Battery Drain Protection

[Shane]

I purchased and installed the Granatelli Sure Start, and am happy to report it DOES connect and disconnect the battery with the remote. I don't know why the instructions posted on-line say it doesn't.

Just an observation.......This thing has a built-in battery drain. Sure.....10ma isn't much, but you stack that on top of your ECU memory and stereo memory and any other items you have on the car that require constant power (and have constant battery drain), and pretty soon, you've defeated the purpose of this battery cut-off since you're going to have to keep the car on a charger all the time anyway......in order to power the battery disconnect.

I don't see any upside to this system over a hard-wired battery cut-off solenoid. JMHO.

 

[PeteB]

So the ISIS inReserve doesn't cause any battery drain?

 

[Will Campbell]

So the ISIS inReserve doesn't cause any battery drain?

No, not really. While ISIS is powered, it occasionally checks the voltage and if there is an InReserve connected, it trips the solenoid when needed to protect the battery. But it doesn't consume more power to have an InReserve compared to not having it installed.

 

[PeteB]

According to the description on the ISIS webpage, the inReserve "constantly monitors the voltage level of your battery when the ignition is off". I don't see how that is possible without creating some battery drain.

I went with the Sure Start mainly because it was $125 cheaper than the inReserve system and does basically the same thing.

 

[Will Campbell]

According to the description on the ISIS webpage, the inReserve "constantly monitors the voltage level of your battery when the ignition is off". I don't see how that is possible without creating some battery drain.

Because the system is already running, and the battery check is just done in software. There is essentially no additional overhead.

Perhaps surprisingly, a separate system like the one you have draws more power, as it has to bear the electrical load of the logic to check the voltage, as well as look for wireless signals for the remote.

If you already have an ISIS system (which we mostly all do), and don't need a separate remote to control the power on/off, the InReserve looks like a better, more integrated choice, as well as having a marginally smaller load on the overall system.

 

[Shane]

The proper way to wire these cars with ISIS and inReserve is to have only the stuff that requires constant power (ECU memory and stereo memory) wired direct to the battery. That's it. The way most engine harnesses are wired, you run your starter cable direct from the battery to the starter, and the engine harness picks up it's power from there.....so no wiring changes are required to provide the ecu with constant power.

Yes, while the ISIS is powered up, it constantly monitors voltage and kicks the whole system off at 12.2 volts. At that point, the ISIS system is dead. It is no longer monitoring voltage. The ONLY things at that point that have power to them is the ecu and stereo memory wire. I do not recommend allowing ISIS to kick the inReserve off. Wire up the inReserve so it is either triggered by ISIS OR by a manual momentary push button (comes with the inReserve kit). If you allow ISIS to kick it off every time, it will deep-cycle your battery over time and ruin it. When you leave the car, hit the momentary button and the whole car is dead with the exception of the stereo and ecu memory. Your car can sit for months on end like that. I see the ISIS inReserve voltage monitoring as nothing more than a back-up in the event you forget to manually kick the inReserve off. When you want to drive the car, simply hit the momentary push button again and the whole car powers up with a full 12.6v battery.

With this other battery cut-off with the remote, it is constantly drawing power on it's own, to receive the signal from the remote. You're wiring up a component that has it's own built-in battery drain (ironically) to prevent battery drain?

 

[Bill]

I agree!

Only the ECU memory and stereo memory should be powered when the key is off. I think of the ISIS inReserve as a band-aid for the fundamental flaw that ISIS draws 0.3amps when the key is off. That will kill your battery within a week or so. This situation makes the ISIS system look unrefined and a little dull.

I use an ignition key to control a power relay that powers the ISIS system. The impact is:

• Once 12V is sent to ISIS, it takes 4 seconds for it to wake up. I usually turn the ignition key on and then buckle my seat belt, to allow time for ISIS to wake up.
• The remote key fob and start button will not work until ISIS wakes up. IMHO, that makes a start button seem redundant and a needless complication.

I bought a matched key set for a Miata, so the same ignition key also locks/unlocks the doors. I went this route because the above impacts seem minor compared to constantly battling a dead battery.

The proper way to wire these cars with ISIS and inReserve is to have only the stuff that requires constant power (ECU memory and stereo memory) wired direct to the battery. That's it. The way most engine harnesses are wired, you run your starter cable direct from the battery to the starter, and the engine harness picks up it's power from there.....so no wiring changes are required to provide the ecu with constant power.

Yes, while the ISIS is powered up, it constantly monitors voltage and kicks the whole system off at 12.2 volts. At that point, the ISIS system is dead. It is no longer monitoring voltage. The ONLY things at that point that have power to them is the ecu and stereo memory wire. I do not recommend allowing ISIS to kick the inReserve off. Wire up the inReserve so it is either triggered by ISIS OR by a manual momentary push button (comes with the inReserve kit). If you allow ISIS to kick it off every time, it will deep-cycle your battery over time and ruin it. When you leave the car, hit the momentary button and the whole car is dead with the exception of the stereo and ecu memory. Your car can sit for months on end like that. I see the ISIS inReserve voltage monitoring as nothing more than a back-up in the event you forget to manually kick the inReserve off. When you want to drive the car, simply hit the momentary push button again and the whole car powers up with a full 12.6v battery.

With this other battery cut-off with the remote, it is constantly drawing power on it's own, to receive the signal from the remote. You're wiring up a component that has it's own built-in battery drain (ironically) to prevent battery drain?

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

I have am OEM production car that has the very same system as described by Shane as standard.
If left for any length of time its suggested that the "battery off" switch be deployed which lowers the draw and only maintains the absolute minimum of the radio and ecu , once ready to reuse the car the reset button is pushed and everything else comes back to life.

 

[Shane]

I agree!


[*]The remote key fob and start button will not work until ISIS wakes up. IMHO, that makes a start button seem redundant and a needless complication.
[/LIST]

That's why we mount the momentary button for the inReserve on the outside of the car by the driver's door. Hit the button as you walk up to the car, and yes, you have to wait a few seconds before you can pop the doors open with poppers. If you aren't using the poppers, with the inLink and key fob, you still have the advantage of being able to enable the security built into ISIS that will prevent the car from starting until you disarm the system with the key fob. You can arm the system, then hit the inReserve and shut the whole car down....come back 3 months later, hit the inReserve button and the security is still armed....meaning that anyone who would find and hit the inReserve switch and power ISIS up, still can not start the car because ISIS has disabled the start and ignition circuits until you disarm it with the key fob. With the exception of the inReserve button, the entire car operates just like a brand new production car with push button start and no ignition key.

 

[PeteB]

Granatelli usually makes crap parts, I sure wouldn't trust it with electrical.

I love their wonderful fuel pickups .... had to buy 4 of them for my 65 cobra to get 1 that wasn't kinked like a mofo

Well, Alex was right on this. My Granatelli SureStart unit just quit working, and, of course, it's out of warranty. :furious:

Looking at either the American Autowire unit or Blue Sea Systems: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems-Battery-Solenoids/dp/B01LGT7FFQ. All the other Blue Sea Systems stuff I've bought has been high quality.

 

[Cam]

I plan to only ever drive my car for day trips or road trips where the car will constantly be driven. If not being driven, I do plan to keep the car on a trickle charger at home. Is this method of keeping the battery alive not preferred over having a system described in the thread?

For security - on the road I'll be using a wireless keyless security system. When at home, I plan to install a hidden kill switch that will disconnect the starter from the electrical system.

Am I missing something?

 

[PeteB]

Cam - Now that I've got some miles on my car, I've discovered the Infinity Box (formerly known as ISIS) system pretty much requires a remote battery cutoff system. It randomly gets confused about the state of things and needs to be periodically reset by disconnecting the battery and reconnecting. I've had the system get confused on both the engine start sequence and the turn signals. If I had it to do over, I would use a traditional wire harness instead.

 

[A.J. Schreder]

I plan to only ever drive my car for day trips or road trips where the car will constantly be driven. If not being driven, I do plan to keep the car on a trickle charger at home. Is this method of keeping the battery alive not preferred over having a system described in the thread?

For security - on the road I'll be using a wireless keyless security system. When at home, I plan to install a hidden kill switch that will disconnect the starter from the electrical system.

Am I missing something?

There's more than one way to skin a cat, but Cam I chose the same strategy as you. I don't drive my F150 very often, and when I do it tends to be after several months and when it's cold out. I don't like to wonder if the battery is at full charge. So I've gotten used to using trickle chargers. Now I have a trickle charger for all my vehicles (except my daily driver) and my lawn mower. They all have the easy access plug hard wired to the battery.

On the SLC I also have the Painless remote disconnect with the switch under the dash. The Infinity Box has lots of flexibility and many fancy ways of accomplishing tasks. The components are very expensive, though. In addition, instead of adding more powercells I've added an old fashioned secondary fuse box. I've also gone with relays for my reversing polarity devices rather than IB's solution, whatever they call it. It would probably add a few thousand dollars to my build if I went the IB route for everything.

A.J.

 

[Scott Davis]

I decided to just spend the extra $ and get the inreserve because of this (originally I wanted to go aftermarket on principal just because I also think this should be included as it is basically a necessary component of ISIS).

However I'm also adding an Anderson connection to my battery that will have the connector under the scoop of my car. That way I can easily plug in a trickle charger (or remote battery). Also there are jumper cables with Anderson plug which will make it a breeze to jump if I ever need too. This is probably unnecessary for an SLC, but the Apex hatch does not open, so for me it IS necessary.

just for an idea of the plug however mine will be hidden.