Help using a CTEK Battery Charger please?

Congrats!

CTEK chargers are great.

I prefer to connect mine directly to the battery. Then I would run the cable out the front most corner of the door and close it without any problems.
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With a CTEK the best method is to wire the plug in connector directly onto the battery terminals (behnind the passenger footwell). This shortish wire can then just nestle behind the passenger carpet when not in use. The standard CTEK extension wire with connector just clicks onto this.
I have my CTEK wall mounted in the garage, with a loop of wire stored on a hook next to it. The best way of connecting is to open the passenger door from the outside, and push the wire in from outside. Place the wire under the passenger door at its furthest forward position - the seal there is wider and won't mark the rubber. Don't put it through the window because you will get dust in the car. Then connect the wire to the connector in the footwell.
I leave my car on a timer to charge 2-3 hours daily ; its a good investment

 

If the connector matches up with the plug in the car simply plug it in. I say this because Standard Ctek chargers have different plugs than the plug used in ferraris. If it doesn't match you can as suggested, use the pig tail that comes with the Ctek and connect it directly to the battery in the passenger foot well.

The manual says you can run the wire between the door and the sill but you should place it at the edge closest to the front of the car. If you have a manual, there's a pic in there.


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can you post a pic of that ferrari plug that is different than the standard ctek chargers?

 

CTEKS are good and reliable, and in my view you could leave it on 24/7 to condition the battery. Having said that, I my indy advised not to : there's always that tiny risk of electrical malfunction. For that reason, I trickle charge in the garage when I'm not away, but disconnect over vacation periods when the garage is unattended.
You should only need the recon option when the battery is fully drained.Not sure what CTEK model you have, but AGM is specifically for AGM battery types and/or very cold conditions. My default would be full auto on car setting.
Hope this helps
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+1
You don't need it full time.....some also just use a timer.....turns on automatically periodically.

 

Here's the plug connected, the previous post shows the standard CTek plug that comes with their battery maintainers.

My wire is not Ctek, I use a Granite brand charger, hence the yellow cable
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Great charger Bob, I have the same one but mine is mounted to the junction box behind the drivers seat.

 

Use AGM mode as I'm sure you will have an optima battery which I believe are AGM. Also you can leave it on constantly as it just keeps it maintained.

 

Good choice - that's a great place! Its about 10 min from me - I'm in Somerset West. Do yourself a favour, ship the car over for the summer!!

 

Anyone use a CTEK "Comfort Indicator?" Do you think the constant blinking of the LED is a battery drainer?

This is the part:

Amazon.com: CTEK (56-382) Comfort Indicator Eyelet for M8 Top Post Batteries: Automotive

 

Allister,

I have a CTEK MUS 4.3 which was supplied by Ferrari of Washington with my 2007 F430 Coupé. I didn’t like having to dig the plug out of hiding and then run the tender tender wires past the door seal, so I made a few mods to the CTEK wiring.

First, I wanted the car-end plug in a convenient, exterior location like one of the radiator inlets. I also wanted the plug with the cute little rubber cap to be at the front of the car so that that plug would be protected from the dirt and water expected while driving. I realized that I could cut off three of the wiring ends and re-distribute them so that the rubber capped plug would be on one end of the longest wire with the other end being the battery connections. That left the non-capped plug on the end of the very short pigtail coming out of the CTEK housing. I was also able to comply with CTEK’s admonition to not alter the length of the wires. The hardest part was snaking the resulting wire between the right front wheelwell and the boot compartment wall, through the ABS piping, through one of the front firewall penetrations forward of the battery and ending at the battery terminals. See pix below.

In use, I disconnect the tender from car, cap the car-end plug and drive the car. When I return, the tender is waiting for me on the garage floor and all I have to do is reconnect the tender to the car and I will always have a fully charged battery. I have a 3”x5” card with the words “REMOVE BATTERY TENDER”, placed in front of the instrument cluster, to prevent dragging the tender with the car as I back out of the garage. Another sign saying, “RE-ATTACH BATTERY TENDER” in the appropriate place might be in order. I leave the car on the tender at all times including when we are gone from the house, long or short-term. It seems to work well and is quite convenient. All I have to do is remember to disconnect and reconnect the tender at the appropriate times.

Tom
2007 F430 Coupé
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Is it not true that you will get a warning symbol on start up if the charger is connected, and the engine won't start? Or is this only for the previously described Ferrari type connectors?

 

The battery charger connected symbol will only display using the ferrari connector. it does not work with other type connections (e.g., a pigtail to the battery)

 

Allister and Guys,

I believe Bob is correct. I never get a warning light on the dash. My warning is in the form of my wife waving and calling out frantically that I'm dragging something attached to the front of the car, hence the warning card placed in front of the instrument cluster.

I had a similar problem with my 2006 BMW M3 battery. When I stopped driving it regularly, it sat unused for long periods. The battery began dying: after three weeks in the summer and after one in the winter and was replaced several times. The last time it dropped to near-death, I got a battery tender (Deltran Plus, still doing a great job after three years) to save the battery then realized I should just leave it on permanently (except when driving, of course (hee, hee)). I discovered that a battery is clinically dead below 11 volts. Sucking it completely dry (electrically) will damage it to scrap-only condition. Before, the M3 would go through batteries like (sorry) a machine gun through bullets (about one a year). This last battery (always on the tender) has almost three years on it and is still going strongly. When researching the purchase of a 430, I saw one for sale that had received a new battery about once a year. After the M3 battery experience, I bought the 430 and put it on the CTEK tender (bought with the car) permanently from the beginning. No problems so far.

If you drive your Ferrari for a fairly long period several days a week this will likely not be necessary. If your driving is confined to 1-3 days a month or less, then a tender is a necessity.

Tom
2007 F430 Coupé

 

One of the 3 active pins in the Ferrari connector triggers the battery charging symbol on the 430. A CTek cable only has the standard pos/neg. You can make the symbol light up. There are instructions on the forum and a member will even build you a cable if you don't have the skills.
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/141102598-post12.html


But I have to say that when you forget and try to start the car with the charger connected it's like automotive Armageddon. Loud relays clunk, things beep and lights flash on the dash. very disconcerting

 

My connector is located behind drivers seat and I use a battery tender plus

 

I bought an adapter on eBay for $50


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I just purchased a CTEK MUS 4.3. Very helpful post as I start my installation. Great photos too.