I recently plugged my F-Type into a CTEK in an attempt to battery drain during my upcoming cruise. After about 1 hr. the CTEK was so hot it was difficult to hold. I have the contacts secured to the battery positive terminal, and the negative side attached to the battery hold down post.
Is this normal??

 

Well, for your car (2020) that is not how the CTEK unit should be connected - you are by-passing the car’s battery control system. There are threads regarding the correct connection method.
The CTEK units can indeed get warm, but hot? not normal.

 

Correct, my CTEK gets pretty warm to the touch when it is in the charge mode. When it is in the maintain mode it is barely warm. If it is getting hot, something is wrong

 

I will start looking for the threads explaining the hookup for the battery control. I did not see a mode for maintain. That is all I wanted to do, maintain.

 

I don't think there's a mode for maintain - once the CTEK has fully charged the battery it goes into "maintain" mode which involves monitoring the state of charge and occasionally top up as necessary.

 

My F-Type connected to the CTEK, always...months at a time. It does not get hot - certainly not after the battery has been brought to full charge.




This is how the CTEK is connected : the negative lead (black) to any bolt on the floor of the trunk, and the positive lead (red) to any of the connecting spots in the black box that sits on the floor near the battery. Your 2020 car may have a different electrical box but the same principle apples. In other words, the connection is not made directly to the battery.

 

Sorry to change the subject but it seems like the CTEK series of battery maintainer is by far the most popular one used by many car folks. I have used others historically and currently use a really reasonably priced Genius 1 which has performed flawlessly. Is there something about the CTEK that makes it a better or safer option? I am not sure what I would be gaining by spending five times as much. Thanks!

 

If CTEK is good enough for Harry's Garage it's good enough for me! However, as you've found, there are other makes that do the job.

 

To the OP, confirm that the CTEK you have is the proper unit (or configured) to charge an AGM battery.

 

The CTeks do get hot when charging. Two possibilities i can think of:

1: Battery was really low and needed a good charge.
2: There is a load on the battery (and hence the CTEK too). Is something on in the car?


I don't think its a short because the CTEK units shut down in the event of a dead short. At least mine does.

 

I have been using "Battery Tender" brand for years and have never had any problems. I did purchase the higher amp mode for our Jag.

 

This article should be helpful:
https://howtune.com/articles/548-ins...-jaguar-f-type

Also, when you first plug in the CTEK you configure it for an automobile battery and an AGM type battery. See step # 8 in the link. Once you have done that the unit will remember the settings.
The CTEK has circuitry to evaluate the state of the charge of your battery. When you first plug it it, it will top off the charge and then go into the "trickle charge" or maintain mode.

There are other chargers on the market, I have one from Harbor Freight that I think was around $30. It works if I want to top off the charge on my Mazda CX 5 or the battery in my generator but it takes 10-12 hours and you sure don't want to leave it plugged in once it reaches a full charge. I didn't mind spending the money for the CTEK, it is a much more sophisticated piece of electronics.

 

There is a difference between a charger and a maintainer. I agree that you have to have a maintainer [otherwise you will fry your battery]. I was only inquiring about the difference between a moderate priced maintainer like the one I have [Genius 1, about 30 bucks on Amazon] and the CTEK which is considerable more expensive. IOW, if there's a good reason to have a CTEK, I'll get one but I've never understood why the CTEK is so much more expensive. Is it safer or more reliable?

 

I had not heard of the NOCO Genius 1 prior to buying my CTEK. It does have almost 35,000 4.5 star ratings on Amazon so there are plenty of satisfied owners. I compared the specs to the CTEK MXS 5.0 which is what most of us are using.

Genius 1 Charging Current 1 Amp CTEK Charging Current 4.3 Amps
Genius 1 Warranty 3 Years CTEK Warranty 5 Years Note: They both are manufactured in China
Genius 1 Battery Capacity 30 Ah CTEK battery Capacity 110 Ah

The CTEK seems to be the Gold Standard for such devices but is it worth more than 3X the price of the Genius 1 ? From the specs it seems like it will charge batteries faster and handle batteries with a higher Ah rating and has a longer warranty. At least the Genius 1 has a 3 year warranty instead of some pessimistic 1 year warranty so it must be a quality unit, it's just built to a price point as far as the ratings.

The Genius 5 looks like a closer comparison to the CTEK MXS 5.0 and at $69.95 is still less expensive than the CTEK. That one might be worth considering too.

 

My ctek gets quite warm when attached to the "correct" spot in front. In theory it should not matter where the charger is attached - the ctek I am using is the newest, smartest units....I had an older one that may not have been as "smart"....

Anyway, my guess is one person's "hot" is another person's "quite warm"....

jb

 

I know your wiring is correct, but does the thick red lead to the control box go straight to the battery? If so, I can't see any difference (other than maybe ease) between connecting there and connecting direct to the battery terminal?

 

Hello, sharing my experience (i have not considered as an issue): i am using CTEK for a year on my 2013 V6S / agm mode of course. I have noticed that each time i plug (even after a good drive and battery test showed good charge) that it starts from light 2 or 3 and then increases - and during these first phase the CTEK unit becomes very warm (can hold it though, but very warm) and when the cycle seams on max or almost max, then gets normal. This cycle starting low in the progress bar is systematic, each time i unplug/plug.

 

I went with the Genius 1 because I figured 1 A was the safest and what's the hurry? I do use it 24/7. I get the warranty but this is an inexpensive item so three or five years is not so important. My concerns were centered around whether the CTEK incorporates features that would provide added protection for either the battery itself or more importantly the vehicle's electronics.

Thanks for the information!

 

Yes, that thick red lead goes directly to the battery; your question is a valid one. I think the answer is that if the charger’s connections are made directly to the battery, you are eliminating the quite sophisticated charging monitoring in the car’s electrical system…and the necessity of using the car’s monitoring system is precisely why that battery + cable is attached to that box.

 

I checked in my battery compartment for a control box/block and found only the battery. Do I need to pull all the trunk lining, of just connect to the3 underhood charging connections for my 2020 F-type?

Wire to the left is for my CTEK.