Q: As winter approaches, I will be storing many motorized “toys” with batteries. These include a garden tractor, three motorcycles, a motorboat and a car.
Can I line up all of the 12-volt batteries and put them on one trickle charger?
I would simply wire all of the batteries together, positives to positive and negatives to negative. Or do I need to buy a trickle charger for each battery?
— T.S., St. Charles, Ill.
A: A charger designed for one device is incapable of charging several, even if you do connect the batteries in parallel.
You need a charger for each battery, or a multibattery charger.
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I would suggest multiple chargers. That way, you would not need to assemble all of the batteries in the same place. This also gives you the flexibility to take one smaller charger to a remote location if necessary.
Q: Our local marina says fuel suppliers are telling it to tell boat owners not to “top off” their boats before storage.
It seems the various additives in our fuel have made topping off unnecessary.
They are advising us to leave the tank one-half to three-quarters full with an appropriate dosage of Sta-Bil stabilizer.
Your thoughts?
— D.M., Cedar Lake, Ind.
A: At issue here is that ethanol is now in marine gas.
Some folks surmise that the less fuel you have in the tank, the less moisture will be drawn from the air by the ethanol. (It is hygroscopic.)
I think they are mistaken. Even with Sta-Bil, enough water may collect inside the tank that it would puddle in the bottom.
This is known as phase separation and is murder for the motor.
The best bet would be completely draining the tank and running the engine until any residual gas is used up.
But that may not be practical and may be possibly unsafe.
My second choice would be to fill the tank completely, leaving little room for air from which the moisture could condense when it gets cold.
A full tank is also safer, as there is less vapor, and that translates into reduced chance of an explosion.
Q: I own a 2003 Honda Civic EX with 77,000 miles. I am experiencing a heavy knock or rattle from the front end.
The dealer changed the suspension links on both sides, but that did not help.
A garage changed the shocks, but that did not help.
The car drives fine on smooth surfaces, but the rattle and knock drive me crazy on rough roads. Now I am looking for help from you.
— C.L., Enfield, Conn.
A: Although Honda had some noise issues from the front springs, my hunch is that the sway bar bushings are shot or that the lower control arms are shot.
Take the vehicle back to either place and explain that the repair did not help, then ask the place to cut you some slack on a repair that works.
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