Battery charging?

Vince2

Member
Messages
192
Hi, not sure if this is the right place to post a technical question so sorry if it isn't.
Just bought 2012 GTS. Not using it much as I'm away a lot so wanted to keep the battery topped up.
Can anyone tell me please if I just connect the charger leads to the battery in situe or do I have to disconnect and remove it first?
Many thanks
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,546
Welcome. Get a C-TEK battery conditioner and a connector to your taste. Connect once then just plug it in when you go away. No need to remove the battery.

BTW the 12v socket in the boot is permanently live, so you can get the C-Tek adapter for that should you so desire. It's what I do.

C
 

Vince2

Member
Messages
192
Thanks for fast reply. I was given a NOCO genius battery charger by the garage mechanic where I bought the car. He said he used it for different make cars in the showroom but I wanted to make sure it was definitely ok with Maserati electrics.
 

V8Hunter

Junior Member
Messages
77
I used the eyelet attachment to make it easy to connect/disconnect. Will post a picture tomorrow.
 

V8Hunter

Junior Member
Messages
77
Ive attached how I connected my charger. I chose the positive on that point so it’s easy to refit the cover without any obstructions.
 

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Vince2

Member
Messages
192
How do you leave the boot when trickle charging for days on end? Fully open or just resting above the power leads?
 
Messages
6,001
I trickle charge my QP in the garage during the day and leave the boot open. The light goes out after a few minutes.
I disconnect and close the boot for night time and repeat every couple of days.
I have noticed though that during summer months I can leave the battery longer before I need to re charge again. This is not the case during winter. The Battery is about 1 year old
 

midlifecrisis

Member
Messages
16,102
Despite wires conducting better during cold weather the chemical reaction within the battery also slows down hence the need to charge it more during winter months.

If you want to REALLY splash out , you can get chargers that compensate for temperature but you are not going to gain much in terms of battery performance or longevity. Just keep them trickled charged with a Lidl/Aldi/Ctek/Halfords charger and you'll be OK. Incidentally, mine is in the garage and I leave the boot up. The seals are big enough not to crimp or damage the mains power cable or the DC extension but it acts as a reminder to disconnect before I start it up...
 

V8Hunter

Junior Member
Messages
77
I leave it on all the time while the car is parked in the garage hence it trickles the charge when needed lol
I close the boot and lock the car with no issues at all. It leaves no marks on the wires and doesn't seem to be compromised at all
 

Vince2

Member
Messages
192
Thank's for all the useful tips,
I used the charger for about 4 hours to get it to 100% (according to the charger) and then disconnected it. It was showing 12.7volts on my meter. Now, 3 days later, it's at about 12.1 volts.
Last week it measured 11.6 Volts and still started fine!!
Now I have the charger sorted, I'll make sure it's always ready but I don't like leaving it on day and night.
 

TimR

Member
Messages
2,656
Having found a number of bikes that behave quite differently to one another in terms of the drain on the battery, I have become comfortable with trickle chargers. I tend to use the photo voltaic chargers for the smaller bike batteries....but some bikes require I disconnect them from the bike's loom as they are not enough to compensate for the drain during the colder/darker months. Or I alternate the solar unts with "smart" trickle chargers during the winter months...
Id have no issue leaving a trickle charger connected. I close the boot gently, leaving it resting on the cable, and lock the car. Ill leave it like this for days, weeks even. Come winter, I wont use the car but will leave the trickle charger connected indefinitely...