charging battery.

[DREAMER NO2]

And for a chart of battery charge condition --

 

[Botus]

This concerned me to when I first bought a CTEK, I emailed CTEK for advice, several times as they are not very forthcoming, asking about the desulphation phase on an AGM battery and they eventually stated that the owners manual was wrong and desulphation is skipped. I had a quick look for the email but can't find it now!

My MXS 5.0 is 4 years old now so I wonder if newer owners manuals have been updated with this info.

I thought you can manually toggle a CTek round the modes? And by default just connecting to charge never brings in the silly wreck a battery mode

My father has one. After he took out a good AGM that needed a top up and paid similar money for an ordinary maint free battery he used that stupid mode a few times over the 4 years it was on the car, it slowly got more and more useless.

Sometime in last few years we put a std Merc AGM back in. I found the old one all dry inside, topped it up and tried charging gently for a week it was dead. I pulled it apart and found evidence of severe overheating melting and deforming bits of the plastic inside the battery casing. So seems best to NEVER use the desulphation phase on anything

A good modern electronic charger detects what's happening and bounces around to tidy up and optimise the mess as it charges. You get the same features on a 15 quid aldi as the silly money ones...

 

[flowrider]

I thought you can manually toggle a CTek round the modes? And by default just connecting to charge never brings in the silly wreck a battery mode

My father has one. After he took out a good AGM that needed a top up and paid similar money for an ordinary maint free battery he used that stupid mode a few times over the 4 years it was on the car, it slowly got more and more useless.

Sometime in last few years we put a std Merc AGM back in. I found the old one all dry inside, topped it up and tried charging gently for a week it was dead. I pulled it apart and found evidence of severe overheating melting and deforming bits of the plastic inside the battery casing. So seems best to NEVER use the desulphation phase on anything

A good modern electronic charger detects what's happening and bounces around to tidy up and optimise the mess as it charges. You get the same features on a 15 quid aldi as the silly money ones...

Yes, you manually select the mode.

I like the CTEK, I have had poor experience with the cheap ones.

 

[DREAMER NO2]

I took delivery of a nice charger last year . First one i have had with an in built cooling fan . The charger will condition low charge batteries --runs it out, and starts to rebuild the volts back up . Trickle automatic charge or manual boost .

 

[Botus]

Yes, you manually select the mode.

I like the CTEK, I have had poor experience with the cheap ones.

Mates Lidl one died in less than a year... it was so cheap I bought one as a back up. mines still ok

 

[Botus]

I have 3 Oxford bike ones

a budget one that does only about 1.1 amp charge rate and odd things. Its is mostly happy at 12.1v to go to bed. But checking the KTM it had secretly jumped to 14.1v when my back was turned... But thats the first time its done that in 18 months.

The other two are the same as each, the model above's big brother. But the software must have changed. These are able to do 3.6 amps but the later one is very different in its behaviour and when it needs to max out, its lazy and mostly doesn't, like the old one would if the key on and its pulling lots

 

[DMK/Happy]

Today again! Back into limp mode,no engine warning light, do I need new recommended battery,and diagnostic scan??, disappointing.

 

[Flyinspanner]

@DMK/Happy you mentioned in an early post that “the battery looks new”, you can check the battery posts, they are stamped month on one post year on the other.

much over 5 years and it’s done. (Yes there will be people who get much longer out of a battery, but that isn’t the norm).

That’s the place to start from checking slow starting.
Check the cables are tight, corrosion free.

Going into a limp mode whilst driving probably isn’t the battery, best to get the codes read by STAR or a dedicated MB code reader - generic readers at a general garage won’t interrogate the systems as well, and could lead to swapping bits that are actually serviceable, and don’t clear the fault.
(When the mechanic will then say, yeah but we’ve found another issue £££££) cheaper to get a proper diagnosis from the start.

hope you get it sorted soon.

 

[DMK/Happy]

Limp mode from start up!only recently and not every time,a/t changing up and down normally,can cancel limp mode by switching off and removing key for a minute,not successful everytime.Have to do it a few times perhaps,then a/t back on display,and a/t perfect.

 

[DREAMER NO2]

Whats the wrong with a muti meter to see just whats in the battery to start with.

 

[DMK/Happy]

Limp mode mode finally sorted,diagnostic check found faulty electronic selector module below transmission lever,now replaced everything normal again,hope this helps someone.

 

[flowrider]

@DMK/Happy you mentioned in an early post that “the battery looks new”, you can check the battery posts, they are stamped month on one post year on the other.

much over 5 years and it’s done. (Yes there will be people who get much longer out of a battery, but that isn’t the norm).

That’s the place to start from checking slow starting.
Check the cables are tight, corrosion free.

Going into a limp mode whilst driving probably isn’t the battery, best to get the codes read by STAR or a dedicated MB code reader - generic readers at a general garage won’t interrogate the systems as well, and could lead to swapping bits that are actually serviceable, and don’t clear the fault.
(When the mechanic will then say, yeah but we’ve found another issue £££££) cheaper to get a proper diagnosis from the start.

hope you get it sorted soon.

5 years battery life seems a bit mean! My Audi's battery is over 6 years old and we have a Vauxhall battery is nearly 12 years old and still going.

 

[Flyinspanner]

Older cars don’t have the same electric loads as modern cars, the plethora of body control units, and some don’t have electronics as sensitive to voltages as the MBs sometimes appear to be.

 

[DMK/Happy]

Limp mode mode finally sorted,diagnostic check found faulty electronic selector module below transmission lever,now replaced everything normal again,hope this helps someone.

Total cost for diagnostics, module, labour,vat €830.00 , with guarantee, there it is,expensive although worth it for the satisfaction of knowing it is solved. Sweet and smooth a/t to drive again.

 

[mioba]

where are you based DMK. Pay once pay right

 

[DMK/Happy]

where are you based DMK. Pay once pay right

Based in the Midlands Ireland Roscommon ,really good ind' diagnostic repair shop here.On the ball everytime.

 

[DREAMER NO2]

Flowrider 5 years is good life for any battery, and anything after 5 is chancing fate .. . And you would have wiished that you had changed it after few more days like today . And i like to bet they are both garaged .

 

[DMK/Happy]

where are you based DMK. Pay once pay right

- 8 here today engine did fire after 1,2,3,4 heating attempts.
Note! I allowed some seconds between heating and starter motor engagement.
Starter motor bursts seemed shorter before time out.
Is this normal?
After jump leads attached finally fires up first time.
Note! starter motor burst longer with jump leads.
Interest appreciated.

 

[davemercedes]

I've got a 'SreetWize Master Charger' (no, I'd never heard of it before, either) that I think came from EuroCar Parts. It's automatic inasmuch as it charges at a higher rate initially then gradually reduces and when it senses the battery is charged it goes into automatic standby (trickle) mode. I've had this one for about 8-9 years.

I first bought it because SWMBOs car lives in the garage and we use my S203 Estate most of the time. I confess that I frequently just walk past SWMBOs car (it's a Renault Grand Scenic) and on the odd occasion we want to use it, I find it's gone flat... I figured that attaching the crocodile clips correctly i.e.@ Positive to + and Negative to - then letting it run through the cycle was basically no different from going on a run where the alternator does its job. In the end, I actually ran a couple of insulated leads down the side of the engine bay and out through a convenient gap in the front floor pan cover so I can connect it as and when needed.

Then a couple of weeks ago my S203 went as flat as a pancake no doubt due to the cold and constant damp but it's very unusual - it has a genuine MB battery that I bought and had delivered from MB Avonmouth about 4/5 years ago. I was able to start the car with my lithium jump starter but decided to give it a full charge in the same way. The only pita is the air cleaner cover that blocks the top of the battery (like most NB engine bays its built like a watch!) but once connected I watched it carefully and four hours later the indicator light on the charger showed that it was fully charged. So I disconnected the charger and despite the cold and damp, it started on first key-turn the next morning and has been fine this week although due to the pandemic rules it's getting little ose.

No doubt there are purists who will tell me how wrong I am but I do take care and I've been doing this for "donkeys years".

 

[S500 Pete]

It varies by model but in the end it would only be a matter of going through a few resetting procedures if any were lost, there were no settings lost on mine at all, read the OM of your charger/conditioner and if any of the settings apply a voltage in excess of 14.8 v disconnect the battery N from the car body, some charger/conditioners have an auto desulphation stage as a pre treatment that use voltages in excess of 14.8 v which isn't good for either the car or AGM batteries. If you're unsure disconnect the battery you'll have nothing to lose!.

My CTEK has a setting for AGM batteries as well as a desulphation for AGM batteries. Last winter we were away and I left it on my wife's GLA 250 (AGM) for 2 months via a timer that switched on once a week with no problems.