Ford cig. charger or after market battery charger?

[GTED]

Hi

How many owners are using the Ford cig. battery charger when our GTs are not in used? The reason I ask is that I was using a charger called Sentinel, which was great, but it recently crapped out on me. I started using the Ford one a couple of weeks ago, and now I realized that when plugged in there is no light no indicator that the charger is charge..... How do I know it is working?

For those of you actually use the Ford one to maintain the battery, how long have you left the charger on without any incident (i.e., over charging.....)? If the Ford one works well, I'll simply just use it if not what would you recommend, other than Battery Tender (just want to know if there is other alternative, since I believe the Battery Sentinel might have been out of business- I called but the phone has been disconnected.... bad sign).

thx

Ed

 

[Triheart7]

Excellent question. I'd like to know the same thing. I have been using the charger on a Mustang asnd it seems to work well on this particular car. I try to drive the GT 1-2x a week, so I have been relying less on the charger.

 

[BlackICE]

I think the Ford OEM charger would work well without any problems other than the fact you don't have any indication on what it is doing. I have 3 Battery Tender Jr. and one of the crapped out. It never went into the low current maintenance mode. The LED was always RED even though the battery was fully charged. Kayvan and others seem to like the CTEK chargers better. CTEK has models that have a GMAT mode which matches our OEM batteries. If another BT goes bad I will give CTEK a try.


From CTEK web site

AGM, Absorbed Glass Mat, (Vlies) keeps the acid in place by the separator paper that consists of a fibreglass mat operating like a sponge. The capillary forces in the separator do the trick. The batteries can be constructed with extremely thin separators which keep the internal resistance low. This means that you can leverage high power from a small volume which makes it ideal as a starter battery. AGM has one drawback which is that the amount of acid is limited. All acid must be absorbed by the separator paper and when the small amount of acid has been converted into lead sulphate, this signals that the "petrol tank" is empty. To deal with this problem, AGM batteries often have a somewhat higher acid weight. This means that an AGM battery can, and often should, be charged using a voltage that is a little higher.

http://www.ctek.com/EN-US/Academy/DifferentBatteries.aspx

I don't know enough about batteries to tell if this information is marketing BS, or it really makes a difference. Probably the former.

 

[MAD IN NC]

I went with nota4re/Kendall's (cooltechllc.com) Deltran which is an equalized charger and shuts to a trickle when voltage reached versus the ford which I believe is a constant voltage/ current charger....

idiot light, easy, and it has lasted ~ 4 yrs now, It was one of the first mods I put on the FGT.

Only problem is I keep forgetting to unplug it when I drive off but the quick disconnect feature is a big +!:cheers

 

[dbackg]

I went with nota4re/Kendall's (cooltechllc.com) Deltran which is an equalized charger and shuts to a trickle when voltage reached versus the ford which I believe is a constant voltage/ current charger....

idiot light, easy, and it has lasted ~ 4 yrs now, It was one of the first mods I put on the FGT.

Only problem is I keep forgetting to unplug it when I drive off but the quick disconnect feature is a big +!:cheers

+1 on nota4re/Kendall's (cooltechllc.com) setup.

I have 3.

damn near idiot proof. very easy install.

highly recommend. :thumbsup

 

[AJB]

I use the standard Ford unit plug into the power point in the IP that came with the car..used Winter 2006, 2007, 2008 and now plugged in as I speak in 2009. Original Battery, 5000 milesODO and NO ISSUES>!

If you want to verify it is working, just put the back of your hand on the unit and it will feel slightly warm.
The OEM's typically Test ...and ...test and ...test all their released parts. I always trust what comes with the car.

AJB

 

[ViperJoe]

+1 on nota4re/Kendall's (cooltechllc.com) setup.

I have 3.

damn near idiot proof. very easy install.

highly recommend. :thumbsup

+2

 

[Kayvan]

The Ford OEM charger cant overcharge (see #5 below); the spec sheet that came with it states "the charger will automatically charge the battery, and STOP charging when when fully charged."

I have had it on Nov. -.April, 3 yrs. running.

The biggest selling point is the 25ft cord.

The CTEK is a little bit higher end; exotics with lots of electronics (traction control, stability, launch, sat. nav, memory), seem to need them and are OEM in trunks.

 

[jaxgt]

I too went with Kendall's setup, and had the wire installed such that there is a simple plug in in my front grill. A great setup.

 

[GTViperman]

I went with nota4re/Kendall's (cooltechllc.com) Deltran which is an equalized charger and shuts to a trickle when voltage reached versus the ford which I believe is a constant voltage/ current charger....

idiot light, easy, and it has lasted ~ 4 yrs now, It was one of the first mods I put on the FGT.

Only problem is I keep forgetting to unplug it when I drive off but the quick disconnect feature is a big +!:cheers

I bought my charger from Kendall as well. It is the same unit that I have used on all of my Vipers and the NSX. I have never had a problem with this charger on any of my cars.

 

[AZGT]

I have been using the factory charger constantly plugged into a rack queen that sits and is driven a mile once a month (maybe). Starts every time and no problems. Have been doing that for three years.

 

[Neilda]

I've never used a charger through the 12V socket... Revolve in the UK fitted my GT with a new battery and charger and it's on 24/7. Never had a problem...

The socket for the Revolve charger is fitted on the front air intake grilles above the two fans.

 

[MAD IN NC]

I've never used a charger through the 12V socket... Revolve in the UK fitted my GT with a new battery and charger and it's on 24/7. Never had a problem...

The socket for the Revolve charger is fitted on the front air intake grilles above the two fans.

Neilda, I only hope the socket for the Revolve is smaller than the electrical plugs you have standardized in for AC in the UK :lol

 

[Specracer]

I use a deltran, into the power port, have since day about day 30 which was Oct 2005, zero battery probs, and still on the OEM battery. I got it when I realized she could not sit unattended with out killing the battery, especially as the dealer tossed in some GPS theft system before I got it.

 

[pauleddy]

There have been lots of previous posts on this topic but I believe that using a FLOAT CHARGER is the way to go with OEM battery (or any battery, for that matter), much better than a constant charge through a "Trickle" charger, which often cooks the battery over time.
I have used Deltran units with great success on all my cars, motorcycles and boats and will continue to do so.

 

[steved57]

There have been lots of previous posts on this topic but I believe that using a FLOAT CHARGER is the way to go with OEM battery (or any battery, for that matter), much better than a constant charge through a "Trickle" charger, which often cooks the battery over time.
I have used Deltran units with great success on all my cars, motorcycles and boats and will continue to do so.

What make "float charger" are you using ?

Thanks

Steve