Much to my dismay, I came out to the garage the other night to start my 4Runner and the battery was too dead to crank over the engine. Due to the quarantine, I hadn't driven it for probably 3 weeks. Also, I work from home anyway, so most previous trips were likely short.

The battery was replaced back in October with a stock sized Costco Interstate, so I hoping I didn't ruin it. I was also worried that my stereo install was causing some sort of drain on the system, but I checked current draw and I think it's OK (starts off at 150 mA or so upon connection and then drops to around 40 mA after about a minute).

I'm thinking this makes me a good candidate for a Battery Tender, so I've ordered the 4A version of the Battery Tender and it should be coming soon. I'd like to have it plugged in near the 4Runner since there is an outlet already there, and then use the quick connect harness to hook it into the battery.

It would be nice to not have to pop the hood every time I connect/disconnect this harness, so have any of you Battery Tender users routed yours this way? If so, where does the cable run and where does it come out? I ran a few searches, but there doesn't seem to be much info. Thanks for the input!

NOCO makes a few products in which you can tender the battery without popping the hood. Specifically you can run the GC012 in which you can tender the battery through the OBDII port - NOCO - X-Connect

Yeah I saw those options and gave it some thought - only problem is I leave my Maestro RR plugged into my OBD port. Do people just run the cable through an open window when doing that?

that's exactly what im doing. Battery Tender plus a quick connect. But i like to keep my hood open becauseeeeeeeeeeeee im worried i'll just hop in and drive off w/ the damn thing connected. People do that w/ their engine block heaters all the time.

One time i was hooked up and charging my battery but my kids left one of the little interior lights on in the trunk hatch. It was 2 days into the charge and the indicator still didnt show a full charge. Battery tender was hot to the touch as well! I discovered the bulb left on the whole time. I turned it off and later that day the battery was fully charged and the battery tender was warm and not hot. If your battery tender is taking a long ass time to full charge and is hot to the touch, check for any lights or electronics draining your battery. Try your best to not put a load on the electrical system while trickle charging

Noco is sooo expensive. Just get a battery tender from walmart or costco.

That's a very good point! I'll probably use some sort of indicator to remind me. The battery tender I bought is this one: https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tende...7747587&sr=8-8

that'll work jsut fine and their warranty is amazing

I may have to store my 4R for long-term, maybe 3 months or so. I will get a smart battery tender to take care of the battery. I am questioning whether I should remove the battery from the vehicle and charge it that way. Any suggestions? I'll also put the 4R on jack stands at all for corners.

Considering this puppy....

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00068XC...v_ov_lig_dp_it

Back before America splintered into nation states and became a totalitarian regime that forbade travel, I used to fly a lot and leave my 4Runner at DEN for 2-3 weeks at a time in all manner of weather condiitons. There is no good reason your battery should be drained after 3 weeks of not driving it.

Yeah I'm not really sure what happened. Maybe it's all the short trips beforehand without adequate time for the alternator to recharge it, maybe its because I sat out there without running it will testing some part of the stereo, but I don't really recall.

What other options do I have other than performing a drain test with the vehicle off in order to determine if something is wrong? Is 40 mA really that excessive? I suppose it could be the battery itself and I could have it load tested, but the thing is only 6 months old. Being that it's a Costco battery they won't test it there, and they'll end up giving me a new one.

I'd warranty the battery and get a new one free and see if it happens again before testing.

In the past I have used Deltran battery tenders. I had problems with their most recent builds. The final stray was my solar deltran chargers not working and they wouldnt honor warranty. I lost my 2013 Tundra battery in 2015 with deltran chargers.

I have since moved to CTEK charges and they are phenomenal. I have a few vehicles that sit for a long time before being drive , some ridden. They have not let me down. I have the older ones 4.3 models, but the newer ones have some diagnostics built in. My deltrans didnt have those.

CTEK gets my vote.

Might be overkill for you but i have the noco 4amp installed on the passenger side and mounted a plug on the drivers.

You could easily add a sae style connecter to the battery (make sure its fused) and zip tie it near the grill.

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Oh i realized i missed the point.

I have wired in the permanent connection to the battery. As the deltran, it has a cap for when not in use.

As for a hook up, i connect it and lay the wire across the giant TV table tray by the hood catch. I put the ctek unit on the side of the washer fluid fill, opposite the battery. This keeps everything away from moving parts.

I then route the power cablenout the front in the little pocket between the headlight unit and the corner of the grill and hood. There is a little squeeze but there is no concern of the cord being severed

That's probably not a bad idea.

Frequent short trips can cause this to happen and I've experienced it firsthand. Keeping up that low charge cycle will eventually ruin the battery. I'd replace it under warranty, as mentioned, and either use a trickle charger/ tender or ensure you do weekly trips of sufficient duration to fully charge up.