Xkr winter storage
 

Hello to XKR owners,

It's winter in Canada and it's time to put my XKR 2012 in storage. How do you disconnect the battery from the XKR?

Thanks

Ian

Unscrew four nuts on the rack in the trunk. The battery sits nice and tidy behind it.

Thanks

Is it easy to unplug the cable or just buy a charger for the winter storage?

Ian

Ian,

Buy a charger - you won't have to reprogram everything. See the thread "Battery Charge for Long Layups".

Stuart

Just drive the car all year long, lol... I just drove the XK to Monteal yesterday, even though it's not as cold out as it will be up here.

Hi Stuart,

I read your answers and it's very well written and explained. How do you connect to the batteries? did you use the alligators or the O rings contacts?
In the pictures, it's was for the left side so it's the same thing for the right side?

Thanks

Ian

Hi Mosesbotbol,

We are very lucky at this time of the year to have this nice weather. We can receive from ten to twenty inches of snow easily in the winter and the temperature can go down to -20 F...I drive my Porsche Cayenne for the winter.

Ian :icon_sad:

Ian,

I didn't connect directly to the battery.

I connected the red alligator clip to the remote access + terminal (under the black rubber boot) in the left rear fender behind the black plastic panel. Then I connected the black alligator clip to the ground post in the spare tire well. I leave them attached, with the connector lead protruding from the floor panel. See my previous post and photos. Very easy to do. There isn't a remote battery panel on the right side on US cars; I'm not sure if UK cars are the same or reversed.

Remember to always lock you car, even when it's on a battery charger, to minimize drain on your battery.

Stuart

Went to Les Trois Petits Bouchons for dinner and the XK seemed punchy with the cool temps. Jaguar gets a lot of looks in Montreal. They really appreciate beautiful cars up here. When I had my Alfa GTV6, that really got a lot praise when I drove it around Montreal.

Hi Stuart,

I tried to plug the same way that you do but my CTEK alligator cable charger isn't long enough to reach the positive and negative terminals...Can I use my Porsche lighter charger instead?

Thanks

Ian

:icon_shrug:

Ian,

I have never used a battery charger through a cigarette lighter, so I can't speak from experience either pro or con. However, when I was researching which charger to buy on Amazon.com, I recall reading several negative reviews of battery chargers that were connected through the cigarette lighter. You might want to search Amazon.com for those reviews.

I'm not a tech but, since my XKR's cigarette lighter works only when the ignition is "ON", I don't see how an open circuit can be used to run back to the battery to charge it. Even if it could, with all the electrical gremlins that Jaguar is famous for, I wouldn't take a chance on frying something by plugging a German battery charger plug into a British cigarette lighter socket (...I'm not going there; you can use your imagination! :icon_crackup: ) - particularly when I know the charger will work fine when attached to the remote charge terminals. Just my :icon_twocents:

As for your CTEK alligator clip cable being too short, I recall having the same problem with my BatteryMinderPlus cable. I was able to lengthen it by simply pulling the 2 wires apart from the alligator clip end. If that won't work for you, then I suggest that you splice in an additional length of similar gauge wire (probably stranded, not solid, but I'm not sure) on the ground side alligator clip to give you the length you need to reach the remote charge terminals. This is probably the quickest, easiest and cheapest fix.

Hope this helps!

Stuart

Is there a limit on how COLD you can store your XKR? I mean lets face it if these cars were kept out of water, salt, and at 70 degrees and out of sunlight year round that would be great but its no feasible. If it gets to Negative 10 degrees do you worry about something with such a high end car? Has anyone made a conversion to a heated garage due to concerns regarding that (I know..extreme!).

Loth

If you're using the approved antifreeze mix there's no problem.
Same with windscreen washer fluid.
Your battery will not freeze if you keep it charged.
I'm pretty much 100% sure you can't use a cigar lighter charger on these cars - as Stuart says they are ignition controlled via a relay.

You guys are right. We can't charge by the lighter. When the ignition is off, nothing happens...
Finally, I unscrewed the four nuts from the trunk and got access to the battery itself then I charge it directly with the alligator clips. I hope this will work.

Ian

Ian,

Connecting the alligator clips directly to the battery will work, however, it is not the safest way to attach your battery charger. When you charge a battery it produces hydrogen gas, which is colorless, odorless, and highly explosive! All it takes is one little spark when you disconnect an alligator clip after charging your battery to go BOOM!

That's why your XKR has remote charge terminals in the rear fender and spare tire well, far enough away from the battery to minimize the risk of explosion.

See https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...s-73471/page2/ the photos in my post #21 for how to attach the alligator clips to the remote charge terminals.

Better to be safe than sorry!

Stuart

Stuart,

Thanks for your response. Are you absolutely sure about the hydrogen gas? I have to call my local jaguar dealer...

Ian

:icon_attention:
Ian,

Yes, I am positive (no pun intended!) about batteries producing hydrogen gas while being charged. For more info, Google "car battery charging dangers".

Here's one in particular:Read the instructions that came with your battery charger, particularly the hazard warnings. If you misplaced them, see Battery charger instructions - general automotive

All car manufacturers recognize the explosion hazard and use designs to minimize that risk. Some batteries are located in the engine compartment, where there is sufficient air circulation for the hydrogen gas to safely dissipate. Other batteries are located in closed compartments, such as under a seat or in the trunk, in which case there usually is a vent to the outside.

A battery can explode even if it is taken out of the car and is being charged on a bench in the garage. That happened to my Dad back in the '50's. He got lucky and wasn't seriously injured. Hydrogen gas is colorless and odorless and you don't know it's there until it's too late.

I haven't opened the compartment where the battery is located in the trunk of my XKR, but I suspect that is is vented so that any hydrogen gas is directed outside and does not accumulate. Even so, why take any chances? Be safe and use the remote battery terminals. That's why they're there.

From my 2009 XKR Owner's Manual: "Do not connect any 12 volt equipment directly to the battery terminals. Doing so may cause a spark, which can result in an explosion." To read the entire Battery section, click on the file attachment below my signature.

Stuart

I'm puzzled by the "Lock the car" uses less power. I would think that the security system being activated with the flashing red LED at the center of the windscreen would use more. Any other thoughts on this?

if the car is unlocked, the keyless system wakes up every few seconds to scan for the presence of a key. Also, other systems in the car have power to them as well. 'locking' the car actually turns off most of these systems.

And Hydrogen venting of batteries is a problem. However, most off-gassing only occurs during heavy drain or heavy charge cycles. Standard trickle charge really doesn't cause the off-gassing. If you're curious about this, the RV forums are alive with battery things, as RVs tend to cycle their batteries more heavily and frequently than cars do.

Thank you. That makes sense. I do know about RV battery issues, I own a 45' motor home coach that has 10 batteries. 2 commercial wet cell start batteries and 8 AGM house batteries. Again, thank you.