CTEK battery maintainer cable routing?

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Nechaken

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Apologies in advance if this is a rudimentary question -- I'm trying to figure out an easy way to leave a few inches of cable hanging out the grill for easy connection to a battery maintainer. I'd like to be able to connect / disconnect without opening the hood.

I can initially lead wires originating from the battery terminals out of the battery box by running on the passenger side by the foam between the battery box and the side of the car. What I can't find is an easy place to thread the cable from there to the exterior of the car given the size of the connector. Is there an obvious exit route I'm missing?

Right now I have it exiting the passenger side by lifting the weatherstripping and there's a bit of a cut-out about a 1/3 of the way from the front of the fender. But this is no long-term solution; leaving the cord hanging out there would knock against the paint when driving and generally look ghetto.
 
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ktm525

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I assume a SAE connector is what you are planning and keeping the charger outside of the engine bay. The grill is a leading edge and subject to a bunch of gunk. Perhaps feed the connector into one of the side intakes. Much cleaner and won't get a bunch of crap in the plug. At the very least make sure your connector has a flip cover.
 

ftillier

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I want something similar, but to plug in my air compressor when I air back up. My current plan is an Anderson plug in the grille, with a cover for when it's not in use.
 

CRYA

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Apologies in advance if this is a rudimentary question -- I'm trying to figure out an easy way to leave a few inches of cable hanging out the grill for easy connection to a battery maintainer. I'd like to be able to connect / disconnect without opening the hood.

I can initially lead wires originating from the battery terminals out of the battery box by running on the passenger side by the foam between the battery box and the side of the car. What I can't find is an easy place to thread the cable from there to the exterior of the car given the size of the connector. Is there an obvious exit route I'm missing?

Right now I have it exiting the passenger side by lifting the weatherstripping and there's a bit of a cut-out about a 1/3 of the way from the front of the fender. But this is no long-term solution; leaving the cord hanging out there would knock against the paint when driving and generally look ghetto.
I used a CTEK maintainer on my previous car. What I had to do was reverse feed the cable from outside to inside, and then re-crimp the battery connections back into place once the wires were routed through. Have you tried this approach? Nothing magical about cutting off a plug and reattaching it after you've run it, if the size is in the way.
 

CRYA

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ftillier

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Did you mount the plug to anything, or is it just a pigtail and the environmental boot also serves as shock protection as it bounces around?
 

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