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Getting ready to put my baby to bed if weather, snow depth gets bad. It' Ohio, so who can tell? I want to purchase a good battery tender for my girl. I've spent many hours online trying to find one that is proper for my 98Xk8 convertible. I don't mind spending the $$$ if it is the right one. Daddy always said, "Don't buy a Buick to swat a fly"., but Grandma always countered with, "You get what you pay for". It seems like every time I check out a higher end one, the customer reviews complain of unit getting hot or overcharging! Anyone out there have experience these devices? Any suggestion? I have come to realize how critical voltages are to these cars. If I'm good to my girl, then she'll be good to me.
I have a couple of CTEK MXS 5.0s serving the Jaaag and the MGB. There have been some complaints about the 'mode' button becoming inoperative after a while, but I've had no issues in 2 years +
I have several Battery Tender (tm) baby sitters made by Deltran (tm). I've not had any problems but a couple friends (non-Jag drivers but good folks nonetheless) did and Deltran stood behind them. All things with and an electric starter at my house has a hook up on the battery. My .02 yours for .00. TM
I leave my '97 XK8 on the Battery Tender junior by Deltran for the 6 months of winter every year. I hook it up and leave it in the trunk and close the lid on the cord. The old girl always starts right up in spring with no loss of any memory.
The voltage is critical ..not over 14v. I use a standard electronic charger which has a 14.2v setting and drop the voltage with a diode in the lead which reduces it to 13.5v giving a 0.7v drop . I have this on 24/7 when the car is not in use
Fit a CTEK MXS 5.0 smart charger as michaelh suggests - select mode for a standard or AGM battery - it is a fit and forget solution.
DO NOT fit a series diode to a smart charger as that will disable the ability for it to monitor the battery voltage !
The CTEK charger will charge and then maintain the battery automatically, by monitoring the voltage and only applying a charging voltage/current when the voltage drops below a certain level. No problem with gassing or over/under charging.
See chart:
Another satisfied Delran Battery Tender + user. I’ve been using them for 15-20 years . Very reliable. My 12v car batteries are lasting 8-10 years. I keep the battery tender engaged whenever the car(s) are parked overnight or longer. Seems to keep the XKR very happy electrically.
Another positive; the Delran has a very tough sheet metal case. I’ve ran over mine at least 3 times. It doesn’t look new pristine anymore, but works like a champ.
I know they are somewhat less pricey than the CTEC tenders
Amazon sells them for about $55
Battery Tender Plus 12V Battery Charger and Maintainer: 1.25 AMP Powersport Battery Charger and Maintainer for Motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs - Smart 12 Volt Automatic Float Charger - 021-0128
Just bought myself an Odyssey AGM BATTERY, they make chargers as well - high end - available at Summit Racing - AGM BATTERIES have benefits for older Jags with electricals that sap the battery. Time will tell.
Originally Posted by OldCoot
Getting ready to put my baby to bed if weather, snow depth gets bad. It' Ohio, so who can tell? I want to purchase a good battery tender for my girl. I've spent many hours online trying to find one that is proper for my 98Xk8 convertible. I don't mind spending the $$$ if it is the right one. Daddy always said, "Don't buy a Buick to swat a fly"., but Grandma always countered with, "You get what you pay for". It seems like every time I check out a higher end one, the customer reviews complain of unit getting hot or overcharging! Anyone out there have experience these devices? Any suggestion? I have come to realize how critical voltages are to these cars. If I'm good to my girl, then she'll be good to me.
I have had one fitted to my 2001 XKR via the CTEK comfort connector for several years and never had an issue. Always starts first time after the winter layup.
Far better than disconnecting the battery as no need to reset windows and radio.
I use a CTEK stop/start with the Land Rover Discovery Sport as this is a "battery killer" like the Jag again with no issues.
Although I do not know how my AGM Battery Tender compares to other brands, I have had excellent results for several years. It is hard to argue against any that withstand the test of time.
Daddy always said, "Don't buy a Buick to swat a fly"., but Grandma always countered with, "You get what you pay for".
So the idea is that you're going to plug this thing in to your expensive collector car and leave it unattended for weeks or months. In this case, consider the worst possible outcome; the unit malfunctions, you're not around to unplug it, and burns down your car, the garage and your house too if attached. I've posted about my very close calls with budget-minded and even mid-priced units before. What you want is enough amps to cover in case the car's computer systems don't power down and smart circuitry that detects charging problems and shuts the unit off. Granted I've since found that the CTEKs can be frustrating when a unit keeps shutting itself off as you won't know why it thinks there's a problem. You just have to diagnose your car and battery and cables and figure it out. But that's what you want to happen.
When I acquired my 07 Jag I was having problems keeping a charge on the battery, it was only three years old, after some research I found this was a common problem and after looking into it further, I acquired an AGM battery - bought it online from AUTOZONE, got a notice that it wasn't available, AUTOZONE involved the Odyssey Rep and to my amazement, they (he) sent me a battery to get me through and when the proper battery went into production a few weeks later, they sent me out the correct battery for my vehicle (07 XKR) and it fit like a glove. Talking with the Odyssey Rep, I learned a lot about AGM's, I think anyone replacing a battery would do themselves a favor by investigating an AGM ... there an initial drawback, I believe it was $375 after the core return, but you get what you pay for. AGM's don't need to be vented, you can shoot a bullet through one and they don't leak (good for a James Bond 007 Jaguar if you have one I guess) and they have extra cranking power that they somehow save when they get low (magic?) and with proper care they last 10 years, you cannot 'over charge' it, it won't leak acid even when punctured, they lose power slowly so you won't find yourself stranded like you can be with a conventional battery -- so other than the sticker shock, there's really not a downside. We're all most likely driving a vintage Jags, it's well known that early Jag's electricals are battery killers, so spending double or triple to have peace of mind ... I mean they all look cool when they're parked ... but they look better when they start and go down the road.
I've been using NOCO GENIUS1, 1-Amp Fully-Automatic Smart Charger, 6V And 12V Battery Charger, Battery Maintainer, And Battery Desulfator With Temperature Compensation on two vehicles year round for 2 years. I selected them after some casual research but I don't recall why. I have no significant knowledge of such devices in any case. I've been satisfied and have had no disruptions or bad outcomes. OTOH, since the two vehicles are parked below my living quarters, it comes to mind that fire suppression capabilities might not be a bad idea.
I would not suggest a diode for a CTEk but I dont use a CTEK but a standard £20 digital charger with a constant 14.2v output reduced to 13.5 by the diode
My many thanks to all who responded to my request for advice on which battery tender to buy. I researched each one checking reviews both pro and con. Not one of them got perfect ratings every time, so I had to use a little of the SWAG method to determine which one to buy. Per Graham's admonition, "GET A BATTERY TENDER"! I finally did and actually hooked it up today. I'll report back at a future date to say how it turned out. Again, my thanks to all who took the time to guide me in the right direction.
Of course, for the winter you could fully charge the battery and put it in the freezer..ensure you thaw it fully before use in the spring
Freeze the leftover Prime Rib from Christmas dinner, Maybe even the Brussel Sprouts, but NOT your car battery ... surely you are saying this in jest 😲 but just in case someone actually might go forward with your advice ....
A) Batteries freeze around -76°CF, good luck with that
B) If they do freeze, the case most likely will rupture, making the battery useless
C) In the event a battery would freeze, the internal electrical connections will be damaged as a result as well
Not a problem at -18deg C the electrolyte goes to jelly, the self-discharge is zero . What do you think they do with the batteries on the trucks in the Alaska gold fields? They just leave them on the trucks for the winter.
The temperature has been below -30C with a wind chill in the -40s for the last week or two and there's no problem letting the truck sit for a day or two without starting it. My Ford F150 fires right up.
The temperature has been below -30C with a wind chill in the -40s for the last week or two and there's no problem letting the truck sit for a day or two without starting it. My Ford F150 fires right up.
Enjoying 40°+ F temps here in Ohio, still ripping the XKR around. Being a Ford guy, I'd expect the F150 to endure the cold, -30 ... that's cold by the way. I think we've beaten the battery charger and battery maintenance thing to death 💀
12-22-2021, 06:27 PM
Battery Tender Advice
