Battery maintainer pigtail installation.

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garagedood

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Posts:36
Joined:Sat Jan 02, 2010 10:25 pm
Location:North East England
Battery maintainer pigtail installation.

Postby garagedood » Thu Dec 16, 2021 10:09 am

So got myself a used 2017 Fpace 3.0S back in the summer. I would like to permanently install a CTek connection traffic light pigtail or panel connector to a suitable location on the vehicle as it does not really get enough use now to keep the battery on top form.
I have all the CTek stuff and correct AGM charger already on the shelf and am not inexperienced in this type of work.
Having had a Jaguar branded maintainer on my 08 XK convertible for ten years or so I became aware that the newer models as they came along could not be so equipped. The reason apparently was that the ‘ battery condition monitor’ attached to the Neg terminal could be damaged or at least become confused if the kit was attached directly to the battery. I have convinced myself that this will also be true of the Fpace ?. There are ‘ jump start’ points in the engine bay but not sure if there is a control unit of some sort in the circuit somewhere that would allow jump starting but prevent charging back to the battery 🤷‍♂️. My plan B is just to drive the car around - just for the fun of it - to keep the charge up but perhaps someone here might be able to advise on what I would like to achieve. Sorry for the long post but wanted to cover everything I have already considered.

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Lucky

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Joined:Fri Nov 16, 2018 10:08 am
Location:Worcestershire

Re: Battery maintainer pigtail installation.

Postby Lucky » Thu Dec 16, 2021 10:48 am

I looked at connecting a CTEK pigtail to my F-Pace but the battery is buried so deep in the boot that none were long enough to be of use anyway. I was also concerned about the battery condition monitor so when I connect mine I use clamps and the live and earth connections under the bonnet on the driver's side (for RHD). The wire easily runs under the bonnet when it is closed.
2017 F-Pace 2.0 i4 Diesel (180PS) Portfolio in Indus Silver (sold)
2001 XK8 4.0 Coupe in Quartz
1989 XJ40 4.0 Sovereign (gone but not forgotten)

garagedood

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Posts:36
Joined:Sat Jan 02, 2010 10:25 pm
Location:North East England

Re: Battery maintainer pigtail installation.

Postby garagedood » Thu Dec 23, 2021 9:47 am

Have come to the conclusion that the croc clip method is probably the best option for me in this case. I can not get the car near to the garage so will use an extension lead to a ‘dry box’ , then a CTek extension from the dry box to the croc clips. Not too much of a hassle to do this from time to time when I am pottering in the garage I guess. I have a good assortment of CTek connectors and accessories amongst which is a traffic light charge indicator panel socket with a 1.5m lead. It seems I could use this in the boot by connecting +ve to the battery clamp and -ve to a chassis ground thereby protecting the BCM. My experience with the XK ( Jaguar battery maintainer kit fitted) however has taught me that this would be kind of pointless. As the charge indicator would be inside the car it would need to be opened to be able to be able to view it. The immediate current demand would cause the indicator to drop from green to amber making you think that perhaps the battery is not fully charged 🤷‍♂️. Same is true if the charger is under the bonnet which is where the dry box comes in, I can pop the lid off and see what the charger is saying without activating the car so more likely to give me a true indication of charge status. Another reason for dumping the panel indicator idea is that I would have to cut in to the boot trim panel somewhere to mount it. Not worth the effort really. I understand that the towbar switch blank makes a good location for mounting but as I have the electric towbar fitted not an option for me.
One further thing to mention, Bluetooth battery condition monitors. I have a CTek one fitted on the XK which is pretty good. I also have a couple of cheap ‘ no brand’ eBay specials lying around that to be quite honest seem to be superior to the CTek in terms of unit performance and a more informative app. I might mount one to the Fpace at some point but for now I have jury rigged one to an OBD plug and keeping an eye on the battery that way.


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