Looks like my battery is dead on my '89 Mondial T. I'd like to put it on a charger for a few hours. Nor sure how to do it. Any help including diagrams would be most appreciated. I'm told that there is a terminal in the engine compartment but I'm not sure where. Thanks. Ron
I would go to Kragens, and buy the charger that plugs into your lighter. Has about a 2amp per hour charge, and will, if left overnight bring the batter up to the right charge. Art
Given all of the fusebox issues we have with Ts...I am not sure I would run power back through the cigarette lighter but that is just my feeling, nothing against Art's comment and not "official" advice. To jump your T, you just need to open the hood and carefully go behind the headlight bucket. For longer term charging, I have prewired a trickle charger to the battery with the coupler zip-tied to the took hook receptacle for easy access. Best of luck...
Thanks to everyone who offered help. I took care of the problem the old fashioned way: I took off the tire, then the access plate, removed the battery and charged it up. It was fine but needed a good charge. Then I added a wire for easier access to the positive for easier trickle charging down the road. It starts like a champ now. A overall very good experience. I got to use my official Ferrari scissor jack and got to try on my space saver spare at the same time. Thanks for your help. Ron
Is it safe to jump start a Mondial T using a portable charger? Meanwhile it's impossible to reach the positive pole. In another post, someone wrote that it could be dangerous to the Motronic's ECU: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/137882072/
I jump started my 3.2 once and got away with it, but the general consensus is that it's never a good idea to jump start these cars. Either recharge the dead battery before starting or replace it with a new one and then start it, not worth risking frying your ECU just to get the car rolling that day! I don't think a rolling jump start would work either because the ECU would not be getting enough power to function properly from the dead battery, not sure about that. Alden
Something on the Mondial T draws current while the car just sits, with nothing on. A fully charged battery will be dead if I don't drive my T regularly - thats why I use a trickle charger pre-wired to the battery. The charger plugs in under the hood easily and lives under the hood. It should have been a standard feature by Ferrari!!! .
Just keep a sticky note on the steering wheel as I do that reads 'REMOVE CHARGE CORD'. Without this, I know that one day, I'd back out of the garage with the tender plugged in and bend up the grill!
On mine, I leave the front bonnet slightly ajar after plugging in. So when I do get ready to drive next time, should I forget about it and start the car, the "bonnet is open" warning light will illuminate on the center panel between the seats. Now this is a 3.2. The "t" might differ. To date, I haven't forgotten to unplug, but there were a couple of occasions where I did forget to plug IN after a drive. Thankfully, the battery wasn't drained. No harm, no foul!
A prior owner added a positive post inside the front trunk on the passenger side. So if I have not driven the car for a while, I typically just hook up a battery maintainer for a day and then I am good to go. Ground is the headlight bucket bolt. I did jump it once with a big battery pack. It has an on/off switch, so I turned it on, waited about 30 seconds so everything had power, and the car started up immediately. Not sure I would want to use old fashioned jumper cables, but the new "smart" jumper packs are probably OK. Just give it 15-20 seconds so all the computers power up before trying to start. Regards, Jerry
So, I charged the Mondial T's battery, by finding small-sized clips and managed to attach to poles. When not connected, it shows 13,3 volt. While charging, it was showing 14,2 volt. Dashboard control lights turn on, no warning lights remain, but the car doesn't start. When turning the key: First 2-3 secs I can hear the fuel pumps, the starter motor turns but slower than normal and slows down. After 4-5 secs: a rapid 'cracking' noise is heard from the front part. Just when the battery was with lower voltage. Is the battery unable to discharge under load? Shall I replace it? It was working fine before the winter. Or, since the battery has some charge, shall I try to push-start the Mondial? (2nd gear, release clutch)