[chesterfield]

Hi,

Having not driven my 430 for almost two months, I went to it yesterday to find that the battery is low.

I assume its the battery low that is causing the problem, car unlocks, dash lights up etc - but try to start and it just makes a "thump, thump thump" noise. As if the car is trying to start, but there arent enough cranking amps to turn the starter.

Ive read in the manual about how to charge the battery, but my question is this, do I have to disconnect it from the car to do this. I know the manual advises to do so, but I have a charger/maintainer that I may wish to use long term and I really dont want to have to take the battery out of the car each time Im going to lay it up for a period of time.

The charger/maintainer I have will charge a battery until it reaches the correct power, then switches to maintain mode.

Would I be able to connect this to the car without removing the battery?

Perhaps use the battery isolator switch rather than physically remove the battery altogether, then connect the charger/maintainer - then when I wish to use the car disconnect the charger and reconnect the isolator?

Also - on a side note, will my radio require a code, and should my dealer have a record of this, as I dont think I do!

Thanks for any help or advice

[chesterfield]

Have just found this:

http://www.ferrari.com/English/Servi...a_batteria.pdf

So it looks as though the device referred to in the manual is designed to be permanently connected to the vehicle and allows you to simply plug the car into an outlet socket to keep the battery maintained/charged.

I therefore assume it is safe to charge the battery whilst it is in the vehicle (indeed Ive done this with all my other cars that have required batterys charging)

However - as it says the battery should be charged in a well ventilated area why would they design such a device to allow you to charge the battery with it still hidden behind the footwell? This is hardly ventilated.

[il Capolino]

Don't forget to do the recalibration procedure after charging and before starting: Turn ignition on for 30s. Turn ignition off for 5s. Turn ignition on again, wait for all check lights to settle and crank that lovely engine up!

This procedure is good to do every time something doesn't seem right. E.g., once there was no sound on my 430 radio. It occurred to me to try the recalibration procedure which brought everything back to normal.

Have fun!
Capo

[chesterfield]

Thanks Capo.

Ill get the battery charged back up and undertake the reset

[Admiral Goodwrench]

I use a Battery Tender as described at:
http://www.eastwood.com/battery-tender-12v.html

It comes with two options for connecting to your battery. One is permanent connection at the battery with a line disconnect which you can locate in an accessible area. The other is a clip on at the battery terminals. Over the past two years it has done a perfect job for me keeping the battery charged between runs.

Best regards,

Robert

[chesterfield]

The one I have is not a small compact unit, and only has the crocodile style clips, but I am hopefully going to get one with the permanent connections and accessible clip.

I guess you can leave these switched on while you are away on holiday?

[Admiral Goodwrench]

Dear Chesterfield,

I leave mine connected all the time that the car is in the garage. Appeasing the gods of originality I use the clip on style at the battery terminal of the voltage regulator as the battery is difficult to get to.

Best regards,

Robert

[Boxer]

I use CTEK battery conditioners and keep the cars connected whenever they are in the garage.

[il Capolino]

Originally Posted by Boxer

I use CTEK battery conditioners and keep the cars connected whenever they are in the garage.

Many of mine are CTEK and some are Optimate. I heard CTEK have topped several tests and I like them because they are Swedish like myself. Ferrari now supply CTEK as OEM but with the Ferrari logotype.

Capo

[iainuk]

Dealers can retrofit the CTEK plug in type. I'm having this done to my Dino as it's far easier than the crocodile clip type arrangement.

[il Capolino]

Another great Swedish product that Ferrari uses for their racing cars are the Setrab oil coolers. A friend of mine from school owns the company. Even though I am buyest since it is a friend of mine, I think it is an excellent product and I hear from Ferrari that it is a great oil cooler.

Capo

[Magnum6464]

I use Battery Tender, I have 2 Jr Models actually. I used to replace my ATV battery every year sometimes twice. Since my purchased, the battery is going on its 4th years.

I plugged my ATV battery to my battery tester (1st picture below) and she is still a strong battery. I highly recommend to anyone who takes care of their vehicle to buy one of these testers as well. They immediately tell you if your battery is shorted and when doing the test; it puts a draw on the battery as if it was being put through an actual engine start. It gives you the power of your battery and if one or more cells are shorted, you immediately know.

Last week I bought a second Battery Tender for my 348 with an additional extension cable since she will be kept inside for the winter. I was alternating from the ATV to my spare battery and now with the Ferrari, I figured I might as well have one permanent on her. The cool thing is it comes with 2 connectors; one permanently installed on the battery terminals and the other has alligator clips and can be used for other batteries (like my spare battery). They come in single, dual, 4, 5, 10 outlets, 6V ,12V, Marine, Industrial, bike, cars, Farm, solar ones too. Even one in pink for the ladies. But since I already had one, I figured an additioanl single one would be anough. I have already saved over $400.00 in batteries so I'm convinced.

I picked it up at the local Harley Davidson dealership. They sell both models. By this I mean, they are the offical tender for Harley bikes so they have one with the Harley Davidson logo on it and the regular one with the official "Battery Tender" logo like the picture below. I chose the regular one because I am not a Harley fan and the Harley one is also a little more expensive due to their offical logo.


http://batterytender.com/



~

Mario

[chesterfield]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I searched yesterday online for another charger/maintainer that I could just use as a dedicated device for the car.

I found the CTEK and also noted the extreme similarity between that and the device sold by Ferrari, if they are indeed the same equipment just badged by Ferrari, then this will explain why.

I shall hopefully get one of those either today or during this week and then Ill just keep it plugged in from then on.

How do you guys keep them plugged in, do you leave the passenger door open or the window and trail the cables through there?

Im surprised there is not the option to have the plug mounted externally with a cap that can be removed to in turn connect the charging lead, and that way have the car secured whilst being maintained/charged.

I guess however that would lead to many (including myself) forgetting about the charger, jumping in the car and driving off with it still connected to the charger.

[iainuk]

You can close the door over the CTEK lead as it will merely compress safely into the rubber door seal.

[il Capolino]

On my 430 it is mounted inside on the passenger side but I am changing it to the boot so it is the same on all cars.

Don't worry if you happen to drive off with the charger plugged in because then it is ready for use at your next stop. The amnesia you are describing is a clear sign of ageing... Welcome to the club! It gets worse. The next step is forgetting to disconnect the trailer and soon you start forgetting to drop off your mistress before going home. You see a lot of this in Europe with its ageing population. If you see an old man in his car with the battery charger and the trailer trying to keep up and there's a young woman in the passenger seat - that's probably alzeimer.

Some chargers mustn't be plugged in when starting the engine so I try to remember disconnecting to spare it from possible damage. - Or maybe it's the car's electronics that can suffer damage? I don't know, I only understand mechanics. I should probably read the cars' manuals back to back and the chargers' manuals.

Capo

[chesterfield]

One of my neighbours once popped home for lunch walked the dog and went inside for something to eat.

He forgot he had tied his dog to the towing ball of his truck!

Luckily when he set off back to work he stopped 200 yards down the road to get something from the local shop. When he came out he saw a very out of breath dog.

He sheepishly then carried it the 200 yards back home! Lucky escape!

Excellent that the CTEK can be used and the car locked - Ill get one ordered

[wetpet]

another ctek user. always had the lambo on it. that thing would drain down in a couple weeks. my ferrari seems to hang in there for months.

[redtrman]

I recommend the battery tender jr. I use it for cars and tractor, works perfectly and hassle free.

[Magnum6464]

(Deltran) Battery Tender sell connectors below...and a sweet mounting bracket. As well, male and female cig lighter adaptors.

And no, I'm not trying to advertise for them, I just really like their product. They have everything for every application


~

Mario

[Magnum6464]

Originally Posted by chesterfield

I guess however that would lead to many (including myself) forgetting about the charger, jumping in the car and driving off with it still connected to the charger.

I solved that problem. I picked up one of these when I visited an Aviation museum.

I slide this over the wiper arm stick on the steering column (same side as the ignition key) so when I hop in the car, it's an instant reminder. It’s also easy to make, a piece of tie down strap and a large key ring and that’s it.

I also use it for my truck when I plug a charger or block heater.


~

Mario