Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Aero 8, 2012< Plus 8, SuperSports, Coupe & Aeromax The ol non-start issue

I've used Accumate rather than Ctek on motorbikes, cars, and watercraft for about the last 25 years.
Never had an issue, been more reliable than a couple of Ctek's i've had, and even "recovered" a couple of batteries which other chargers didn't even recognise.

That might be the case, but a replacement starter button is a cheap and easy job

I don't have it set on recondtition mode, only the middle two mode lights (Normal operation & AGM illuminated) - this has worked for me for several years

One further point to consider before going down the replacement starter motor route.

Bear in mind this starter was produced to BMW specs for an everyday car such as an X5, and it would have a design life of shall we assume 10 years. Now consider how many starts that say 120,000 mile BMW would have in 10 years in all weather. Now think about how many starts your almost certainly low mileage Aero might have had. Is premature starter motor failure really a likely culprit?

Just my thoughts, and a well conditioned battery, and WD40 on the starter button, is a much easier & more economical place to start. It has worked for me

I've used Accumate/Optimate for years (and only recently sold off my collection of 10!).

I've now got a couple of the Maypole 4A smart chargers. Fraction of the price (£23.99 on Amazon), and the SAE style leads are readily available at any length - I have a 7 metre span for charging the MG. I like the LED display so can see exactly what state the battery is in. I've also made up a few SAE/Optimate conversion leads so can continue to use my heated clothing.

The only downside is that if your battery drops below 6V, the 'smart' bit thinks that it is a 6V battery and won't charge it up beyond about 6.5V. It doesn't have the battery recovery facility of an Optimate, but ideally I don't want a battery draining that much anyway.

I agree with this, and it has given some success when in a spot, but it seems a hit and miss sticking plaster' remedy and does not stop the issue returning very quickly

Also

Also agree with this. I took all cables off the battery terminals and thoroughly cleaned both ends of each cable with a file to eliminate corroded/contaminated contacts as a possible issue

I just use the standard plug in charger that the car came with. Seems to work but is that not advisable??

Seldom used vehicles or those that may be laid up for weeks, months or more tend to present issues battery related and others all of which crop up on forums from time to time..

Just thought to add my own non expert experiences on the use of the CTEC chargers I have bought, in the off chance it might be found helpful. As ever, each to their own ideals.

I have a couple of CTEC chargers, the first I bought quite a number of years back, as the inhibitor/anti theft circuit retro fitted to my Old +8 would drain the battery over time if the Mog was not driven as regularly as it should have been... )-:

A few years back when I bought a more modern sports car which would also not be made regular use of, I bought a CTEC suitable for it`s AGM battery.

As best I understand it, seems CTEC advise not to leave the charger switched on and unattended until the light emitting diodes (LED`s) indicate that the charger has completed it`s cycle of charging at or around max output,after which it should have adjusted it`s output current down and into normal/ float charging mode, at which time it will maintain the battery voltage in readiness to start the machine.

The word float relative to charging a battery is that the charger via it`s internal sensing ability, will allow the voltage to fall to a predetermined level, at which time a very low level charge in fractions of an amp will then be applied by the charger to bring the voltage back up to fully charged state, thus the battery voltage and charger output are deemed to be floating between those two voltage parameters.

My Morgan has a CTEK MXS 3.6.... 3.6 being the max output in amps of the charger when initially connected to a battery requiring charge, creates a situation where the charger determines it`s max output might be required to bring it up to fully charged state in the shortest possible time relative to the chargers max output. When operating at max output the case of the charger will feel warm, whereas when operating in the float cycle the charger the case of the charger will be quite a bit cooler.

If the charger does not switch automatically into normal/flat mode :-

In the case of my CTEC MXS 3.6, 24 hrs, the battery and or the machine it is connected to while charging is in progress would seem to have issues..?

If possible, it might be thought worthwhile to disconnect the vehicles negative lead from the battery thus isolating the battery and charger circuit from any vehicle related electrical issues..

With the charger and battery together isolated from outside influences, if the charger fails to bring the battery up to normal within the advised period of time relative to charger type, then it would seem likely that the battery has an issue.

My more modern sports car having an AGM battery, I bought a CTEC MXS 5.0, which if you have been paying attention has a 5 amp max output... (-: It operates on the same principal as my older CTEC, but has the option to select AGM and RECONDITION options, the latter perhaps in an attempt to bring a long stored battery back up to a stage where it might provide it`s best possible output..?

I have to admit, that I have left both chargers permanently connected to my two cars for a period of years, fortunately without issue.. I monitor them from time to time, more so over Winter, and have not ever stood by when initially connecting the chargers to either of the batteries or others I have used the chargers on, until the chargers indicated normal/float mode had been arrived at, as advised in the chargers manuals.

I guess if you connect the chargers to a battery that has excessive internal losses due to age etc, there is a chance that the charger will be working at max and get quite warm, up to a point where the charger will reduce it`s output as it has temperature sensing built in.

CTEC advise that the charger is perhaps not left connected to the battery terminals IF the mains is switched off to the charger, as it seems that then the charger it`s self via it`s internal circuitry may become a load on the battery and discharge the battery over time... I live in an area where power cuts can occur though only out for a day or so at most, which to date has not upset either chargers the MXS 5.0 seems to hold the pre-sets I have selected and as best I can remember I think the older MXS 3.6 may require my preferred settings re-selected..

George is right. Most problems the gomog helpline receives stem from a lack of usage or simple uncomplicated maintenance. Any assembly of machinery reacts the same way, vacant houses for example.
Inevitably, such owners pay enormous sums for complex addons and rave about them merely because, incidental to their installation, needed maintenance is finally done!

I did have one interesting incident. Pre-Covid, I left my Morgan on stands with the battery removed. During the pandemic it was too dangerous to return, including Canada as the developed world nations were the most deadly.
After three years later, we returned. I charged and re-installed the battery, spun the engine on the starter with the dizzy disconnected for a minute, reconnected and it started instantly. No hesitation. My wife and I genuflected for 15 minutes.

gmg

THE GoMoG LAW OF EXPENDITURE: "The likelihood of a car enthusiast reviewing anything he has already purchased with passionate approval is directly related to how much money he spent on it."