Charging the battery

[Franco99]

I bought my 170 Elegance new in 2011 and it has been problem free.  However, I haven't used it for a couple of months and thought it would be useful to charge the battery.  Is there a particular point on the body to attach the negative clamp, or will anywhere do?

[rover220]

Anywhere on chassis. Not the battery of you have stop start. 

[Dale_Stevens]

1 minute ago, rover220 said:

Anywhere on chassis. Not the battery of you have stop start. 

What’s the issue with connecting to the battery negative on a stop/start car?

[Llanigraham]

3 hours ago, Dale_Stevens said:

What’s the issue with connecting to the battery negative on a stop/start car?

 

It can all to easily spike, which can damage the battery and it's internal circuitry.

[J.R.]

What internal circuitry?

 

I think the answer is that if you connect in the correct place a proportion of the charge current will pass through the sensing shunt resistor used by the battery management module and it will recognise the charge going into the battery, a direct battery connection will bypass it.

 

Why it needs to know and what it does with that info someone better informed than me will hopefully explain.

[muddyjim]

My understanding is that the battery negative terminal is not directly connected to Chassis on a Stop/Start Yeti - presumably it is connected via some electronic current monitoring wizardry. The procedure for using jump leads is mentioned in the handbook;

 

 

Edited 16 January, 2021 by muddyjim
quote not required

[xman]

On a stop/start equipped car, the negative terminal connector on the battery lead has an inbuilt current sensor which accurately monitors current going in and out of the battery. The battery management needs this to track of state of charge (SOC) and with voltage monitoring, also deduce the health of the battery (SOH).

 

It forms a crucial part of the micro hybrid charge management.

 

If you connect a charger or jumper leads directly to the negative battery terminal, you bypass the sensor, the battery management loses track of the true state of charge in the battery which leads to problems with stop/start and ultimately shortens battery life.

 

https://www.yuasa.co.uk/info/technical/micro-hybrid-hybrid-vehicles-explained/

[Llanigraham]

2 hours ago, J.R. said:

What internal circuitry?

 

I think the answer is that if you connect in the correct place a proportion of the charge current will pass through the sensing shunt resistor used by the battery management module and it will recognise the charge going into the battery, a direct battery connection will bypass it.

 

Why it needs to know and what it does with that info someone better informed than me will hopefully explain.

 

See reply from xman above.

[J.R.]

I read your reply as the batteries internal circuitry, is that not what you meant?

[Breezy_Pete]

You'd think that the battery management module would smell a rat if the battery voltage increased without any current flowing through the shunt, and reset itself to an estimated SOC based on the off-load terminal voltage, once it stopped rising and settled for an hour or two. If I can think of that control strategy I'd be mighty surprised if the relevant engineers designing the charging system didn't.

 

Bet the car sorts itself out promptly whatever you do.

 

Doubt the OP's car has start/stop though, a shade too early.

[BigEjit]

Funny you should say that @Wino. Recently swapped a nearly dead Moll EFB for AGM in our Fab 3. My local garage and a VW specialist tried coding it but couldn’t - no option to do so apparently. It didn’t take long for the S/S to operate and it continues to do so without coding. 🤷‍♂️

[rover220]

On 16/01/2021 at 14:41, Dale_Stevens said:

What’s the issue with connecting to the battery negative on a stop/start car?

You bypass the battery monitor by going direct to negative so the car can't keep track of what's going in. 

[longedge]

I charge/maintain my battery (CTEC charger) by plugging it into the 'cigarette lighter' socket in the front centre console. My last Yeti had a socket in the boot which, sadly, the Kamiq hasn't got.

[Dale_Stevens]

7 hours ago, longedge said:

I charge/maintain my battery (CTEC charger) by plugging it into the 'cigarette lighter' socket in the front centre console. My last Yeti had a socket in the boot which, sadly, the Kamiq hasn't got.

 

Without the cigarette socket adapter, should a Ctek not be used on the Yeti battery?

[longedge]

8 minutes ago, Dale_Stevens said:

 

Without the cigarette socket adapter, should a Ctek not be used on the Yeti battery?

I'm not aware of any reason why the charger is unsuitable.

[Urrell]

25 minutes ago, Dale_Stevens said:

Without the cigarette socket adapter, should a Ctek not be used on the Yeti battery?

That's a strange comment, without the cigarette socket adapter where else would you put it?

[Frenchtone]

Think I can answer that!!!!    ;-))))

[muddyjim]

9 hours ago, Dale_Stevens said:

 

Without the cigarette socket adapter, should a Ctek not be used on the Yeti battery?

 

8 hours ago, Urrell said:

That's a strange comment, without the cigarette socket adapter where else would you put it?

 

Probably with the Ctek negative lead connected to the engine earth as per the handbook advice for jump leads? 

[Dale_Stevens]

9 hours ago, Urrell said:

That's a strange comment, without the cigarette socket adapter where else would you put it?

 

Not sure why you think it's strange, as I don't have the cigarette socket attachment for my Ctek so I can't attach that way.

I always croc clipped mine to the battery terminals on previous cars, and on my motorbike I have the Cyek comfort lead permanently attached to the battery so I can just push fit onto that whenever I want.

So not such a strange question after all.

 

 

Edited 18 January, 2021 by Dale_Stevens

[longedge]

10 hours ago, longedge said:

should a Ctek not be used on the Yeti battery?

My charger came with several different adapters including the 'cigarette socket' one. It's always been the most convenient one for me to use particularly when I had a socket in the boot.

 

When I responded previously, it was more with reference to what I understood as a query as to the suitability of the CTEK charger. I've always been very pleased with mine.

[Dale_Stevens]

1 minute ago, longedge said:

When I responded previously, it was more with reference to what I understood as a query as to the suitability of the CTEK charger. I've always been very pleased with mine.

 

I've also always been impressed with mine. Initially purchased it to connect to my caravans battery terminals (with croc clips) which I used to remove and store at home on charge. Used it on my LR Defender directly to the battery terminals. Also on my motorbike. Never need to use it on my Yeti, hence why I asked how it could be connected without using the cigarette lighter socket as I don't have that adapter.

[Expatman]

3 hours ago, Dale_Stevens said:

 

I've also always been impressed with mine. Initially purchased it to connect to my caravans battery terminals (with croc clips) which I used to remove and store at home on charge. Used it on my LR Defender directly to the battery terminals. Also on my motorbike. Never need to use it on my Yeti, hence why I asked how it could be connected without using the cigarette lighter socket as I don't have that adapter.

Just connect the positive (red) to the positive battery terminal and the negative (black) to the piece of unpainted steel by the side of the negative terminal - which is for that purpose. Look at your handbook if you need a visual, but it’s very clear once you open the bonnet and pull back the cover over the battery. I use my c-tec once in a while as my journeys in lock-down are shorter than usual and more infrequent. C-Tek keeps the battery in top condition and can be left on as long as you like without any risk of harming the battery.

[rover220]

For those with a towbar with requisite wiring, you can charge through the socket as I do. Buy a plug of ebay and wire to your choice of charger. 

[rover220]

[J.R.]

How do you do that with a standard 12N socket?