Trickle Charger

[wenklaw]

Morning all,

Quick question, if I leave the bonnet fully open and lock the car will the alarm go off?

Also is it possible to close the bonnet whilst a trickle charger is connected? Any tips on the best place to feed the wire out? My BMW M2 had the battery in the boot and I could actually close it on the wire of my trickle charger without causing any damage to the wire or rubber boot seal.

Trickle charger needed as I will put the car in the garage for 3 weeks at a time more so in the winter, my M2 sometimes suffered from battery drain if I didn't use one. Then I will drive somewhere I cant use a trickle charger again for 2 - 3 weeks so its a must I know the battery is topped up.

 

[Entai]

Come on get the car out and use it daily, then you know the battery will be fine and no need for trickle charger :


Cars are for driving not hiding.

 

[wenklaw]

If only mate. And you’ve basically summed up why I need to use a trickle charger. I don’t want to get home, looking forward to driving the GT only to find the battery is flat!!!!

 

[WD Pro]

Most trickle chargers have DC cables small enough to enable them to come through the shut lines somewhere around the perimeter of the bonnet with no issue.

I don’t have my mustang yet so I can’t give you guidance specific to that model, but I’ve been fine with my ctek on multiple other cars.

Out of interest, ctek do a nice little gadget to allow quick connect of the charger and show a visual battery condition indication, I fitted one to my sportage only last weekend :

I’ve got another waiting for the mustang

WD

 

[SurfOrFight]

I use a CTEC trickle charger for about 4 hrs every 2 weeks when car is parked up which keeps battery fine. CTEC are pretty good and have various settings for motorbikes and battery recovery modes. They have a small gauge charge lead and can be connected to a permanently fitted battery connect plug (which saves a lot of faff) and can be routed easily to close the hood.

 

[wenklaw]

I have the trickle charger already as needed it for my m2.

basically looks like I can shut the bonnet okay with the wires underneath then.

 

[Myweepony]

Most trickle chargers have DC cables small enough to enable them to come through the shut lines somewhere around the perimeter of the bonnet with no issue.

I don’t have my mustang yet so I can’t give you guidance specific to that model, but I’ve been fine with my ctek on multiple other cars.

Out of interest, ctek do a nice little gadget to allow quick connect of the charger and show a visual battery condition indication, I fitted one to my sportage only last weekend :

I’ve got another waiting for the mustang

WD

Fit as WD Pro and bring connector up by the passenger side wiper spindle and just tuck it in. Pull out and connect charger as required.

I also ran a pair of wires back to the boot through the fire wall, under the carpet at the sills and out at the wheel arch just by the rear seat. So now I have one in the boot as well, it's a bit of a struggle to get to the front of the car in my garage.

 

[Stevet]

Look at the "How to " videos on this site. Enoch shows how to install and wire a trickle charger.

 

[wenklaw]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I connected it last night and the cables thread through as I was told by the passenger side wiper no problem.

I will install on a more permanent basis for ease of use at the weekend.

Battery still in charge mode after 12 hours and hasn’t switched to conditioning yet. So I believe that means my battery was below 80%.

 

[Coyote Red]

I'll buy a trickle charger for my lawnmower lads, I reside on the Texas coastal bend and dd my GT for medical work, Great thread,Cheers!

 

[Myweepony]

I'll buy a trickle charger for my lawnmower lads, I reside on the Texas coastal bend and dd my GT for medical work, Great thread,Cheers!

You may laugh but it's not always happy days.

Although I'm now retired, I used to work offshore for 3 weeks at a time. Whilst I didn't have the Mustang then I did have a Jag XKR. That thing would drain its battery on a whim, seldom getting to the 2 week mark.

I'm not sure what the Mustang would do as it never gets left for 3 weeks but for a couple of quid for parts it's cheap insurance.

 

[Pilgrim/uk]

Ive left mine for about three weeks before and it not had any probs on the other hand a friends gt86 drains the batt in two weeks while they on holiday lol

 

[GW65]

Used to be dead easy in my C6 Vette as the cigar lighter socket was always live so I used the appropriate CTEK connector - much easier than rummaging around in the engine bay. Sadly on the Mustang (like most cars) the cigar lighter socket seems to be on/off with the ignition so not an option...

 

[inky5.0]

I have a CTEK and have fed the battery connector through the battery cover for easy access/connection. The lead (when connected) then feeds out of the bonnet near the passenger side wiper.
Seems to work well...

 

[inky5.0]

Image now attached...