What are you using for memory savers?

[ex-x-fire]

Those that hook to the cig lighter or the obd2 connection, they keep the radio, clock, & ecm on-line.

 

[volvo92906]

An old cell phone charger with a 9v battery on it.

 

[ex-x-fire]

Thats a good idea.

 

[not-required]

I have one a friend gave me. Its from walmart I think and plugs into the cig lighter

 

[signcrafter]

An old cell phone charger with a 9v battery on it.

I don't have a clue but wouldn't they have something to prevent backflow? So if your phone is plugged in the car can't drain the phone battery? Also isn't some electronics in them designed to charge the phone that might cause some problems?

 

[curly8888]

i adapted a lighter plug to my home alarm battery 12vollt 7 amphour so it lasts a long time
the only issue is when i take out my alarm battery it beeps low or missing battery for a while but i am out side anyway when done put it back it charges for next time
you could also try a battery booster pack that plugs into you lighter you know the one that is supposed to jump start you

 

[volvo92906]

I don't have a clue but wouldn't they have something to prevent backflow? So if your phone is plugged in the car can't drain the phone battery? Also isn't some electronics in them designed to charge the phone that might cause some problems?

As far as I know, when you cut off the plug and hook up the battery, the other end is just wires to a positive and ground, all packaged up in a black plastic plug with a little LED on it.... Nothing spectacular. Might be worth a try to have a phone plugged in and see if it gives the computer the voltage for the memory.... Probably not..

It works. Id rather not pay a bunch of money for a memory saver, especially when I dont work on cars for a living.

 

[Herb]

I got married. My wife reminds me about most things I forget.

 

[Kevin54]

I thought that most newer vehicles had built in memory in them. I know that on the wifes car (Toyota Solara) and my GMC Jimmy, I could unhook the battery, swap it out, and when I hooked the new one up everything was as it had been. I don't know how long you have but my radios always retained the memory.

 

[DodgeMech]

I know that dodge radios have some kind of memory saver in them...unplug the battery{s} and all the presets are still saved...

 

[Big-Foot]

for me:

for the cars:

 

[jamesc]

my favourite is the double sided cigarette lighter plug and then just use the booster pack, we have a little mac ob2 one at work that works good.

 

[6-Holer]

For the cars that I'm familiar with, the Lisle #40400 seemed to be the most universally applicable design. I've duplicated what their design does several times, and when I saw their little insulation-piercing clip I bought one. I'm not sure yet exactly what the LED's function is, but I've only used it on 2 vehicles thus far.

 

[richfinn]

I use the OBD/EOBD type, with my jump pack. I quit the cig lighter version after getting shafted by blown fuses and forgetting to turn the ign to aux. too many times.

 

[Gary S]

Memory? I try to avoid electronics too stupid to remember what it is supposed to do. If you avoid that kind of electronics, and cars with that kind of electronics, the only memory you need to worry about is your own, and that one can be helped with small regular daily doses of alcohol which studies show will help fend off Alzheimer's.

 

[Hammer1963]

I use a small trickle charger/battery minder or a 12v cordless tool battery I have adapted for this use and yes they do plug into the cig lighter or 12v power port

 

[GTA Matt]

OBD port to jump box. They're only 14 bucks from most places so not a large investment (if you have a jump box).

Whatever you use, make sure it is fused!!!! Bad things can happen if its not, and remember if you ground out the positive battery cable and blow the fuse, all your efforts are in vein.

 

[txdiesel15]

The Main purpose for Memory savers here in Texas is to keep the I/M Monitors on cars set. We do emissions testing for our state registration and if you remove the battery, all cars will loose their monitor readiness, causing you do to a drive cycle before getting your registration. So with all this hoopla, I use the OBD2 style saver and it works great!

 

[Man of Many Vices]

Is it St. Johns Wort? I can't remember.

 

[xstubsx]

this is what we use at work. ive never had the ones you plug in the cig lighter with a 9v battery work. especialy on civic that you need a radio code.

 

[Greatbear]

Jump box with a male-male cigarette lighter cord, homemade. This will only work with cars having continuously powered cigarette lighter/power ports.

 

[Tarheelgarage]

EZ red connector that plugs into the OBD2 DLC and a battery booster box.

 

[signcrafter]

An old cell phone charger with a 9v battery on it.

Have you actually tried this? I cut up an old phone charger this morning to try it. Put a 9volt on the wire and measured the plug end with my fluke and got just over 3 volts. Pretty sure there is some circuits in that plastic plug that mess with the voltage. Don't think 3volts will keep the memory on anything that runs on 12volts.