DIY Battery Tender Installation - F430/360 - CTEK 4.3 | Page 4 | FerrariChat

DIY Battery Tender Installation - F430/360 - CTEK 4.3

Discussion in '360/430' started by Trent, Jan 19, 2013.

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  1. neil e dale

    neil e dale Formula Junior
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    Aug 27, 2018
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    .
     
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  2. neil e dale

    neil e dale Formula Junior
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    .....................................Yes exactly why I initially suggested a smaller separate battery just for the alarm, a lithium-ion? very light , sized for the purpose and wired w/a battery isolator as is commonly used on commercial big rig trucks. thus wired/ configured the parasitic draw would not affect the main SLI ( Starter-Lights -Ignition ) battery! ) I was fitting a GPS tracking anti-theft device to another car and decided to use a separate battery for that application for obvious reasons! Here's a photo of the tracking device you can follow it w/ your cell phone! Yes right you are! The AGM are rather old news, and sadly due to the cost and complexity of Lithium-ion batteries and the complicated battery management systems, they require we will be using good old lead-acid batteries for quite some time it seems, particularly as SLI batteries. Cost and A lack of breakthrough research in chemistry are holding back development, production, wide usage of better batteries. As I have found from my research on the topic ( 300+ articles - so far ) Image Unavailable, Please Login

     
  3. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
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    Again, I am unconvinced the alarm is the problem. You could do a electrical draw test to prove me wrong. But we see plenty of owners with Ferraris that go dead just sitting and the alarms are not set or active, as the cars are simply parked (unlocked) in their garage. Unless the alarm is drawing current whether set or not. Again, you should be able to test the various circuits to determine what has the largest draw on the car, both static and with alarm set (active).
     
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  4. neil e dale

    neil e dale Formula Junior
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    yes , I will in the future ! and if anyone wants a good tutorial of how to do a parasitic draw test there are a plethora of you tube videos !
     
  5. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
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    Btw, I think you use exclamation points rather excessively... ;) lol
     
  6. neil e dale

    neil e dale Formula Junior
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    Yes well, I was trained to be cautious about making assumptions absent proof but I do know modern batteries can sit dormant for a long long time and still start a car - (absent any parasitic draw ! ) so there must be one ! is it the alarm? that remains to be seen ! and proven or disproven. PS , I like commas and exclamation points and will use them a lot ! after 20 years teaching English, I don't care about conventions and rules. I'm retired! generally, anything that will be published will be reviewed by an editor I give them an opportunity to earn their pay, use the red pen ! they like it!
     
  7. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
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    Actually, most modern luxury and sport cars cannot sit dormant without use of a battery tender, due to all of the various current draws. That is why all luxury car manufacturers sell or provide standard, a battery tender: BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, Range Rover, Aston Martin, etc.

    I think you will find there is not one single thing that is the cause of the current draw. You are very focused on the alarm, but there are many things beyond the alarm that draws current. Some off the top of my head: radio for memory presets/sat. GPS, clock, door lock/unlock system, body control modules (interior lights, windows, mirrors), engine ECUs, etc. But again, there is already a very simple solution: drive the car more frequently, or use the factory provided battery tender. Adding an additional battery and circuit could cause other unintended consequences, so proceed with caution.
     
  8. neil e dale

    neil e dale Formula Junior
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    Well, I agree , there can be potential other sources of a parasitic draw ! On a saab 9-3 viggen CV I had a horrible issue of it killing batteries ! and a parasitic draw test revealed it was the gloveboxlight!! ( confirmed by shutting a cell phone inside shooting video ! ) just had to adjust the light switch . AnotherSaabb drained it's battery and the door design prevented a slim jim, or locksmiths mini air bag and the key lock in the door was N/A as well. How to open the doors, and open the hood ( bonnet to our Brit friends ) & replace the battery? Ok well we could open the trunk (boot ) so used a drill battery to the trunk light socket (it's hot even w/ the key off ! ) Shazam Image Unavailable, Please Login !
     
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  9. 9650max

    9650max Karting
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    Apr 28, 2011
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    All late model equipment drains batteries if left sitting. I have a fleet of various ages and twenty year old trucks sit for as long as ten months and start with no problem. All late model equipment must be kept on a battery tender. If not there are dead batteries after a month, sometimes less. No alarms on any of the equipment by the way. It just the draw of modern electrical systems. I use Battery Tender Jr.,Ctek and Noco. No preference of one over the other and probably have twenty total. If you want your battery to last keep it on a tender.
     
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  10. neil e dale

    neil e dale Formula Junior
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    yes agree but w/in limits ! here is a good short article on the OPTIMA site - .........................................................................................................................................
    • ODYSSEY Batteries

    Tips & Support[/paste:font]
    Posted: Dec 13, 2010
    WHAT IS "NORMAL" FOR A PARASITIC DRAW?

    I was having a conversation recently on an Internet message board, when the subject turned to parasitic draws or "key-off" loads. As I explained the math behind parasitic draws, it was suggested that an 85-milliamp draw is not all that uncommon on newer vehicles. That is absolutely true. Memory seats, mirrors, radio presets, satellite radio, GPS systems and lots of other fancy electrical gadgets have combined to greatly increase the electrical demands of many newer vehicles. However, just because an 85-milliamp draw may be normal, that doesn't mean an 85-milliamp draw won't adversely impact battery lifespan and performance, if the battery isn't properly-maintained.

    Some automakers have responded by shipping their vehicles with solar chargers, to keep the batteries charged as much as possible between the time the cars leave the factory and when they arrive at the dealership. Some high-end exotics even come with battery maintainers as standard equipment. As even more electronics are packed into newer vehicles, those trends are both likely to continue.

    Until the day comes when battery maintainers are standard equipment on all new vehicles, we just need to be vigilant with our batteries. If a vehicle is driven daily, the alternator will probably have no trouble properly maintaining the battery, provided that daily use doesn't consist of a multitude of five to ten-minute drives.

    The key to long life for any battery is to make sure battery voltage doesn't drop below 12.4 volts. The combination of a significant parasitic draw and long periods of non-use can easily cause voltage to drop below 12.4 volts. When that happens, sulfation begins to diminish both capacity and performance. That is why vehicles that only see weekend or occasional use (this includes boat owners) should have their batteries maintained with a quality battery tender or maintainer.

    In that same conversation, it was suggested that a 200-milliamp draw was "acceptable." That is certainly not the case. In fact, we suggest a 25-milliamp draw is normal and anything that exceeds 100-milliamps indicates an electrical issue that needs to be addressed. Although I have checked the parasitic draw on my Excursion in the past, I'd never photographed that test. I did just that today and it indicated a draw of about 60-milliamps. That's not too bad, considering I have some of the newer electrical accessories, like memory seats, mirrors and radio presets.

    If you think you've measured your vehicle's parasitic draw and found it to be zero or you don't know how to measure your parasitic draw, but would like to learn, check out this video for simple instructions. https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/experience/2010/12/what-normal-parasitic-draw.............................................. Image Unavailable, Please Login

    ,
     
  11. Keith360

    Keith360 Formula Junior

    Feb 6, 2015
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    I went a little more ahhh, anal? Overboard? Over Engineered? What ever you call it, it utilizes the factory charge harness interface. The factory charger, which is rather dated by todays technology, and the charger receptacle under the kidney shaped cover under the trunk or boot whichever word you use. So the way the factory configures the use of the optional charger is to open the trunk/boot, remove the kidney shaped cover between the trunk and bottom of the windscreen, and make your connection. Inside this cover allows access to the brake fluid revisor, A/C service ports, and the battery charger connector, if so equipped. What a pain to get on with driving the car! There is one good feature using this connection. When the charger is plugged in, the starter motor is inhibited and the central warning shows a battery symbol meaning the charger is connected. My first battery maintainer was to the right footwell, through the door seal and the charger on the ground. I dragged the charger a few feet which was still connected until noticed what was going on. My fix at the time was to use the charger as a tire chock to prevent backing the car.

    So my final modification was to install an outside charger connection. It connects to the factory harness and benefits from the central warning and start inhibit.
     

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  12. Keith360

    Keith360 Formula Junior

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    #87 Keith360, Aug 16, 2019
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2019
    I don’t wish to rain on your parade, but I don’t believe that is the factory harness or cable or the location. See my post above. Here is the factory harness that is installed when the car is ordered. The charger itself was in a leather covered box. The gray connector on the short harness mates with a connector which is part of the main harness in all the 360’s. The black end of the short harness is where the battery charger. It is located under the 3 screw panel, along with the A/C service ports and bake reservoir.
     

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  13. Keith360

    Keith360 Formula Junior

    Feb 6, 2015
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    Keith Williams
  14. Keith360

    Keith360 Formula Junior

    Feb 6, 2015
    570
    Santa Barbara County
    Full Name:
    Keith Williams
  15. Pransingh Horse

    Pransingh Horse Formula Junior

    Sep 27, 2006
    543
    Vancouver, Canada

    I must say I applaud the ingenuity of your install, @Keith360

    How do you like that Optima charger ? I am comparing it and the Optima 400 to the CTEK 4.3, 7002, & 5.0 Was thinking about some sort of a stealth outside install, so I don't have to practise jiujitsu in the passenger footwell all the time when plugging in.
     
  16. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
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    Simplest, is to add a connector behind the driver's seat. There are terminal posts behind there, and you can easily connect the ring mounts there, and run the pig tail under the cover, and end up behind the seat. Then very easy to connect up, and run the cord under the door (the door seals will easily collapse around the cord) or run the cord out the window. I've seen a lot of 360s and 430s set up this way.
     
  17. Pransingh Horse

    Pransingh Horse Formula Junior

    Sep 27, 2006
    543
    Vancouver, Canada

    Interesting idea. The only 2 factors to consider are:

    1. that the driver's side door is what sets off the F1 pump, and if I happen to just be checking on the car and not intending on driving it right at that time, I'd end up having to needlessly cycle the pump.

    2. The Optima tech support guys that I chatted with were adamant that the charger should be directly installed at the battery point and not the jump point. Think 1 CTEK dealer said the same thing too, not entirely sure why.
     
  18. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
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    Its fine, Ferrari of Seattle sets up a lot of cars this way. My 430 Scuderia had it added as well by Ferrari of Silicon Valley....though I removed it and use the stock set up on the the passenger side, as that is closer to my outlet on the wall.
     
  19. Pransingh Horse

    Pransingh Horse Formula Junior

    Sep 27, 2006
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    When you say the stock setup, do you mean the stock charger, or just the stock location ?

    If you use an aftermarket charger, do you use a CTEK or optima ? how do you like it ?
     
  20. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
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    I mean the stock under dash location on the passenger side. The factory Ferrari Ctek has some funky operation and rarely will show the full charge status unless I unplug it and plug it back in, after it has charged for a while.

    I made an adapter cable and now alternate between sometimes using a Granite Battery Saver (recommended by Rifledriver), or a Griot's Garage Battery Manager IV (now discontinued) they offer a newer version V.

    Battery Manager V - Griot's Garage (griotsgarage.com)

    6 & 12 Volt 25 Watt Charger, Maintainer & Tester (batterysaver.com)

    Both are compatible with either flooded or AGM batteries, and many other chemistries. Just not Lithium Ion, which require a specific charger.
     

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  21. Pransingh Horse

    Pransingh Horse Formula Junior

    Sep 27, 2006
    543
    Vancouver, Canada

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