Hi everyone. My Z has been retired to a weekend car after getting a new daily driver about 6 months ago. I have been trying to give a drive during the weekends, but sometimes it just gets too hard with all the things I need to do. Anyway, I have changed the battery earlier this year, and the last few weeks, I haven't been around and my battery is now flat. Can anyone recommend a car battery charger? Any thing I need to look for in particular? At the same time, if I want to stop the draining, is it advisable to remove the battery from the car when not driving? Thanks in advance for the assistance.
I agree with Brock I have a rear mounted battery with a fixed CTEK charger hardwired. No electricial problems ever.
Agree with CTEK ! Got one very recently of eBay. Only thing is it got very hot charging a dead flat Ca-Ca car battery, but after searching around I found out that it was normal, otherwise very happy with the technology, quality, 5 year warranty etc. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CTEK-MXS...=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item19cea5c581
http://www.mototechdiagnostics.com.au/optimate6.php I use this on the Zed when I had it, and the Falcon now. I also use the Optimate 4 on the bikes. It's rescued a couple of batteries I had lying around that my supercrap charger wouldn't charge anymore.
Thanks Thanks for the info! Got myself a CTEK! I started charging in the afternoon, and it's still in Stage 3 (super charge to 80%) after about 8 hours. Question for those who have a CTEK charger, how long did it take to charge your batteries? Thanks again.:zlove:
That will depend on how much power your battery can store, it's state of charge, the condition of the battery (internal resistance), the amp rating of your particular charger and also the ambient temperature. 24 hours would not be unreasonable in a lot of cases to a full charge, or just an hour or so to put in enough juice to start the car if you need to drive it urgently.
Have you thought of a "battery tender?" I have 1 on every one of my vehicles and it works on the principle that once the battery is charged it maintains the charge, eg; trickle charges the battery till you use the vehicle again. Its a simple plug in and leqve and when you take it for a drive just disconect I got mine from Independant batteries here in Sa I know supercheap etc sell then was about $40 and its the best investment ever. I have used them for years and not once have I had a flat battery and there are times where I wont use a vehicle for 6 + months and it still starts fine. The battery is slowly trickle charged and once charged it keeps the charge maintained without damage to the battery what so ever. I have a spare one for sale so if you are interested let me know I can do you a good deal.I was using 8 on my 8 vehicles but now am down to 4 so have a few spare.
I was chasing a 150mA drain on the convertible yesterday. Tracked it down to the bottom frontmost fuse that does the radio and interior lights. Radio and dvd screen are fine, no lights are on but still 150mA drain. I have installed a battery isolator switch on the battery so it it easy to disconnect. I have a Ctek MXS 5.0 charger too and it gets frequent use
Hes mounted the charger in the battery area somewhere and its permanently wired to the battery. he just basically drags an extension cord over and plugs the car in.
The battery is in the boot. I've wired in the battery charger next to the battery. It's with the stereo gear under a new floor in the boot. All that you see in the boot is the wire poking through for you to plug an extension cord into. I leave the car for weeks at a time. I never have the hassle of a flat or weak battery.
