Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing CTEK MXS 5

Just make sure the socket is live when the car is shut down
I always connected my charger to the battery directly, via a fuse.

I use my CTEK, all year round and have it connected to the starter motor, connections were already on the car when i bought the car back in 2018

Graham - ref the socket 'live' or not; presumably, if not live, the CTEK would not show the traffic light progression of the little LEDs moving along to green over a few hours?

I am NO expert....Just a bit of a charger ramble... (-:

I have two different Ctek FLOAT chargers in almost constant use.

I have used a MXS 3.6 connected via the clips provided one to the positive feed on my mid 80`s +8`s alternator, the neg/earth/ground, to the body of the alternator, and leave it permanently connected and switched on and have done so for many years... As best I understand it the 3.6 id, relates to the maximum output of the charger in amps.. I suspect the Ctek range of chargers are not trickle chargers or just chargers, in that I suspect they adjust their output relative to both the read-back from the battery and their internal circuitry`s design parameters...thus the output to the battery floats to suit the battery`s operational design requirements..?

I suspect and would hope that such is the circuitry and components utilised in the Ctek range`s design, that there would perhaps be inbuilt protection to inhibit over charging and also protection against short circuits detected in it`s output cabling that would automatically disconnect the output from the Ctek.

I also have a Ctek MXS 5.0, thus I suspect it`s maximum charge rate is 5 amps, but again it is a float charger and acts as above to sense the battery`s voltage and apply the required current to maintain the battery within it`s operating voltage requirements. The MXS 5.0 being the more modern charger/conditioner has a selectable AGM battery option, Advanced Glass Mat batteries having different internal construction to that of an old style battery. The MXS 5.0 also has a recondition option.

I use the MXS 5.0 charger on a 2012 vehicle fitted with an AGM battery and the vehicle has an automatically controlled stop/start functionality ( which can be deselected) though such is the complexity of all the on board control and battery monitoring systems that it is advised that any charger or jump start device should not be connected directly to the battery NEGATIVE connection but connected to the separate earthing post provided, as connecting directly across both poles of the battery could upset the battery monitoring system..

Also as per Graham`s advice, such can be the demands placed upon more modern vehicles electrical systems, that the level of on-board programming may require some electrical devices such as cigar lighters to be automatically disconnected from the battery a short time after the ignition is switched off...?

Graham`s mention of an in line fuse perhaps on the positive lead from the charger close to the point of connection..(?) would likely protect the obviously light wire from the charger from burning up and glowing white hot, should a short to earth on that wire occur if the insulation on it was ever damaged, perhaps if caught up in the vehicles door or similar...?

As ever more than happy to be corrected if anything I have typed might be incorrect..

Easy enough to check for live socket, just plug a device in (satanv, phone etc. ).
My earlier generation CTek flashes charge LED if connection to battery is lost.

I have a CTek and it kept my Plus8 and now Plus Four nicely maintained. I opted for the direct to battery connection supplied with it as it gives a better connection over a power socket that sometimes can be a bit loose. I connect it when the car is garaged but sometimes not for a few days. The cycles it goes through kept the Plus8 Odyssey battery going excellently for 10 years, it was on the car when bought so more years to add. The Plus Four has a Banner battery so no problems expected. Car has done 18k+ miles over the 2 years of ownership from new.

I'm another in line with bergandymog, Mounted a socket in the rear ply wall, 20mm hole. This connects to the battery via a fuse and allows me to plug in the Ctek conditioner easily. The Ctek options are great in that they give safe polarity connection in case of mistakes as a safety system and a no spark connection. They are one of the best options on the market and are designed to be a battery conditioner so unlike normal chargers they will have less detrimental effect on your battery. For over wintering you can get a Ctek cigarette mounting traffic light indicator and I plug this in at the dash and it gives me a quick easy visual reference to my battery state. The installed rear bulkhead socket also gives me another power source in the car for when out and about too. Something to watch out for when installing a rear bulkhead socket is where you drill for it! You want it to be located close to the rear hoop so as to use this as a cable run facility but you don't want to drill into anything behind the bulkhead or find that there isn't enough room for the rear of the socket.

Re. hoods, I have the easy-up mohair hood and in the winter I have the hood up but the rear bonnet style hold downs left undone. This I find keeps the hood crease free yet allows it to remain nice and taught through the summer months whilst in use.
A breathable indoor cover goes over the whole car and it sits on the car lift set on its first lock keeping the tyres off the ground and the suspension load free. It also seems to keep the wee beasties out too, but I guess there is always a first time! I also inflate the tyres to about 28psi as when I lower them for use there are no distortion issues when returning to 22psi. The spare stays at 30psi all year as it's easier to adjust down should I need it and this tyre will suffer indentations at the mounting points after some time. Every year just loosen the clamp and rotate it 90', I always go clockwise so every year it has a new contact point to the tyre and the mount.