Ferrari 355 and CTEK MXS 5.0 Battery Charger - any one used this and how?

Hi from the U.k
Just to let you know I am the proud owner of a 355 for the last 6 months.
Like you I had heard of the battery going down in a short time if left.
I used the battery cut off switch regularly and was not having any problems but with winter coming it was going to be left longer.
I took advice `PolishnoMore` in the U.K as I was using them for other items!
They recommended and sold me a CTEK 3.6 . I installed the supplied lead direct to the battery and brought it up through the hole and by the isolation switch.
It is now an easy matter to connect the charger/conditioner when neccessary.
All seems to be well!!!!
Hope this is of interest
best wishes
Mick

 

Have never seen your model. I use the more popular us3300. The best way is to remove the battery access cover and hook in directly to the battery. You will find a large plug above the battery. Make a small hole in it and run the wires up. When you open your front hood, remove the access cover and pull up the wires and tie wrap them there. All you do when parking it is lift the hood, plug in and lower your hood gently. Always best to charge the battery directly.

 

I had a CTEK MXS 5.0 connected to my 355 via the cig lighter. It did not reliably keep the battery topped up. I ended up connecting directly to the battery using the leads supplied with the charger. You can feed the narrow cables through the same rubber grommets that the battery leads use, but you will need access to the battery via the panel in front of the front wheel. I did this when replacing a dead battery with the car jacked up and the wheel off, but if you're just making connections, you should be able to get in there and have enough room to work with the wheel locked over.

 

This is exactly how I set mine up and have had no problems.

 

I should mention that I have a battery tender, but I would think that the CTEK set up would be similar.

 

+2 Exactly how I set mine up last fall.

 

When you access the battery area in front of the wheel well, you look above the battery and you will see a plug. Take the plug out and cut a slit in it. Then feed the wires through and hook up the ends to the battery. Pull the wires up through into the area under the cover you see under the hood(right side) and tie wrap the end to the gold coloured pipe you see there. Now replace the plug that has the wire going through it. There is just barely enough wire to get there. Too bad Ctek does not add a few more inches of wire. Now all you do is when parking the car for more than a few days, is open the hood and plug in. You can close the hood by running the wire up to the windshield but remember to put a reminder to unplug on your windshield.
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I have the battery tender leads hooked up in the engine compartment to the posts on the right side. Remove the right side cover, which is just 3 bolts. Run the cable along the tube frame and attach with zip ties, with the quick connect plug just sticking out at the rear of the tubing. Replace the side cover with the 3 bolts and you are done. You have quick access by lifting the rear deck lid, and the wire is not in contact with the door or fender. Once you are ready to use the car, simply unplug the quick connect and close the deck lid. It is very a very quick and tidy install without any alteration to the car.

I have had the tender set up this way for about 4 years, and it has always kept the battery charged without issue, so connecting the charger directly to the battery is not necessary.

 

Hello Aiden,

I am interested in connecting my ctek to my F355 (which i acquired last week). Would it be possible to provide a picture of how you did it?

Thanks a lot,

Greetings from Belgium.

Jotis

 

Fitted mine like Aiden earlier today. Really simple even for a complete novice like me. A few cable ties, and an Allen Key and 10 minutes later, all sorted.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only way to attach the tender cable to the battery directly is to jack the car, remove the front passenger wheel, and remove the battery access cover.

Seems like a PINTA. Isn't Aiden's solution better? Is there any downside to attaching the tender cable to the jump points?

 

Yikes, to much work, just buy the cig adapter and plug it in there

 

Note to those CTeck owners who live in areas that experience summer electrical storms. You may want to plug your unit into a surge power strip to avoid blowing it in a storm. I lost four in one storm last summer without the surge protection.

 

I just purchased a BatteryMINDER model 2012.

I use their products in the airplane, so I thought I'd give it a try in the car. Will report back.

 

I'm sure I read on one of the forums that the MSX 5.0 has caused problems with the F355, so I went with the lower voltage one, the MXS 3.8 with the M8 comfort lead (to fit in the engine compartment). The CTEK Multi US 3300 was not suitable for Australia.

I recall that the adaptor (or "comfort") lead which comes as standard has a terminal which is too big for the Ferrari.

I believe the charger won't work (if you fit the charger in this location) if you have the battery isolation switch in the OFF position.

Anyway, so far no problems for me with the 3.8.

Cheers
Ian.

 

I use the Deltran battery tender plus for many years. I have a lead going directly to the battery. Every car, boat, tractor, mower, motorcycle, etc has the same lead. I just move the tenders around as needed. I have a few of the tender jrs. but they aren't as powerful and tend to have a hard time bringing up a battery that is down. Deltran has a ten year warranty on the plus model. Hard to beat that.

I am concerned that Walmart is now selling them.....that usually isn't a good sign for quality!

 

Ctek Front Compartment Installation. Works Great!!

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/143670689-post32.html