Battery Charging

Technical Advice, Faults and How-To Information.
MOz
Posts: 254
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2016 11:30 pm

Post by MOz »

A bit of a frustrating "doh" moment.

I have an Oxford Oximiser battery charger that I used to use on my motorbike.

Thinking I could rig it up to the V6S, I bought the adaptor that allows the charger to plug into a cigarette lighter socket thinking I could run the cable through the window and charge the car via the lighter socket in the cockpit whilst the car was in the garage.

All was well whilst the car was unlocked charging nicely but the moment the car locked itself the charger stopped working, I'm guessing due to the lighter socket not being powered when the car is locked?

Am I missing something or is there no way around this?

I've not discovered the boot access to the battery in there yet. Am I right in thinking the socket for the lighter in the car is actually powered by a different battery to the starter motor?
V6S ragtop, Salsa Red, 20" Cyclones, extended black leather performance interior with red stitching and the finest exhaust note in motoring history.

mickjaguar
Posts: 1224
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2016 6:07 pm
Location: Chichester

Post by mickjaguar »

I think the socket switches off when the car is locked or goes into sleep mode (it seems to when I use it for my tyre compressor).

There's some useful info from Tel in a previous thread.

http://www.ftypeownersclub.co.uk/forum/battery-care-when-car-is-unused_topic172_page1.html

http://www.mediafire.com/view/6gasarph66d67a5/JAF_0048_1E_-_Battery_Charging_Kit.pdf

I'm hoping that Father Christmas brings me a Ctek this year.

2019 SVR Coupe, Velocity Blue
Previous 2015 V6 340 Coupe IRR
Arne
Posts: 558
Joined: Fri Jun 12, 2015 1:01 pm

Post by Arne »

Here is mine hooked up with a fixed "quick connector" in the boot.

I don't have a pic from where it is connected to the powergrid/battery, but when you remove both the lid to the left of the "dump" in the boot and then the rest of the floor, it's easy to see where to mount a fixed wire with a "quick connector that fits the charger you have.



F-type R Coupe IRR 2015 - rwd V8
MOz
Posts: 254
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2016 11:30 pm

Post by MOz »

Thanks for that. My only concern would be the risk of fire etc from the trapped wire. Is it possible to lock the car with the boot open or does it permanently keep boot lights on?
V6S ragtop, Salsa Red, 20" Cyclones, extended black leather performance interior with red stitching and the finest exhaust note in motoring history.
The Jagster
Posts: 1132
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2015 5:36 pm

Post by The Jagster »

I do the same as Arne, but I can see why there might be concern about trapped wires.

I think it's also important to say that it wouldn't be wise to put the charger unit inside the boot and shut the lid down......It needs air to circulate around it for cooling.

I have in the past also just left the boot lid open while I have the charger connected.

I use the same charger for other vehicles particularly over the winter period. I rotate the charger between them about once a week. I don't think it's all that good for any battery to have the charger on and connected up for weeks on end.
2014 V6s convertible Rhodium Silver with Propeller alloys & black interior.
The Jagster
Posts: 1132
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2015 5:36 pm

Post by The Jagster »

2014 V6s convertible Rhodium Silver with Propeller alloys & black interior.
Big Bri
Posts: 253
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2016 10:33 pm

Post by Big Bri »

CTEK also have a neat connector that fixes to the inner lining of the boot meaning no trailing wires when it's not in use / connected.
Jaguar have a wiring diagram, but I only have it in word format rather than as a picture.
I may be able to find the web link.


Big Bri
Posts: 253
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2016 10:33 pm

Post by Big Bri »

Here's another shot of how it looks

Arne
Posts: 558
Joined: Fri Jun 12, 2015 1:01 pm

Post by Arne »

The wire is not a consern when the boot lid is closed. The rubber seal is thick enough to move the wire rather freely even after the boot is closed.

Temperature of the battery or gases are not a problem with modern batteries and a Ctek charger/maintainer.

You could leave the charger on for weeks, however it's enough just to hook it up once every month for long time storage.
F-type R Coupe IRR 2015 - rwd V8
The Jagster
Posts: 1132
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2015 5:36 pm

Post by The Jagster »

That looks the business Big Bri. Very neat.
Thumbs Up


Arne... I'm not sure if you've noticed or are aware, but the charger units can get hot if they are working hard. In fact one of the thinks that kills these chargers is over heating. Because of this, the latest Ctek's have a built in temp sensor which shuts them down to prevent failure.

I have a marine version on my boat and when it's working at full tilt, the plastic housing of the unit becomes extremely hot. That particular charger has cooling fans built into it to aid cooling. Good air circulation is beneficial for all chargers, I think.
2014 V6s convertible Rhodium Silver with Propeller alloys & black interior.
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