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CT4-V How long can a 4BW sit?

Cadillac CT4-V model

M2Cto4BW

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Jul 2, 2022
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Bay Area, CA
V-Series Cadillac(s)?
2022 CT4V Blackwing
I'd not driven it in over a week and went and started it up and let it run for a bit and with Thanksgiving holiday trip coming up, it is going to sit some more.
I know proper long term, you trickle charge it, but for a 2/3 weeks or so I assume it's OK?

M cars used to say 2 weeks+ was getting to be 'too long' but not sure about the 4BW.
 
Other people have had electrical problems blamed on cars sitting for too long, however my 5BW sat for 6 weeks without any issues. I was home with wife and newborn and we barely got to leave the house and when we did we always took her X3M. So I don't really think those cars that can't sit for more than a couple of weeks are totally normal.
 
IME, a couple weeks is fine as long as it started with a well-charged battery.
 
Trickle charge on the battery repeatedly over longer periods of time can and will shorten battery life cycles on a car. Start her up at once a week and let car's electrical system do the work, should not die in a week of sitting if all is well. Even better drive the hell of of it, at least once a week!

Maintained PCS Systems of over 200kW, back up clean power. The quality of batteries in these cars is...nowhere near the Gel Cells in those types of systems. So you trickle charge remove, and drive as often as possible. Monitor your charger if you put one on the Batt. Trust your eyes with Battery chargers.
 
Put it in transportation mode as it does not use much power....

Transport Mode is designed to reduce the parasitic load of some modules during shipping and/or during vehicle storage. Some features may be disabled or have reduced functionality while Transport Mode is ON. Transport Mode is enabled and disabled by either of the following methods:

· With the Scan Tool Diagnostics > Body Control Module > Control Functions > Power Mode.

· Turning the hazard flashers ON, apply and hold the brake pedal, then press and hold the ignition mode switch for greater than 15 s. For vehicles equipped with a DIC a message Transport Mode On when it is enabled and Transport Mode Off when it is disabled will be displayed for a predetermined amount of time. For vehicles equipped without a DIC, the battery indicator light will constantly flash on the Instrument Cluster when Transport Mode is enabled.
 
Put it in transportation mode as it does not use much power....

Transport Mode is designed to reduce the parasitic load of some modules during shipping and/or during vehicle storage. Some features may be disabled or have reduced functionality while Transport Mode is ON. Transport Mode is enabled and disabled by either of the following methods:

· With the Scan Tool Diagnostics > Body Control Module > Control Functions > Power Mode.

· Turning the hazard flashers ON, apply and hold the brake pedal, then press and hold the ignition mode switch for greater than 15 s. For vehicles equipped with a DIC a message Transport Mode On when it is enabled and Transport Mode Off when it is disabled will be displayed for a predetermined amount of time. For vehicles equipped without a DIC, the battery indicator light will constantly flash on the Instrument Cluster when Transport Mode is enabled.
Does this apply to the 5BW as well Steve? Haven't checked yet, is it in the manual? That's next level sleep mode. Learned something new. Thanks
 
Does this apply to the 5BW as well Steve? Haven't checked yet, is it in the manual? That's next level sleep mode. Learned something new. Thanks
It does apply to the 5 as well, I don't remember ever seeing it in the manual, as this information came from my Cadillac connection..... I use to use this in my Chevy SS in the winter time when I didn't driver her much and it worked before I started to do the trickle charge..
 
Interesting, wonder if my Snap on scan tool will allow me to do that or is it just a GM only option
 
Why does trickle charging shorten battery life?
Maybe an old school trickle charger would, I don't know. However, the newer CTEK and NOCO battery MAINTAINERS will actually extend the battery life. They do much more than just trickle charge, they actively maintain and cycle the battery to keep it good condition for a very long time.
 
Other than the battery on newer cars, you can let the car sit for months without issue. The absolute worst thing you can do is start the car every few weeks and let it idle, then shut it down again. At the very least, you need to get the car up to temp and drive it for 15+ minutes at temp to let all of the condensation burn off and out of the oil.
 
Why does trickle charging shorten battery life?
Cooks the battery with continuous charge and higher cell temps over an extended period of time. Lead Acids are not meant to be on a "float" voltage repeatedly, constantly. Temperature is the biggest enemy of the battery and its life cycle especially in Lead Acid Batts. Gel Cells are much more tolerant to temp variations and "float" charges over extended periods of time. Steve procedure posted is obviously the correct procedure over extend periods of time in a vehicle application.
 
Other than the battery on newer cars, you can let the car sit for months without issue. The absolute worst thing you can do is start the car every few weeks and let it idle, then shut it down again. At the very least, you need to get the car up to temp and drive it for 15+ minutes at temp to let all of the condensation burn off and out of the oil.
Ya that's what I used to do with my M2C if I wasn't using it much - it got a 20 mile round trip for groceries (with most of that on the highway) once every 7-10 days.
Since the 4BW will only sit for a couple weeks I won't worry about it - good info in this thread though, thanks folks!
 
Unless I planned to store the car for a year or years, I would rather use a product that actually prolongs the life of my battery.
 
Cooks the battery with continuous charge and higher cell temps over an extended period of time. Lead Acids are not meant to be on a "float" voltage repeatedly, constantly. Temperature is the biggest enemy of the battery and its life cycle especially in Lead Acid Batts. Gel Cells are much more tolerant to temp variations and "float" charges over extended periods of time. Steve procedure posted is obviously the correct procedure over extend periods of time in a vehicle application.
does the 5BW have a gel or traditional lead acid battery?
 
does the 5BW have a gel or traditional lead acid battery?
It's an AGM battery. I think that might be spec'd when the battery is located in an interior space.
 
Whatever happened to the dude who started the thread? Used to post all the time then disappeared. Guessing he sold.
 

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