So even with all my diligence I still have a dead battery. Why, my charger is worn out. So here's my question: I disconnected the positive side with the large cap, I now have the battery on my large charger, tomorrow I'm going to try and start the car. I can't seem to turn the torx nut on the electric shut off, can I just reattach the positive without turning that switch off??? Thanks in advance!
So as it turns out I answered my own question: The shut off switch next to the battery needs to be pushed in then turned to the left to turn the car off. I charged the battery all night with a battery charger. This morning I reconnected the large square cap on the positive and turned the switch back to the on position. I could hear the computer fire up immediately, turned the key and waited for the car to cycle through, pushed the button and she fired right up. This is what I've learned through this: 1. The Cytek trickle charger needs to be replaced every few years since it's basically a piece of Chinese junk. 2. I am not leaving the trunk cracked when the car is on the charge. I have looked in the trunk and I know I have seen the light turn off but I'm not taking any more chances. 3. When the car is just sitting on the charge I am not going to lock it to try and reduce the pull on the battery.
Hi George, hi everyone, Would be keen to hear other thoughts as I too have been caught out with a dead battery despite my 612 having been connected to a CTEK charger. To make things worse, the driver’s door lock cylinder didn’t work so I couldn’t get into the car (passenger door was against a wall) and hence had to have someone break into my car so I could access the emergency pull inside the car to get to the trunk. I would be keen to avoid such a fiasco in the future. What’s the current thinking? Close the trunk completely and lock the car with a key rather than the remote control? Or leave it unlocked altogether? I am still not sure how my CTEK failed to keep the battery topped up in the 2 weeks I hadn’t started the car! All advice welcome... thanks!
Several independent shops recommend Battery Saver by Granite Digital. I’ve used one in my 599 for a couple of years, no issues. https://www.batterysaver.com/
Can it be that even though the CTek was connected to the car, the electricity socket was off? This happened to me in the past. The CTek cannot be connected to the car if the electricity power is off. It will drain the battery. FWIW, I'm using the same procedure with my 612 since years: in the garage, unlocked, Ctek (the one that came with the car) connected at all times - trunk open slightly. BOSCH S5 battery replaced every 3/4 years. Never skip a beat up to now.
I had a new battery installed when I bought the car. Not sure what it is. I had one bad experience just after I bought the car due to inexperience and not understanding the drain (though it gave me the wonderful opportunity to realize the battery was in the trunk and I had no way to open the trunk except through the emergency pull in the back seat that I didn’t know existed —Ferrari Chat to the rescue on that one). My procedure is the same as Makuono’s except I only plug in the charger if I am going to leave it for more than a week (since I normally drive the car a couple of times a week). I use the factory Ctek and have had no problems since the initial one. Maybe I am living on borrowed time but I dont plan on replacing the battery until it fails (leaving the car unlocked with the trunk slightly open should mitigate any issues).
I have found over recent years that battery longevity is very inconsistent. I have an Interstate in my 599 at this time with no trouble.My Ferrari charger just drained the battery when I first used it but a new CTek has done the job for almost 2 years.Car is at my home garage ,trunk fully closed and door unlocked. Mike
My CTek charger died some years ago. I think I have a "Battery Genius" now, which I leave connected all the time with the trunk loosely shut (but not latched). No issues since I replaced the CTek.
Hi Ricardo, The power was definitely on at the mains so still really not sure what it could have been. A new S5 is going in for sure when the weather gets better and I know I can exercise the car a little more. And I may move over to your usual procedure as it may prevent any further issues All the best, J
Thanks everyone for all the advice and wisdom here. I will definitely take this all on board. It seems a little at first thought leaving the car unlocked/electronically unimmobilisdd even in a closed and secure garage but I guess it’s working for everyone here. Thanks again
on my 599 GTO and my F12 I leave the citek charger on when ever I am not driving it with trunk shut and not locked ..but I keep two Porsches at my second house and they set for weeks and maybe a couple of months . I was told to lock the car with no charger it works fine...starts up two months later no problem....
I have a 612, Bosch S5 013 battery (100 Ah), CTEK MXS 5 charger that I can only use sparingly as I need to run a 40m cable through 2 fire doors in order to reach the nearest wall socket in the garage... The battery lasts at most 10 days, after that the front beam lights flicker rapidly and the electric relays clank thunderously without being able to start the car. In 14 days the car doesn't open any more. A meter shows 34-35 mA constant drain, which means it should last for a while (is it (100 * 1000 / 35) / 24 = 119 days?). As a way to improve things, we're considering a solar panel that'll work under fluorescent light as well, and a 900A battery boost with a special connector to the main one, in order to keep it alive while the car is stationary. Penny for your thoughts! Much appreciated.
Yes, you need a to get closer to a wall socket. It might be cheaper to ask your garage to run a line and install a new socket.
Unfortunately that's not an option in Amsterdam... I'd appreciate any thoughts on the ideas that I have been working towards!
So I now have the latest and greatest Ctek charger, we'll see how that goes.I did the lock-unlock sequence 3 times which fixed the trunk release button problem.
Hi Radu The best way about it is to measure the power drain over a 24 hour period with the car locked. A proper ammeter will record the total amps drain over a 24 hour period. Bare in mind that out of 100Amps battery you only have 25 to 30% of it available to drain before you have problems. Another issue could be the proper switching on and learning process (ie 30 seconds with ignition on before starting).I had similar issues and found out that my passenger seat relays were not going to sleep due to initial learning process.
Hi @Stathis Stathis, And thank you for your reply! What exactly do you mean by this? Is it possible that the battery was disconnected, and then the ECU learning process never completed, or? I did have trouble with the passenger seat once - controls died, it was fixed though by replacing something (can't remember what exactly, I think a fuse).
George, which one is that? Also, I assume you had to use a different connection than the Ferrari plug in connector?
Just had the same problem with my ctek charger not working. But it was the actual 19 inch connector to the battery that was not working. When I plugged the new ctek into it would not charge. Once I connected the new battery connector that came with the new charger, both chargers worked.
Hi Radu I assume every time you charge the battery the main battery switch is turned off therefore to start the the car you have to switch ignition on and wait for 30 seconds before starting.However in some cases the learning process of 30 seconds does not do the job.If you still have battery drainage you can only find this out by an ammeter preferably on a 24 hour bases.This test will indicate clearly whether there is any issues
In general, every time I start the car I wait until the car stops making all its cycling sounds. When the car quiets down then I push the button.
