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So I have been struggling with small batteries for a while now, I am on my second one in 18 months. The first one from AMS, which was a rebranded Odyssey, went out on me in only 9 months. I charged it out of the car and it would only last 3-4 days just sitting before the car would not turn over (without an OpenPort). I was working at the time so it wasn't uncommon for it to not show it's ugly face unless a holiday weekend or vacation came around. So I purchased a Battery Tender and ordered a new small battery.
I purchased a real Odyssey PC680-P and the car has been just fine for 5 months. I think it even sat at Evolution Dynamics for 12 days or so and cranked like a champ. I drive the car maybe once every few weeks or at autocrosses. I have not left the OpenPort plugged in for more than a day or so, actually since having this new battery I only plug it in at autocrosses to log my runs then remove it at home.
More than 3 times now, I have left the OpenPort plugged in while the car sat in the garage and more than 3 times now after 3-5 days the battery is COMPLETELY drained, so much so I have to remove the battery harnesses to get the battery to take a charge. I tried 2 times already leaving the car sitting in the garage for up to 14 days without cranking it and it has started just fine without the OpenPort plugged in. Needless to say, I am glad I figured it out but I really didn't think the OpenPort required enough current to drain the battery in just 4-5 days. I do realize it is additional load on the battery over what the ECU, alarm, etc. put on the battery.
So I guess the moral of the story is, if you are going to let your car sit for extended periods of time and you have a small battery kit, don't leave your OpenPort plugged in while you are away!
I purchased a real Odyssey PC680-P and the car has been just fine for 5 months. I think it even sat at Evolution Dynamics for 12 days or so and cranked like a champ. I drive the car maybe once every few weeks or at autocrosses. I have not left the OpenPort plugged in for more than a day or so, actually since having this new battery I only plug it in at autocrosses to log my runs then remove it at home.
More than 3 times now, I have left the OpenPort plugged in while the car sat in the garage and more than 3 times now after 3-5 days the battery is COMPLETELY drained, so much so I have to remove the battery harnesses to get the battery to take a charge. I tried 2 times already leaving the car sitting in the garage for up to 14 days without cranking it and it has started just fine without the OpenPort plugged in. Needless to say, I am glad I figured it out but I really didn't think the OpenPort required enough current to drain the battery in just 4-5 days. I do realize it is additional load on the battery over what the ECU, alarm, etc. put on the battery.
So I guess the moral of the story is, if you are going to let your car sit for extended periods of time and you have a small battery kit, don't leave your OpenPort plugged in while you are away!