mouse condo. I fired mine up last spring and smelled something nasty when I fired up the heater. I drove to the dealer and my tech just grinned as he popped the hood, looked around the top of the engine, and blew some compressed air in. Straw, seed shells, and other stuff blew out of the engine compartment. No damage was done luckily! Now I keep my Viper in one of those inflatable "carcapsules". Worth every penny. Check it out if you live in the country.

Sincerely,

Jim Wallace

 

[Vypr GT2]

Jim-

Can you use both the Deltran and the car capsule at the same time?

I was just wondering how you could seal the capsule if you also have a tender hooked to your car and to the wall?

 

[jwwiii]

To John Middleton;

Hi John. No problem using the Deltran in the CarCapsule. The bubble zips at the bottom all the way around to the front of the Viper. I just laid out the bubbles floor mat, stretched it out, and rolled the clear part off to the side. I pulled my Viper onto the floormat and opened the hood and attached the tender to an extension cord. I carefully closed the hood and checked that the tender's lights were still on, and pulled the clear cover over and zipped it up snug to the end of the zipper where the cord went out. And oh, I put a mousetrap in the bubble where I could see it!

The CarCapsule is great! I posted here about it a couple of times and did not get much response. The other owners don't know how great this bubble is if you live in a rural area with a long winter (like Iowa). I highly recommend the bubble if you have bird seed, dog food, etc in your garage and the Viper has to sit for a couple of months. Mice get into anything that sits still long enough. And yes, the Deltran is just working great, and the car is spotless!

Sincerely,

Jim Wallace

 

[Ulysses]

Just a warning,

As the battery charges, hydrogen and pure oxygen are released. In an enclosed space like the bubble, you will accumulate enough explosive gasses over time to make a rather large boom. All it takes is one small spark.

 

[Vypr GT2]

Wow, hadn't thought of that one- scary to even think about! I guess it would probably be better to take it out of the bubble and charge it with the tender every week or so then?

 

[Ulysses]

The best thing to do if you keep the car in the bubble is to pull the battery out (I know, it's a pain and you lose all your presets) and charge it in a well ventilated area.

 

[jwwiii]

Ulysses;

The "CARCAPSULE" bubble has a constantly running fan that pulls fresh air through a foam filter. The air pressure is what keeps the bubble inflated. I asked about this, as stale air is probably not good for the Viper.

I appreciate your comments about the tender in the bubble and possible explosion. Knowing now that there is fresh air constaintly recirculating, does this change your concern about gasses building up? I would think there would be no problem.

Maybe people do not understand that the capsule is always moving and filtering air. Thanks for your comments!

Jim

 

[Ulysses]

It's definitely much safer with air constantly moving through the bubble. Just be sure that the place you move the air to is well ventilated also. People who own houses with the water heater in the garage should be extra careful.