Really dull battery charging query - apologies up front !
Discussion
I have a Ctek MXS5 charger / conditioner and for ease, I want to charge my 964 turbo through the cigarette lighter socket - does anyone know if this works on the 964 not sure that the power is connected via the lighter with the ignition is off ?
If so, I assume this Ctek accessory will work ?
If not, I can charge via clips attached to the battery. I am getting conflicting advice : on one hand I must, for ventilation purposes, leave the bonnet open. On the other hand just plug it in , bonnett shut and forget about it "forever". If I do have to leave the bonnet open this then leaves the bonnet light on and as such, may slow down the charging process (maybe not as the drain may be tiny ?) Is there a way of turning the bonnet light off / disconnecting it - I couldn't find where to do this.
Alternatively can you charge with the bonnet closed or is this dangerous ?
Sorry - how many dull questions can someone ask - not many more than this - I'm boring myself - apologies up front for this !!!
Any help / advice much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
If so, I assume this Ctek accessory will work ?
If not, I can charge via clips attached to the battery. I am getting conflicting advice : on one hand I must, for ventilation purposes, leave the bonnet open. On the other hand just plug it in , bonnett shut and forget about it "forever". If I do have to leave the bonnet open this then leaves the bonnet light on and as such, may slow down the charging process (maybe not as the drain may be tiny ?) Is there a way of turning the bonnet light off / disconnecting it - I couldn't find where to do this.
Alternatively can you charge with the bonnet closed or is this dangerous ?
Sorry - how many dull questions can someone ask - not many more than this - I'm boring myself - apologies up front for this !!!
Any help / advice much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Edited by RSVP911 on Sunday 20th November 12:44
I have a 993 - assume the same. I have the CTek connected direct to the battery via a Ctek CTE-56261 Ctek Direct Connector Adaptor. Exact size of battery-side connectors you need to check depending on the diameter of your battery terminals..
Wires go under boot opening when it's closed - there's room with the rubber, and you don't want the boot light on. Worked Ok for three years+...
Wires go under boot opening when it's closed - there's room with the rubber, and you don't want the boot light on. Worked Ok for three years+...
stevewak said:
I have a 993 - assume the same. I have the CTek connected direct to the battery via a Ctek CTE-56261 Ctek Direct Connector Adaptor. Exact size of battery-side connectors you need to check depending on the diameter of your battery terminals..
Wires go under boot opening when it's closed - there's room with the rubber, and you don't want the boot light on. Worked Ok for three years+...
Thanks - assume you leave boot shut when charging. ? Do you charge every so often or just leave it on - in theory it shouldn't overcharge , just conditions as and when it needs a boost ? Cheers Wires go under boot opening when it's closed - there's room with the rubber, and you don't want the boot light on. Worked Ok for three years+...
gl20 said:
If it came to it, is the light offending lightbulb easily removable? Problem solved..
Yep , happy to do this , but I wanted clarification if one should charge with air flow (boot open) every so often , or safe to charge / just leave plugged in always , boot closed Edited by RSVP911 on Sunday 20th November 14:10
If your 964 is standard then the 12v socket will not be permanent live; instead switched on with the ignition. You can rewire the feed at the fuse board - very simply. The 12v socket can then be used for charging; don't leave a phone charger in it afterwards though as you'll have the reverse effect and flatten the battery!
If you are using a standard Porsche battery make sure the levels are correct before leaving to charge; most battery issues I have had with charged cars have turned out to be dried out cells due to constant charging (latest conditioners excepted - the tech has moved on a bit!)
If you are using a standard Porsche battery make sure the levels are correct before leaving to charge; most battery issues I have had with charged cars have turned out to be dried out cells due to constant charging (latest conditioners excepted - the tech has moved on a bit!)
Pretty sure the lighter has power all the time, regardless, when you plug the charger in it will indicate the voltage so allowing you to select a program. If it doesn't show a voltage then obviously you have to connect at the battery.
A point worth noting, it is still possible to overcharge a battery with these type of chargers if for some reason the final maintenance or top up stage is not reached after 24 hours. Once it reaches the maintenance mode it can be left connected no issues.
A point worth noting, it is still possible to overcharge a battery with these type of chargers if for some reason the final maintenance or top up stage is not reached after 24 hours. Once it reaches the maintenance mode it can be left connected no issues.
stevewak said:
I have a 993 - assume the same. I have the CTek connected direct to the battery via a Ctek CTE-56261 Ctek Direct Connector Adaptor. Exact size of battery-side connectors you need to check depending on the diameter of your battery terminals..
Wires go under boot opening when it's closed - there's room with the rubber, and you don't want the boot light on. Worked Ok for three years+...
Don't assume fitting one of these is going to be. 5 minute job, struggles to get the clamp nuts off bolt on 997. Odd spanner size. Sheared bolt, odd hole size (if I recall!) ended up taking ages to sort out and that's with a farm workshop, lots of tools and spare nuts and bolts to choose from!!! Wires go under boot opening when it's closed - there's room with the rubber, and you don't want the boot light on. Worked Ok for three years+...
RSVP911 said:
Thanks - assume you leave boot shut when charging. ? Do you charge every so often or just leave it on - in theory it shouldn't overcharge , just conditions as and when it needs a boost ? Cheers
Yes, boot clicked shut and the wires go through the gap between the boot and the rubber sealing. They are only thin. On all the time as it replicates the charging/discharging cycle of using the battery. I then use the car for a week or so and don't bother with it. Fitting, I am no spanner god, but I fitted a new battery, plus removed an old cut-off and replaced the earth strap, just with a couple of metric spanners (and long socket to remove battery retention plate). The size of the 'eyes' is dependent on the diameter of the screw on the battery clamps. I think i used an over-size one - Ctek do at least a couple of different ones.
David W. said:
Don't assume fitting one of these is going to be. 5 minute job, struggles to get the clamp nuts off bolt on 997. Odd spanner size. Sheared bolt, odd hole size (if I recall!) ended up taking ages to sort out and that's with a farm workshop, lots of tools and spare nuts and bolts to choose from!!!
Good advice - I'll leave well alone - the clips work fine - I think I'll just charge once a week with these stevewak said:
Yes, boot clicked shut and the wires go through the gap between the boot and the rubber sealing. They are only thin. On all the time as it replicates the charging/discharging cycle of using the battery. I then use the car for a week or so and don't bother with it.
Fitting, I am no spanner god, but I fitted a new battery, plus removed an old cut-off and replaced the earth strap, just with a couple of metric spanners (and long socket to remove battery retention plate). The size of the 'eyes' is dependent on the diameter of the screw on the battery clamps. I think i used an over-size one - Ctek do at least a couple of different ones.
Thanks, As I'm not sure what a spanner is, it's probably best I leave well alone : I think I'll just leave the clips on as per the image below , thread the charger extension wire through the gap at the top of the bonnet / below the windscreen base , shut the boot , put the cover on , plug it in and once a week simply flick the plug on for a day and let it go through the cycle .Fitting, I am no spanner god, but I fitted a new battery, plus removed an old cut-off and replaced the earth strap, just with a couple of metric spanners (and long socket to remove battery retention plate). The size of the 'eyes' is dependent on the diameter of the screw on the battery clamps. I think i used an over-size one - Ctek do at least a couple of different ones.
Sounds like the simplest approach .
Should do the trick ?
Pope said:
If your 964 is standard then the 12v socket will not be permanent live; instead switched on with the ignition. You can rewire the feed at the fuse board - very simply. The 12v socket can then be used for charging; don't leave a phone charger in it afterwards though as you'll have the reverse effect and flatten the battery!
If you are using a standard Porsche battery make sure the levels are correct before leaving to charge; most battery issues I have had with charged cars have turned out to be dried out cells due to constant charging (latest conditioners excepted - the tech has moved on a bit!)
OK thanks for the advice If you are using a standard Porsche battery make sure the levels are correct before leaving to charge; most battery issues I have had with charged cars have turned out to be dried out cells due to constant charging (latest conditioners excepted - the tech has moved on a bit!)
ras62 said:
Pretty sure the lighter has power all the time, regardless, when you plug the charger in it will indicate the voltage so allowing you to select a program. If it doesn't show a voltage then obviously you have to connect at the battery.
A point worth noting, it is still possible to overcharge a battery with these type of chargers if for some reason the final maintenance or top up stage is not reached after 24 hours. Once it reaches the maintenance mode it can be left connected no issues.
Thanks - conflicting with Pope's advice - may just give up and use the clips A point worth noting, it is still possible to overcharge a battery with these type of chargers if for some reason the final maintenance or top up stage is not reached after 24 hours. Once it reaches the maintenance mode it can be left connected no issues.
RSVP911 said:
Thanks - conflicting with Pope's advice - may just give up and use the clips
By attaching the connection to the battery terminal connectors permanently you are doing what you are doing now with the clips. Looking at your pic, it would seem just a job of undoing a nut, slipping the eye part on, then replacing the nut, perhaps with a washer. Ditto the other side. Without disconnecting or removing the battery.For total clarity, my car parks nose-in to my garage and the lead comes out the front, by the badge. I think with newer cars there are issues with disconnecting the battery - not needed on this occasion. You will now have a loose plastic Ctek connector (permanently connected to the battery) on floor of the boot - threaded round the edge of the carpet - that can be plugged in to the charger as required. Correct spanner probably in the tool kit, just watch you don't short the terminals.
stevewak said:
By attaching the connection to the battery terminal connectors permanently you are doing what you are doing now with the clips. Looking at your pic, it would seem just a job of undoing a nut, slipping the eye part on, then replacing the nut, perhaps with a washer. Ditto the other side. Without disconnecting or removing the battery.
For total clarity, my car parks nose-in to my garage and the lead comes out the front, by the badge. I think with newer cars there are issues with disconnecting the battery - not needed on this occasion. You will now have a loose plastic Ctek connector (permanently connected to the battery) on floor of the boot - threaded round the edge of the carpet - that can be plugged in to the charger as required. Correct spanner probably in the tool kit, just watch you don't short the terminals.
Cheers - I was going to do this but the rings on the connector supplied are too small - I know I can buy bigger ones. The reason I'm slightly reticent is when my old battery died (because I wasn't charging properly) , when the new one was fitted and power renewed , the airbag light came on and wouldn't go out - had to take it to a garage to get it re set - slightly worried that disconnecting the terminals to allow me to attach the CTek may cause the same thing to happen again (not that it's an issue other than the admin burden) Thanks for your advice. Does anyone think taking the terminals off will cause the same issue ? For total clarity, my car parks nose-in to my garage and the lead comes out the front, by the badge. I think with newer cars there are issues with disconnecting the battery - not needed on this occasion. You will now have a loose plastic Ctek connector (permanently connected to the battery) on floor of the boot - threaded round the edge of the carpet - that can be plugged in to the charger as required. Correct spanner probably in the tool kit, just watch you don't short the terminals.
RSVP911 said:
Cheers - I was going to do this but the rings on the connector supplied are too small - I know I can buy bigger ones.
No problems. Just looked up my order on Amazon: 'CTEK CTE-56329 CTEK Direct Connector Adaptor (10mm)'. Bit loose, but fitted OK and fine when tightened. RSVP - been using CTEK's on a variety of cars and batteries for some years now and have never experienced ventilation issues (bonnet or boot closed always for security as my vehicle is in a shared garage). I think CTEKs are designed expressly NOT to cause the kind of battery gas discharge that you might be worried about.
I just use the crocodile clips, running them either out the front of the bonnet (i think the bonnet interior light stays off even if you don't push the bonnet all the way down til it clicks - which allows you to run the cables out without risking deforming the closure), or you can run them out the back of the bonnet via windscreen happily enough.
Plug mine in once or twice a month, with recondition feature, no new battery needed thus far! The one in our 09 plate Golf is still on its original :-)
Happy charging.
I just use the crocodile clips, running them either out the front of the bonnet (i think the bonnet interior light stays off even if you don't push the bonnet all the way down til it clicks - which allows you to run the cables out without risking deforming the closure), or you can run them out the back of the bonnet via windscreen happily enough.
Plug mine in once or twice a month, with recondition feature, no new battery needed thus far! The one in our 09 plate Golf is still on its original :-)
Happy charging.
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