Simple (But Clever) CTEK Battery Tender panel Install

[JohnVallo]

GT350 shown, All 2015-2018 mustangs should be the same
Thought I would do a detailed installation write-up on a Battery Tender panel I recently saw.

Credit goes to: Nizz55 for the idea, which I thought was quite clever.
SEE: https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/battery-tender-install.113335/#post-2403163

For those with the CTEK 3300 Battery Tender, or those of you who are looking for a nice CTEK battery tender installation, please read on.

Begin installation

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If you are interested in a kit to install the Battery Cover Hold-Down Wingnuts yourself I have some kits still available.
SEE:
Battery cover clips | Page 2 | 2015+ S550 Mustang Forum (GT, EcoBoost, GT350, GT500, Bullitt, Mach 1) - Mustang6G.com

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[2018OFPP1?2]

Nice mod.

 

[madlag]

Brilliant John. The wing nuts are a nice upgrade too.

 

[Doskiller]

Nice mod on the wingnuts ......... They look great ;-)

 

[JAJ]

Looks like a great install - well done and well documented!

I've had a CTEK charger for winter battery maintenance for the last decade and used it for a variety of cars. I've thought about putting in a harness and a connector, but one thing has always held me back: my memory, or more precisely, my ability to forget. What's stopped me every time I've considered it is the image of me driving out of the garage with the battery charger rattling along the ground beside the car, held on by the cord that I'd forgotten to unplug. As it is now, the hood being up makes it hard to miss.

 

[johnny1]

That reminds me I have Battery Tender and cord runs through edge of headlight. I backed out of the carport once last winter and forgot to unplug it. Got almost to the driveway and could see Tender drug out in middle of carport. First thought was oh no! how much did I mess up paint on corner of headlight . By golly, by luck it simply pulled straight enough it just unplugged the pig tail connector and no damage what so ever. Whew! This winter I have a small piece of cardboard in the car I lay over the start button when I shut car off to remind me for sure to unplug Tender if I haven't already done so before starting car.

 

[MrTej]

I just did this install after finding my battery completely dead after 4 months of storage. Thanks for the detailed instructions! I don’t know if I did not cut the hole low enough or if they changed the design of the comfort indicator, but mine was hitting the other side of the cowl and would not sit flush. I ended up cutting a hole in the the other side of the cowl (under the hood) in order to get it to sit flush on the outside. Once in place, I covered the hole under the hood with electrical tape, for now at least, until I decide if I should replace the cowl or not.

One question I do have for those who have done this. Have you had any issues with water getting into the indicator? It has a rubber plug but it doesn’t seem like it fits very snug, to the point where water could not get into it. Thanks.

 

[Vettel-ish]

Solid!

 

[rjcruise]

Thanks for the detailed write up on great mod. I may wind up doing this after a similar incident as @johnny1. I too escaped any carnage and now leave the hood slightly open to remind me to disconnect the battery tender.

 

[WD Pro]

Looks like a great install - well done and well documented!

I've had a CTEK charger for winter battery maintenance for the last decade and used it for a variety of cars. I've thought about putting in a harness and a connector, but one thing has always held me back: my memory, or more precisely, my ability to forget. What's stopped me every time I've considered it is the image of me driving out of the garage with the battery charger rattling along the ground beside the car, held on by the cord that I'd forgotten to unplug. As it is now, the hood being up makes it hard to miss.

Thanks for the detailed write up on great mod. I may wind up doing this after a similar incident as @johnny1. I too escaped any carnage and now leave the hood slightly open to remind me to disconnect the battery tender.

Hhhhmmm ... Driving off with the CTEK extension cable dangling under the car ? Yes, that would be me ...

After buying a replacement cable, I did this to stop me doing it again :

WD

 

[GT4EVR]

I want to offer my thanks and sincere appreciation to all those who have posted information regarding battery tenders, their use and connection in our GT350s. As someone who was only familiar with jump starting a vehicle and trickle charging its battery, I found the information provided in the various threads interesting and helpful, convincing me of the need to obtain a battery tender to preserve the battery life of my 2 garaged vehicles during the winter. Based on my understanding of the general consensus, I purchased a CTEK battery tender, specifically the model 7002 with a couple of accessories to fulfill my requirements. I decided on that particular CTEK model since it offered a "SUPPLY" mode of a sustained 13.6 volts, so when connected to the car battery cables, the battery can be removed and replaced without having to reset all of the electronic/computerized settings that depend on constant voltage draw.

I made connections to my car as shown in the picture below., with the negative ring connector connected to the shock tower (brown arrow) and the positive ring connector connected to the lowest of the 3 wired leads from the fuse box (red arrow). I purchased the optional CTEK Comfort Connect Indicator cable, which I like because it provides a "traffic light" red/yellow/green indication of the state of battery charge as a quick visual check. It's currently zip-tied in place for immediate observation/connection upon opening the hood, which I can then close if desired by running the connecting wire over the passenger side headlight and under the hood. I like the installation done by Niz55 as documented by John Vallo in this thread, but I don't trust myself, at least not yet, to properly cut into the cowl for that installation using the appropriate CTEK cable.

When my 67R series 390 CCA OEM 24.5 lb battery w/ a 65 minute reserve capacity eventually dies, I plan on replacing it with a 96R series 590 CCA 30.5 lb battery w/ a 95 minute reserve capacity. If a notice a decrease in the car's performance, I'll simply lose 6 pounds myself to make up the difference!

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