CTEK Charger on Sale at CTC
02-08-2012, 10:21 PM
#31
Funny how you are now discussing about the CTEK......went to check on my 911 tonight and when I opened the passenger door:
front turn signals and side bumper indicators began to "flicker". I then looked at the Sport Chrono and the dials were spinning backwards rapidly. I then proceed to unhook the CTEK plug from the wall socket and the car went completely dead.
I think the battery is toast.....will have to check it in the morning when there is more light and perhaps need to get a battery booster pack to pop open the bonnet.
So much for the battery tender.......new battery in the spring
front turn signals and side bumper indicators began to "flicker". I then looked at the Sport Chrono and the dials were spinning backwards rapidly. I then proceed to unhook the CTEK plug from the wall socket and the car went completely dead.
I think the battery is toast.....will have to check it in the morning when there is more light and perhaps need to get a battery booster pack to pop open the bonnet.
So much for the battery tender.......new battery in the spring
02-09-2012, 02:43 PM
#33
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Thats where an on-board voltmeter comes in handy. It at least tells me what my battery voltage is while it is charging...or if it is even charging.
02-09-2012, 03:15 PM
#34
02-09-2012, 04:07 PM
#35
I connected the + and - claps on the CTEK according to the instruction and exact terminals on the battery.
Could you clarify to a "non-electrical engineer" how I managed to reverse polarity by hooking up a CTEK?
Thank you.
02-09-2012, 05:19 PM
#36
02-09-2012, 09:27 PM
#39
I ordered the cigarette lighter connection for the ctec charger. Not available through CT but it is online, just makes it easier to regularly boost the battery through the footwell outlet.
02-09-2012, 09:29 PM
#40
02-10-2012, 05:50 PM
#42
Its what I would do.
I learned my lesson, Honda tech told me that my battery on my was good until it failed me a week later on a family vacation ??
Repalced the battery....no problem since ( summer 11 )
I learned my lesson, Honda tech told me that my battery on my was good until it failed me a week later on a family vacation ??
Repalced the battery....no problem since ( summer 11 )
02-11-2012, 10:39 AM
#43
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
I trust it and I'm not worried because I performed some simple tests on it and on my charging system.
Buy yourself a 500A load tester the next time you are at Harbor Freight. A DMM can be bought at the Walmart while you are there. Both less than half the cost of an hour of labour at your local shop, and you get to keep the test equipment.
02-13-2012, 12:02 PM
#44
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
A call to CTEK
This is further proof that one cannot believe what you read on product packaging or in on-line product manuals. Fortunately for product manufacturers, few consumers if any can perform any product testing so they think nobody can put them on the spot.
Well after testing one of the two CTEK MULTI US 3300 chargers that I own and it not performing as advertized in CTEK's Battery Charger manual for the unit, I decided to give CTEK USA a call. I asked to speak to the Technical Support department; they don't have one and little wonder that Matt Ingram had CTEK's president in Sweden call me last week. Matt is one of their regional sales managers and moderator of CTEK's Community Forum, you'd think a moderator would have some in-depth technical knowledge. His replies to questions on the Community Forum were text-book style and sometimes followed by a "call CTEK at the number provided" in the reply. Why would I call when the question should be answered in the forum....duhhh.
The receptionist answered and I asked to speak to their Technical Support department. She asked what the problem was but couldn't provide an answer to my technical question.
After a few minutes on hold, Anthony answered the phone.
I described my CTEK not going into pulse maintenance mode and how do I manually get it to go into that mode as mentioned but not described on page 7 of the manual. He said that was a mistake in the manual and that function could not be performed.. Bingo...strike 1!
Then I related that the charger would start at 4.2A and decrease to 0.4A (the voltage would climb accordingly from say 12.3V to 14.3V during that time) and then switch off, only to restart when the violtage dropped down to 12.8V due to self-discharging. He said that was how they operate. Excuse me, but according to the charge algorithm on page 10 of your manual, this is a 4-stage charger.
Long story short...he really couldn't come up with an answer. Strike 2!
Maybe CTEK Sweden will clarify the charger's operation. If not...strike 3!
This isn't about the charger not being able to charge a battery; it does that. Its about misleading advertizing which I am sure if I tested other charger makes, I wouldn't be surprised that what I measure in my lab isn't what is published.
The only other test will be on my 2nd CTEK to see if it performs like the 1st.
Well after testing one of the two CTEK MULTI US 3300 chargers that I own and it not performing as advertized in CTEK's Battery Charger manual for the unit, I decided to give CTEK USA a call. I asked to speak to the Technical Support department; they don't have one and little wonder that Matt Ingram had CTEK's president in Sweden call me last week. Matt is one of their regional sales managers and moderator of CTEK's Community Forum, you'd think a moderator would have some in-depth technical knowledge. His replies to questions on the Community Forum were text-book style and sometimes followed by a "call CTEK at the number provided" in the reply. Why would I call when the question should be answered in the forum....duhhh.
The receptionist answered and I asked to speak to their Technical Support department. She asked what the problem was but couldn't provide an answer to my technical question.
After a few minutes on hold, Anthony answered the phone.
I described my CTEK not going into pulse maintenance mode and how do I manually get it to go into that mode as mentioned but not described on page 7 of the manual. He said that was a mistake in the manual and that function could not be performed.. Bingo...strike 1!
Then I related that the charger would start at 4.2A and decrease to 0.4A (the voltage would climb accordingly from say 12.3V to 14.3V during that time) and then switch off, only to restart when the violtage dropped down to 12.8V due to self-discharging. He said that was how they operate. Excuse me, but according to the charge algorithm on page 10 of your manual, this is a 4-stage charger.
Long story short...he really couldn't come up with an answer. Strike 2!
Maybe CTEK Sweden will clarify the charger's operation. If not...strike 3!
This isn't about the charger not being able to charge a battery; it does that. Its about misleading advertizing which I am sure if I tested other charger makes, I wouldn't be surprised that what I measure in my lab isn't what is published.
The only other test will be on my 2nd CTEK to see if it performs like the 1st.
02-13-2012, 01:31 PM
#45
Thank you for sharing this. I would hate to be the one on the other end of the phone with you when you're armed with this kind of information, though!
If your tests are the same on the other charger, does this imply that this one is no different from any other charger? If so, does that suggest that we shouldn't keep a battery on the charger for months at a time?
If your tests are the same on the other charger, does this imply that this one is no different from any other charger? If so, does that suggest that we shouldn't keep a battery on the charger for months at a time?