Slightly different to jump start thread & to a thread from early Jan 2002.
I've had to fit a new battery last week & as usual radio code & electric windows lost their programming. That was all, as the car is a '93 model Carlton & has none of the later electronics as fitted to more modern cars.
A friend later told me of a gadget that you plug into the cigarette lighter which has 2 leads coming from it, one is marked positive the other negative, these are connected to a 12 volt supply. By doing this this codes & memories are retained while you change the battery. I have gone through the circuit diagram for the carlton & it would put power back to the ignition switch.
Obviously, if you have a completely flat battery they have gone anyway but batteries usually lose 1 cell first, not enough volts/amps to start a motor but enough to retain memories.
Having covered myself by that paragraph, anybody ever seen the plug gadget & where do I buy it.
|
|
Useful gadgets, usually only available from trade motor factors such as Partco, Autela etc. Make your own with a cigar lighter accessory plug and a pair of croc clips. +ve is the centre pin.
|
Cheers Andrew
Friend who told me works in the trade, only see him occasionly though
|
|
|
|
I suggest that for safety you should include both a diode and a fuse!
|
|
|
Draper did one in their 2000 catalogue at £9.98. They called it a computer memory saver and came with 2m of leads. Have seen another brand in an autoaccessory shop and mean to buy one when next I see one. Who says that sticking your radio in the freezer puts it back to a programmable state? My wife is now convinced I am mad.
David
|
I heard the one about the freezer and the radio code years ago.
An urban legend? www.urbanlegends.com/
|
|
|
Draper memory saver is £10.55 powered by PP3 battery - see www.drapertools.com for details & stockists. I've had one for years and it works fine.
Gunson make one for about £13 which is powered from the mains - see www.gunson.co.uk I have seen this in Halfords.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You can get them from Halfords that use a 9v battery, so no need for another car battery/lead/croc clips
|
|
|
|
SWMBO flattened the battery on our old Disco.....She used the radio to entertain fellow hens in a barbie. Result all electronics dumped and a bill from Land Rover. She "forgets" that it was her fault, does this count as memory loss after a flat battery ?
|
|
|
|
The staff in in Motormania, Baddow Road, Chelmsford, Essex were talking to another customer about this when I was in there a fortnight ago. Might be worth a phone call.
|
|
|
On a Toyota Previa the cigar lighter is only connected to the rest of the system when the ignition key is at position one. On a BMW the lighter is "live" all the time.
You can achieve the same effect by connecting your spare battery to the battery terminals before removing the offending battery. NOT WITH A DRY CELL PP9!!!!
|
|
|
