It's 2024 -- let's talk trickle chargers

There are other threads on here, but technology moves on.

What are y'all using for trickle chargers on your 308/328? I know I can simply pop the negative connector to disconnect the battery while it sits, but sometimes the weather itself puts a strain on the battery.

Do you use a hard-wired connection, and if so, how does it connect? Do you use a backfeed through the cigarette lighter? Other methods? I'm just getting a little tired of taking out the spare and charging the battery directly.

 

The first thing I would say is that I would not use a traditional trickle charger (a charger that just constantly applies a current to the battery non-stop, regardless of the battery's charge level), on my Ferrari - I would only use a battery conditioner (in my case a CTEK battery conditioner)

My CTEK battery conditioner has two terminal ring crimps hard wired to the battery posts, that comes up through the battery compartment cover, and through/between the spokes of the full size spare wheel, so the battery conditioner can be connected to the battery without having to remove the spare wheel.

All I have to do is open the front lid, and connect the CTEK battery conditioner to the CTEK plug sitting in the spare wheel.

 

On my 308 I just disconnect the ground strap if the car isn't to be used for a couple of weeks or in storage.

For my 355 or Porsche Cayman I use an early version of this. That said, the battery in my 355 is not at least 13 years old (since I bought it) and the Porsche battery is 6 years old.

You know what they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

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I use a Noco 2-amp unit, been happy with them on multiple cars, boats, and generators. I wired a connector harness to the battery and snake it out through the spare tire spokes so it's easy to plug in. I really don't need it on my 328 unless I plan to park the car for 4+ weeks.

 

This is your daddy Amazon.com: CTEK - 40-206 MXS 5.0 Fully Automatic 4.3 amp Battery Charger and Maintainer 12V : Automotive

Comes with the clamps as well as the ring connectors for hard wiring to the battery terminals. I have mine set up just like Rob and Phill described above. I have the same charger on the 328 and Gallardo. Both cars have AGM batteries but this charger works on either AGM or standard wet cell types. I doubt there's anything better on the market.

 

Noco on my bentley and boat, both work great

 

Ctek plugged in to the cigarette lighter, but as there's no "electronics" in my 308, the drain is the clock and the radio presets. So I only use it once every two months if I 've not driven the car

 

My trickle charger harness comes out into the left front wheel, with its capped connector close to the swaybar mounting bracket. This works great if you park/store your car on a lift.

 

Slightly off topic; I have an Electromotive module on my 1980 VW Scirocco. Over the past couple of years I have had a few issues with the program on it for my car. Only one guy here in town can talk to it with a lap top. No one else anywhere near here has a clue about it and as most of us know now, Electromotive is no longer in business.

Anyway, he has had to reset it back to my custom parameters a couple of times and he told me he thinks it was a voltage spike that upset things with it. I keep the car on a maintainer and was wondering if it was possible that since the car is essentially plugged into my house current, is it possible that lightening could do some damage to our cars on maintainers like on any other home electronic or would the maintainer protect it from a power surge. I have considered plugging the maintainer into a outdoor surge protector.

Or it is simply a failing regulator on the alternator? Or none of these things and is another issue altogether.

Thoughts?

 

I've used this for the past year - does the job!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08T7V4VQC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I bought one of these.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325951255873

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Here's some performance data on how they work.

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I would have thought that as it's connected to the battery this acts as a protector-ie the sensitive electronic equipment is not connected directly to the charger, unlike a pc to your house supply.

 

Me too.

Outlet to maintainer to battery. Everything else is behind all that. But I don't know what I don't know so that is why I was throwing this question out here. You never know.

 

I just use a 4AMP Battery Tender with a ring terminal cable permanently attached to the battery and snaked through the battery cover and spare wheel. Super easy quick connect and disconnect every time.

 

For 15 years I disconnected the negative quick-disconnect when the car was in storage - sometimes as long as 7 months. The past two years I've been using a Ctek. The Ctek works great but in reality, the car started just fine after seven months disconnected so there is really no advantage that I can see with using a smart charger other than I don't have to reset the clock!

 

Do you know for sure that the battery maintainer is functioning OK and not throwing out flakey voltage? I had a cheaper unit fail many years ago in my generator shed, and it simultaneously ruined the battery. When I did some troubleshooting, the maintainer was dumping out very erratic voltage. I know low and high voltage can mess up the ECU on a modern car and would not be surprised if the Electromotive module was sensitive as well.

I did run into an issue with an older shore charger on my boat -- worked fine for 5-6 years then suddenly it kept tripping the GFCI circuit on my pier. On a hunch I replaced it with a new charger and that has been fine. After chatting with folks on a boating forum, they said chargers/maintainers can develop an internal short with age and do weird things. The GFCI was likely tripping because the charger was leaking current to ground for some reason. More modern units (like the Noco 2-bank charger I changed to) have an onboard control unit and will disengage the battery and trip some error lights when problems occur.

 

I have to ask, why do you feel you need a batter tender for a 308, to keep the clock running and radio stations stored?

Exactly. As I said above, never used a maintainer on my 308. And actually, never bother to reset the clock or radio stations.

 

The ground connection is on the forward frame support on the driver's side just below the headlight. I put a battery disconnect switch there, you can even see the position of the switch through the vent behind the headlight bucket. I've had mixed results with battery tenders plus the whole connection and all is a general pita. I think the reason this is needed is because the clock has a seconds hand. May not seem like much but over a period of several months it takes it's toll.

 

I use a CTEK which I can connect using a cigarette lighter socket mounted in the front bumper. Hardly visible but really easy to use.

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A back feed through the cigarette lighter works for me. The cars fitted with a tracker, so i keep the battery trickle charged with a smart charger for most of the time. Current battery is 10 years old and still very good. I've given up on Ctek chargers; the mode switch stopped working on all the ones I've bought. By far the best smart charger i've used is made by a company Victron. You can also use them as a power supply, which is quite handy around the workshop.

 

I use the $25 Walmart tenders…even use one on my aircraft…washer type connectors on the battery side of the included leads simply connect to the tightening bolts on the battery terminals leaving you with a 3 foot tail that connects to the tender leads. Never had a problem and clock remains fairly accurate for weeks on my 76 GTB. I think the tenders have an IC that controls the voltage to what’s needed.

 

"I use a CTEK which I can connect using a cigarette lighter socket mounted in the front bumper. Hardly visible but really easy to use."

I do the same - added the connector a few months ago. I used to use the Ctek through the cig lighter but had some inconsistent charging issues with that. I was never a believer in chargers, always left the car in storage with the battery disconnected and never had any issues with starting after disconnect as long as 7 months. But I decided to go with the Ctek after seeing several of them being used at a local Mercedes Benz dealership! Don't know if that's an endorsement or not...

 

Wasn’t it MB that had to increase the capacity of their batteries as they were flat after 10 days in an airport car park? 3*8 have so few electronics that the battery should last for months. Moderns on the other hand gobble power when parked up.

 

"Moderns on the other hand gobble power when parked up."

True, even with motorcycles! I have a 2019 Kawasaki Z900RS that if left more than three weeks without running, will not start because the battery is too low. I have a 1976 Honda CB400F that can sit for 7 MONTHS without running OR disconnecting the battery and it will start immediately!