There are a shedload of conditions that have to be met before the car will start:

(N.B. this is for the 5.0, but I believe the 4.2 is similar)

I know that, in one case, failure to crank was caused by air in the brake lines, which meant that the brake pressure didn't meet the threshold. But it could be a glitch in any of the other checks.

 

Well, I have finally succumbed to the CTEK bandwagon. The original battery on the XKR lasted 6 years, just like every other Jag battery has but it is nice to know the battery is always fully charged considering how much time it just sits un used. Installed the MUS 4.3 today with the 8-step indicator. Started out on step 2 and went to step 3 fairly quickly then after several hours it went to step 4 where it has been for about 2 hours. I did not need the extra long extension cord as the one attached is more than long enough for the tender to sit outside the car on the wall. HOWEVER the quick disconnect that attached to the battery is too short and barely gets past the battery cover so I am going to order the indicator panel kit which allows for an actual outlet to be mounted in one of the trunk panels, it is a longer cord and has a visual indicator for the condition of the battery.

Thank you for everyone's input in this thread!

 

Received and installed the comfort indicator panel. Cord well long enough to pass around the right side behind the trunk liner. Cut a small hole with a razor knife on the part that faces the rear of the car just past the trunk light closest to the rear. Perfect seamless fit. Also the holes on the terminals were smaller and a better fit than the short cable that came with the Ctek. Very happy with everything. Highly recommend to anyone who buys a Ctek.

 

My 2013 XKR was dead last night! It hadn't been driven for 3 months but it had been on a trickle charge using the Jaguar supplied (at purchase) charger. Once bitten, the Jaguar charger will now get binned. Does anyone know the version of the CTEK charger sold in the UK for my '13 XKR Conv't? The CTEK dealer I spoke to here wasn't very helpful.

Thanks in anticipation.

 

Not sure - but, FYI, the Jag charger is a CTEK.

 

Eastneuk:

The Jaguar charger is indeed a CTEK brand charger with the Jaguar logo on the front. Doubtful that the CTEK smartcharger is bad.

However, if your in the market for a new one, in the UK I would suggest the following: CTEK MXS5.0 a new technology 8-step smartcharger.

The CTEK MXS5.0 is the same as the CTEK MUS4.3 sold here in the USA. Price here is about $68.00 US.

You will find that the MXS5.0 is one great smartcharger. I currently have 4 CTEK's and would not be without one being connected to my premium sports cars that I own.

I have attached a link for you to make it easy to reference the CTEKMXS5.0 smartcharger.....this has the EU plug.



This CTEK will work well.

Richard in the USA (New Mexico)

 

a very nice write-up Richard. thank you for the detail. I will order my CTec this weekend. should be standard equipment on an xk.

 

I bought the CTEK 3300, but after reading all the warnings that came with it about explosive gasses, I hesitate to install it as my garage is not ventilated in anyway and the hot water heater is nearby. Is there really any danger that the electronic ignition on the hot water heater could cause an explosion?

 

I doubt that your garage is air tight, but even if it is your fear is unfounded.

The danger of explosion is from hydrogen gas that is produced whenever a battery is being charged. But for that hydrogen gas to explode, it has to be in a confined space - like the battery compartment in the rear of your car. Note that Jaguar engineers recognized this possibility, so they designed your battery with a vent tube to remove the hydrogen gas from the confines of the battery compartment to the outside, namely, into your garage, where it will dissipate and no longer be able to explode. The electronic ignition on your water heater poses no risk since any hydrogen gas would be so dissipated as to not be sufficiently concentrated to explode.

You can sleep well!

Stuart

 

I brought an '07 in this past January and, of course, I learned the hard way about the battery drain problem so I bought the CTEK 3300 battery charger. Just now I went to install it and found that there are no nuts on those posts. Can anyone tell me what size nut to buy?

 

If I remember correctly?......10mm fine thread should do it, if you talking about the same thread bolts on the terminals.

These are available at any Home Depot or local hardware store. Take the car with you, and try. They should only cost about .20 cents each.

..

 

Got installed finally. I wish my arms were longer as I dropped the first nut and had to take the spare tire out to find it.

Now I am wondering if the manual's warning about removing the plug from the socket before disconnecting the charger has any merit? What's is your practice?

 

Marvdenny:

What socket are you referring to? The electrical socket or the plug connect on the CTEK cord.

My CTEK chargers (all 4) are always kept plugged into the electrical outlet to the unit.

I only disconnect the CTEK Quick Connect plug and off I go.

Hope this helps.

..

 

That's want I wanted to know! Thanks, much.

 

So I got my CTEK charger installed and the indicator lights showed that it was happily charging away. I returned a couple of hours later and the lights indicated that the battery was fully charged. That was two weeks ago and I have driven the car several times since then and the problem appeared to be solved. That is until today. We drove across town, about 10 miles and back. All appeared well until we were close to home. Then the dreaded 'brake light failure' message came up! The charger now indicates that the battery is fully charged after about 2 hours. What's going on?

 

How old is your battery and have you had it checked? You could be charging a battery that is not good and when under load is failing.

 

I bought the car in Jan so I don't know how old the battery is but I just came back from a local battery shop and it checked out OK. Here's the fun part. As soon as I started the car up again the error message was gone.

 

Keep using the CTEK daily. What CTEK did you buy?

 

Multi us 3300

 

I have to thank the originators of this thread, albeit an oldie. After having read all there is to read about electrical drains on a Jag, and after experiencing the same drain issues with my 2005 MINI Cooper S, discovering a great charger such as this CTEK 3300 is a great find to be sure...

I just installed my CTEK 3300 today. The correct size of the nuts used for attaching the two pigtail leads for my 2008 XKR are 6mm, 1.00 pitch, and requires a 10mm wrench for tightening. I chose to run the extension lead around the right (passenger) side of the boot, behind the liner. The remaining cord and plug are accessible by removing the cover where we access the convertible hood pump. I also removed the supplied plug cap quite easily and reinstalled it at the end of the extension. Everything stows nicely behind the cover when not in use.

A very easy 20 minute install project, after acquiring the proper 6mm stainless lock nuts.