My 2001 (40k on a replacement battery) just started giving IMA errors.
Does anyone in DC have a grid charger? Before I put any more money into this car I'd like to see if grid charging helps, or does it need a new battery.
If anyone has one they would let me borrow I could pitch in a few bucks?
Is there anyone who provides Grid Charging services within 200 miles? I would pay to get it charged to test how the battery responds.
I like this car, but at close to $1,000 for a top of the line grid charger, I could pony up a little more and get a new battery.
It has not proven to be hugely dependable - water leaks, transmission, problematic battery. But - it is very satifying to drive. Economical and pleasant.
I really would like to try to fix this, but is it worth it to gamble on a grid charger that might not solve the problem?
2 cheap power supplies at $12 each plus the 1 amp diode, an old computer PSU case, some wire nuts, and some molex connectors... all in all, less than $50 if you can do it yourself.
So cheap I was thinking about building one "just in case" even though I don't have anywhere to plug it in!
If the cheap POS grid charger helps, then you could think about a fancier Genesis charger from Mike with "set it and forget it" convenience and faster charging rates, etc.
Glad to hear from you again. I didn't know you had moved away from Georgia.
Like Jeff said, you can build a dumb charger pretty cheap by following the directions you can find on this website. I have already built two. One is a multi-voltage model just to see if I could do it, and another that I just gave to my son uses two 90V LED power supplies. I had around $70 total in that one. I have learned that grid charging definitely helps extend the life of a battery. However, two of mine got to the point where I had to grid charge every day to keep them going, so I finally gave in and rebuilt them. Now that was a learning experience!
Also, Jeff652 sells a good simple charger if you are interested in that route. I do like Mike Dabrowski's Genesis GC01 that I used to grid charge your car very much, especially with the discharger option that I got in May, but realize not everyone needs that. With three Insights, however, the GC01 has been indispensable.
Warning, blatant plug to follow:
In case you might be interested in getting rid of your car cheap, I might be interested. My son just bought the one I fixed up.
Take care,
Tim Glover
Last edited by TopFuelTim; 12-04-2012 at 09:28 PM.
Reason: can't spell
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Any Grid Chargers in the DC area?
