RECCOMMENDED BATTERY CHARGER FOR 2004 XKR

[xk666]

GOOD MORNING,
BROUGHT A XKR OF NORWICH MAIN DEALER IN AUTUMN
AFTER A FEW DAYS IT WAS DIFFICULT TO TURN ENGINE OVER
CHARGED IT UP MYSELF USING A CHARGER FROM 1992
MAIN DEALER SAID IT MUST BE THE ORIGINAL TRACKER UNIT AND DISCONNECTED
IT AND SAID THE BATTERY WAS IN FAQCT FINE
LOCAL INDEPENDENT (J CAT) SAID THE BATTERY WAS STILL NO GOOD UNDER THE DROP TEST

JUST HAD A THREE YEAR OLD BATTERY REPLACED DUE TO CONTINUAL FAILING; DESPITE ENGINE BEING RUN FOR 20+ MINUTES EACH WEEK
LOOKED THROUGH OLD TOPICS FOR A SUITABLE BATTERY CHARGER / CONDITIONER AND HAVE SEEN THE CTEK XS3600 MENTIONED (A FEW YEARS AGO THOUGH ?). A CHUM SAID HE USES THE CTEK 100 FOR HIS XJ8 THOUGH
CAN ANYONE RECCOMMEND THE LATEST CTEK MODEL FOR USE ON A 2004 XKR WITH AN AA FITTED 'JAGUAR - LAND ROVER' BATTERY (12 V 90 Ah, 800 a (EN), CX23-10655-BA) ? THANKS

[J44EAG]

Take a look at this post.

Hope it helps.

http://www.jec.org.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=195&t=5814

Mike K

[xk666]

GOOD AFTERNOON, MIKE,

THANKS FOR THE LINK. AFTER LOOKING AT THE CTEK SITE I WAS LOOKING AT GETTING THE MXS 5 MODEL ANYWAY. WILL CHECK IF THE CIGGY LIGHTER IS 'LIVE', BEFORE GETTING THE EXTRA ADAPTOR (GOT A FEELING IT IS NOT BUT WILL CHECK ANYWAY).

THANKS.

[J44EAG]

That should do you well.

My car suffers through low mileage use on occasions. In addition, I`ll often use the car to just nip up to the shops. Two engine starts and headlights on over little more than a couple of miles each trip repeated four or five times, is enough to flatten a 90ah battery to less than 12 volts. When that occurs, the electronic control modules will not fire and the car refuses to start.

Obviously lack of use and abuse as above does little to help a relatively small battery, especially in cold conditions. Trips of only ten or twenty minutes are wholly insufficient in time to replace what is used during engine starting and using headlights further adds to the insufficiency or recharging. In such circumstances only a small surface charge gets applied to the battery and it never reaches a decent level.

You can`t beat a good switch mode charger to help a battery that sees irregular service. Not only will it ensure your car starts reliably, but battery life can be considerably extended. I`ve had boat batteries live to nine years before now due to the use of a decent charger. As I live on a boat, I need reliable stored 12volt and 240volt shore power. Without either, life can become very difficult. to counter the problem, I have in full time use a Sterling International charger of 30amp, 3 output unit looking after three banks of 2 x 110ah batteries. I bought the unit twenty odd years ago and it has been a fine investment and taken all the guess work and misery out of battery management. Install and virtually forget. Just keep a six month watch on battery electrolyte levels.

The great thing about these chargers is that they look after a battery correctly and allow maximum energy storage levels to be reached of around 95% of the battery rated capacity. Total charging is never possible in reality. 95% is as good as it gets and is only possible due to the electronics employed within those rather clever units. That isn`t possible with a cheap and cheerful unit frequently found in motoring stores for £20. Such cheapo units are only suitable as a quick "get you going" unit and ate not suitable as a prolonged battery management answer. Switch mode charges are in a different league.

So go ahead with a Ctec, Sterling, Mastervolt or Victron manufactured charger and watch your battery performance change for the better.

Mike K

[xk666]

CHEERS MIKE,
FYI WITH THE IGNITION KEY OUT, THE CIGGY LIGHTER WAS DEAD - SO I WILL GO FOR A DIRECT BATTERY HOOK UP VIA THE BOOT LID.

ALL THE BEST. MARTIN

[oldtimer]

Martin,
Just to add my penneth to what Mike has already said, I installed a Jaguar supplied 12 V Auxiliary Socket with flip up lid into the boot of my S type. This looks like a cigar lighter socket with a lid. It is connected in a way that allows not only the Battery to be charged but a 12v supply can be introduced allowing the Battery to be removed without losing the codes.

The socket is permanently live but a rocker switch could be introduced if you see the need.

I have been using two Accumate Battery chargers with a Max output of 1.25 Amps for the last ten years on two Jaguars.

The S type has its original Battery which is now TEN years old! Having boasted about it, it will probably go bang tomorrow.

Hope that helps
Oldtimer

PS As Mike says, Short runs just ain't no good

[J44EAG]

Ah ha, Young Phil back from his jolly hols!

The thing is for long term battery storage, you don`t actually need a very large output from a charger.

Even a charger with as little as 1.25 amps is quite good enough, given that the passage of time brings the battery up to an acceptable level and that the car does not consume large amounts of battery power when locked and in "hibernation" mode. As far as cost goes, a small charger need not be hugely expensive as a purchase. The thing to check when you make your choice is that it is at least three stage and suitable for lead acid batteries.

An auxiliary socket is a great idea. Saves burrowing down to the battery to connect a charger. Might do that mod myself.

Mike

[xk666]

Good Evening, Phil / Mike,

Thanks for the further updates. The MXS 5 has already reached stage 7 (float charge after going through the self-test), so it seems to be working.

I did notice a socket above the battery, with a flip -cover as you mentioned. But the socket has a far smaller hole than the normal cigarette lighter so I thought that could not be used -even with a ciggyh attachment
Like you say it would make life easier but would I not need a further adaptor to go with the further Cigarette Socket charger

Thanks, Martin.

[J44EAG]

It may be what is known as a DIN plug. Rather rare but one does come across them now and again.

Can anyone confirm?

Mike

[oldtimer]

Martin,
I do believe my first Jaguar, 1937- 2 1/2 Litre saloon had a cigar lighter. That was in the days when Jaguar Drivers did smoke cigars. Now before you ask, no I didn't have it from new!!

Every Jaguar model from then onwards had a Cigar Lighter. As far as I'm aware the dimensions have never altered. Regrettably the wiring of the Cigar Lighter altered to protect interfering children when left unattended in the car which meant that it would only work with the ignition on.

Smoking has declined I'm told but the range of supplementary bits of kit available has increased all requiring a live 12v socket. My recent new Mini came with a rubber bung in the hole now called an auxiliary power socket. Well, the rubber bung has gone over the hedge and the hole is occupied with an element !

The point I'm trying to make is that I'm sure all the kit available all use the standard size plug to fit a standard socket. Are you sure it is not an optical illusion - looking at an odd angle.

The simple solution is to plug something in and try it

You watch ,somebody will jump in and say ya all XK have a plug in the boot!

Now , don't forget to let us know the result

Oldtimer

[xk666]

Good Evening, Mike / oldtimer,

Thanks for posts.

I have actually got around to digging the handbook out and that suggests that for charging you should disconnect the battery leads before connecting positive / positive and negative / negative. Interestingly the Ctek book seems to confirm that if charging the battery (if leaving in place) the negative should go to an earth point. I am using a boot hinge bolt and it seems to be working, but the handbook suggests the spare wheel bolt.

I tried my phone car charger in the mystery boot socket and no way it fitted - it is definitely much smaller than the cigar lighter / normal cigarette lighter sockets - perhaps a DIN socket as you suggest. It's definitely for a large size jack-plug - might even be for the audio system before it got fixed wiring ?

Cheekily, I will ring the main dealer I brought it off - about time they earnt their mark-up !

All the best, Martin.

[J44EAG]

Hello Martin,

It makes no difference where a ground/neg connection is made, as long as it connects to the negative terminal on the battery. However connecting direct to the battery terminal is preferable as that uses a direct connection point rather than relying on the condition of the battery ground strap to body connection and a remote second point, both of which may be subject to resistance and corrosion issues at a later point in time.

The battery does not need to be disconnected from the car when charging or does it need to be removed from the car. The battery cannot detect from where the supply comes, or does it care! It isn`t that intelligent. The supply could come from an alternator, a mains supplied charger, a solar cell or an external generator. Its the same from wherever a DC feed comes from BUT the battery charger or other charge source should be for a 12 volt system. Particular care should be taken when using chargers with a 24 volt option switch for obvious reasons. Accidentally belting 24 volts into a connected battery will blow the car electronics to Kingdom Come.

If charging from another car, ie a jump start, connect the positive and negative jump leads to the car with the discharged battery. Then connect the positive lead to the donating car, then the negative. When disconnecting, remove the negative lead from the donor car first.

Do you have an image of the socket which you could show us? We may then be able to identify what you have.

Mike K

[xk666]

Good Morning, Mike,

I used the Earthing point as the CTek book said to do so when charging the battery in place - in case ofHydrogen gas build -up. I know it's only a small chance, also I keep it ventilated, but with my luck I did not want to take any chances !

This charger is 12 volts only and seems to be working well - the Float charge leaves the battery showing 12.6 volts on the dashboard.

I will try attaching a photo - was going to do this last night before your kind suggestion - but it was quite late by then.

All the best, Martin.

[aaj]

Martin

That's no standard DIN socket

The photo pixelates when I zoom in but it looks like there's an internal thread. If so it means that the cable attachment has a mechanical lock to stop it coming loose. I suspect it has been professionally fitted for something like a communications system or possibly a cool box etc.

Regards

AllanJ

[xk666]

Good Afternoon, Allan,

Thanks for that, at least I don't have a battery problem anymore.

All the best,

Martin