Put the F-Type R Coupe in storage lat week. Hooked up a Battery Tender Jr. to the positive and negative terminals in the trunk. It appears that the device is not cycling...the red light stays on constantly (indicating it is in charge mode). Device also got very warm.

I know the device is working, as I hooked it up,to another car that I have stored and it works properly.

I understand that the coupe has two AGM batteries. Am I doing something wrong, or do I need a different type of device?

 

How long had the car been sitting when you hooked it up. It could take days if the battery is depleted.

I can leave my car sitting for just two days, and it still takes it 12 hours or more to get to the 80% point and another 4-5 hous to get the green charged light. I'm using the Battery Tender Plus, but even in full charge mode (red light) it's only delivering 2-3 amps.

 

Are you using the Jaguar battery conditioner?

 

I have a Battery Tender Plus. The first time I hooked up the charger, it took 2 - 3 days to get a full charge. I thought I had a problem as well. Now I can set it up at night and it will have a full charge by morning.

 

No, as we both said, we're each using a model of "Battery Tender" which is a brand name. They work very well and are highly-rated.

 

I hooked up a Batter Tender Jr. last year before I put the car in storage. Needed more than a day to hit full charge, as others have noted. I too was a bit surprised by that, but no known problems. Went through the winter fine, and started fine in the spring.

 

Same for me and my Battery Tender Plus. I charge it every week or two just to keep it well charged as I make a lot of 1 mile runs to the store and sometimes it sits for 3 or 4 days. The first few times I charged it, it took at least 2 days, then it went to about 24 hrs. After not using the car for a few days, I put it on charge this AM at 10 and just went out at 7 PM and it is steady green (fully charged after 9 hrs or less).

And yes it gets pretty warm when it is in the charging mode.

 

The Jaguar battery conditioner is actually a Ctek 3300 with a Jaguar logo on it costing about $129 from Jag. You can buy the Ctek 3300 online for $50-$60. A lot of guys on the XK section swear by them and I think they charge a bit faster (3.3 amp max vs 1-2 amp.)

Since I already had the Battery Tender Plus I stuck with it and it has performed well for the last 3 years on my XKR and now seems to be doing the job on my F Type R. If my Tender Plus every goes bad I would opt for the Ctek 3300 as it has a couple of different modes and a desulphation function for about the same price as the Battery Tender.

 

If they are AGM batteries, desulphation is irrelevant. Are they?

 

Good question. I'm not sure what is in mine. I thought I saw in the manual that some have an AGM and some don't.

I did read that the Battery Tender and the Ctek work on both.

 

Yes, they most certainly do.

 

I too have the Battery Tender Plus - and as my car is in the shop getting "filmed" and without the benefit of having it in my garage - intending on hooking it up while hibernating the car for winter as soon as I get it back (on Friday).

...would someone be kind enough to walk me through the steps for installing? Including what to do with the cord sticking out of the car; with a cover over it.

Thanks so much!

Best regards,
RJ52

 

RJ, there's really nothing to it. It's no different than what you'd do with jumper cables in starting a dead battery.

1) remove cover panels in the trunk floor, they are loosely clipped in.

2) Option 1 (easy way): put the alligator clips on main (larger) battery w/ red on red (positive) battery terminal and black on black (negative) terminal.

3) Option 2 (slightly harder): unbolt battery cables and put the also supplied cable with ring clips under red and black terminals as above.

4) Run the pigtail (same on both options) outside of the compartment a couple of inches at least and reinstall trunk panels leaving the pigtail exposed. They still fit flush with pigtail sticking out.

5) plug charger cable in to pigtail, and then plug charger into power outlet.

6) Done. Trunk will easily close over the small cable.

 

If the F-type is like other Jags, then you shouldn't attach the charger directly to the negative terminal of the battery. Other jags have an electronic monitor that tracks battery usage/level that is part of the negative cable that attaches to the battery. Bypassing the monitor causes the monitor to lose track of the battery level and can lead to false 'low battery' warnings. Jaguar recommends that you attach the negative cable to a ground point instead.

UPDATE - just checked the owner's manual. The F-type *does* have a battery monitor so you should definitely not connect directly to the negative terminal of the battery. Pages 163-166 of the owner's manual.

 

Thanks, no issues so far, but will look for a good ground point in the trunk.

Sorry RJ, as per usual, sources here say it's not as easy as it seemed . . . or maybe it is. I doubt it's likely to cause a real problem if you're just trying maintain the battery charge during storage.

 

If you search you will find a diagram of where to attach the Ground. it is mentioned many times in the XJ section since XJ's have issues with batteries. or click the link below


https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...r-98436/page2/

here are the directions for the F type charging kit

http://www.mediafire.com/view/6gasar...arging_Kit.pdf

 

Of course, one could remove the battery from the car and store it in the (relative) warm somewhere. Fully charge in the spring, and re-install.

 

Removing the battery is not the best solution, can actually cause other issues.

If you have an older car without engine computers, it’s safe to disconnect the battery – or remove it entirely – while it’s stored. Brown-Harrison says a disconnected battery will keep its charge longer if you store it in the freezer.

But disconnecting the battery is a bad idea if you have a newer vehicle with computers – if they lose power, you could face performance problems down the road, Faruki says.

“You won’t just lose radio station settings – the computer could lose its settings and that could affect your car’s operation,” he says. “So, with newer vehicles, you should install a smart charger and keep it plugged in all winter.”

 

Thank you for all the replies...

...just dropped my wife's BMW 325 xi wagon off at my mechanic - naturally a car nut - and showed him pictures of the F-Type. I questioned what he does for winter storage and he mentioned that many new cars (he has a new Challenger) have "battery systems" in place which probably do not require the need for a battery maintainer during the winter months [re] hiberating. These weren't his exact words but along those lines.

I guess my question is - before I even attach the Battery Tender Plus - is a battery tender even an necessity? Figure that the car will remain idle starting this weekend and, sans clear and salt-free days (in Maine), will likely not see the light of day until...(?)...March? April?

Thanks!

RJ52

 

RJ,

I'm also now confused as a result of the new info supplied by Zach in various links he posted. The opinions and theories are all over the map on this issue, and I had been mis-informed by the dealer about the function of the two batteries, and the fact that hooking the charger to the main battery doesn't charge the 2nd battery which starts the engine.

Hard to say about whether you could get away without, but I do know that my car was "dead" on the showroom floor last June, and had to be recharged before they could take it to detail after the sale.

As I said in the other battery thread, I think I'll use the underhood terminals and alligator clips if I'm storing my car longer than a couple of weeks. That apparently charges both batteries.