lexuspower

Just picked up a Ctek 3300 battery charger for my 2008 LS460L since we only drive it a few days a week. Is it safe to connect directly to the battery under the hood?
Where is the ideal spot to jump start on an LS? Reason I ask is that my BMW 6series have the battery at the back trunk but for any charging or jump starts it must be done under the hood where there is a terminal that goes to the battery.

Valley101

If you drive it at least one day a week there should be no issues with the battery holding a charge unless the battery is just old and slowly dying, in which case it would be prudent to get a new battery. Most people do charge under the hood, but for complete safety it is recommended that the battery be removed when charging. If you have your owner's manual, it will tell you the procedures to follow or you can google it.

jmcraney

I think Valley101 has given you some very good advice. He said a lot in a few well chosen words. A good battery should still crank the car after it has been idle for several weeks. I have left my car sitting for more than four weeks on several occasions with no problem. As Valley101 said, connecting anything to the car's electrical system has some risk and although the risk is small, like most medical surgery, it should be avoided except when necessary. If you are having battery problems then you should remove your battery from the car and have it tested by a competent battery dealer who is equipped with the electrical tools to test it. If the battery is good and continues to be a problem then you should consider the possibility that one of the doors or trunk is being left open or that one or more of the door-jamb switches is defective. The door-jamb switches have caused discharged battery problems for many of these cars. Car batteries typically last about 40 months after they have been put into service - a few fail before 40 months and some last more than 60 months. When I consider the cost and incoveniece of of a surprise dead battery versus the cost of premature replacement then routine replacement soon after 36 months seems right for me.

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

I would install it, looks like a neat system and its a smart trickle charger. Having a battery fully charged will prolong the batterys life.

lexuspower

Thanks guys for your feedback. I will test the system out. I have heard that with this unit, it has prolonged a battery for a few years. This is the same unit that BMW, Porsche, and Corvette sells under their own branding. So it cant be bad.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

From what I understand, you should never connect a charger to a battery with it still connected to car. You can damage the ECM. Either disconnect the battery cables or buy an Optima gell battery. I have left my Optima battery connected to my 400 for 37 days once without a crank and it started up just fine.

jud149

One thing to keep in mind here is that a very discharged battery may start the car but then puts strain on the alternator to bring it up to the fully charged condition. Alternators are not designed to charge severally discharged batteries and doing so will shorten their lives. They are designed to top them off.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

However sitting shortens the life of the battery.
My GS is used on weekend if the weather is right.So it may sit for a couple of weeks and I use a Battery Tender trickle charger.
I used the same Battery Tender on a '69 Corvette show car I owned for many years.Never had any problems.

whitetooth

I installed one because the first battery already died after 4 years. Here is a picture of the connector wired via CTEK fuse directly to the battery:



Bright light in the trunk:


It is the Vaistech VLINE (discontinued). However, a great idea , 1400 lumen. LED lifespan ends in 50 years. See my upcoming report in 2063 assuming is right with immortality in 2045.