hi scotty great show
i'm replacing the battery on the buick ,should i be concerned about losing the memory in the ecm? i do have a memory saver 9v. type plugs in sig socket not sure how to use it. theres a power port in the arm rest do i have to turn ignition to on before i remove old battery or just not sure the rest of the install is simple never was concerned with the older cars thanks kevin
2013 Buick Lacrosse
I've never used one.
No issues whatsoever.
It's just a convenience to not have to reset the clock, radio, etc. when changing the battery.
@chucktobias it takes less time to set the clock and set my one radio station (that I listen to once a year), than it does to go get some gadget.
@mmj +100. But then again, my vehicle’s clock auto updates from the GPS. The radio station, I couldn’t care less.
@itwt well la-dee-dah! 😛
On mine I have to set up about 1/2 dozen radio stations (AM & FM), the clock (both time and 12hr instead of 24hr display), remote key fob link needs to be reset, stored data like average gas mileage is lost, and information displays such as outside temperature need to be reset back to normal instead of metric. So I don't mind taking a few seconds to plug in the stupid memory saver.
{pear}:surprised:
@chucktobias you sir, need a checklist!
really you have to reset your fob?
@itwt, pretty much so!
@mmj, To re-register the fob with the module in the car you have to rapidly press one of the fob keys about 1/2 dozen times or more within a few seconds to be recognized. (Flash memory was still new and very expensive in the 1980s when this car was designed so there's very little non-volatile memory on board and not much that survives disconnecting the battery.) Not a big deal but with all the other stuff I'd rather just use the memory saver. Oh, the icing on the cake also is if you don't use the memory saver there's about a 50/50 chance the alarm will go off when you reconnect the battery since the alarm module will forget the state it was in!
Fortunately disconnecting the battery is not something that needs to be done very often.
@chucktobias so what do you use?
@mmj, it's an inexpensive generic memory saver bought online some time ago "Assembled in USA from global components". It can use a transistor battery or, if you're going to have the battery disconnected a long time, an AC adapter. Plugs into the OBD2 port and works fine.
@chucktobias what's a transistor battery?
@chucktobias what's a transistor battery?
@mmj, The kind of battery commonly used in transistor radios:
I haven’t seen one of these in decades!
I see that type of battery all over the place, just different brands and not labeled "transistor" any more. To me they are still transistor batteries.
They‘re certainly available, just that they aren’t popular anymore.
@itwt sure they are. All my smoke detectors take them. And various handheld portable tools. Multimeters, circuit tracers, alarm clocks, etc.
In that case, I must be living under a rock..
maybe it's a N. American thing
The thing to keep in mind is that the memory saver with its puny 9 volt transistor battery cannot power anything in the car other than retaining computer memory. No lights, no power locks or windows, no radio - nothing.
Turn off everything in the car, including the ignition. Turn off or unplug any accessories that remain powered on when the engine is off. Make sure lights are turned off. Plug the memory saver into the OBD2 port.
Close the car door and make sure the interior lights are off. Remove the old battery. Clean battery cable terminals and install the new battery. Unplug the memory saver.
That's all there is to it.
thanks for the all the info