Hi Guys, Help. The trickle charger that came with my 05 - that plugs into the electrical port on the dash does NOT keep my battery charged. Does anyone have the same problem, or am I doing something wrong, or how can I fix? Thanks much, Jimmy K
trickle charger
- Thread starter JimmyK
- Start date
H
HHGT
Guest
Your 6 year old battery is probably shot. Many of us have gone the DieHard way to prevent a potential gauges issue.
TX GT
GT Owner
Empty Pockets
ex-GT Owner
The honest answer is no one really knows if it does. It's just a theory at this point.
H
HHGT
Guest
MTV8
GT Owner
It may be a good idea to get an aftermarket charger with indicator lights to have a better idea of what is going on with the battery.
H
HHGT
Guest
33Bravo
GT Owner
I have one of the Cooltech chargers. Design is brilliant - and I agree having indicator lights is quite beneficial. I've always kept my cars on some sort of battery tender.
This fall, I replaced the original Optima (working well) battery with a new Diehard. 6+ years on an OEM battery seemed like a lot.
You could check the fuse on the cigarette lighter (pardon me, the power point). Mine was blown - so even if the original charger was working - it would not have charged.
twobjshelbys
GT Owner
I bought the Cooltech kit too. I really like the access port at the front. I had an equivalent charger that was a little beefier (900ma, I think) so I continue to use it. It has a Power (red), charging (yellow) and charged (green) light so I can tell what it is doing.
Nafod
GT Owner
My original OEM charger went bad right after I purchased the car new. Replaced under warranty... The original battery was also replaced by the dealer after testing bad. Seems my car did the dealer circuit for a year ( 3 dealers- 2 showrooms), so the battery was never on the charger...
I have found that if the Optima battery (mine) is not on the (OEM) charger , after about 1-2 weeks the battery will not start the car. If I keep the charger on the battery, I never have a problem...
It would be nice to have indictors lights( Cooltech charger) . CTEK also makes a very good charger for both types of batteries and has a design feature to slow charge the GEL/ Optima battery's from a low energy state..The Battery Tender from Cooltech may do the same.
There is a good post here for reviving the GEL/Optima with a link to the manufacturers technical video.
The Diehard battery is of a different design, probably has more capability of holding a charge off the charger. (your mileage may vary)
There seems to be a significant energy drain on the electrical system while to car is not operating. This tied with the characteristic of the GEL/Optima battery has lead to the opinion that voltage/energy spikes during recharging of the battery has lead to gauge failures.( Multiple is some cases).
An excellent replacement gauge package put together by a forum member and offered by Speed Hut is available to replace/store/preserve the OEM (expensive) gauges in a hope that this problem is addressed/fixed in the future.
Most people have also switched to the Diehard battery.... I have not heard of any gauge failures after the switch... (which doesn't mean that some have not failed)
Talking with Kendall (Nota4re) at Cooltech will answer/fix your problems..
My .01
Someday I'll have .02, LOL
I have found that if the Optima battery (mine) is not on the (OEM) charger , after about 1-2 weeks the battery will not start the car. If I keep the charger on the battery, I never have a problem...
It would be nice to have indictors lights( Cooltech charger) . CTEK also makes a very good charger for both types of batteries and has a design feature to slow charge the GEL/ Optima battery's from a low energy state..The Battery Tender from Cooltech may do the same.
There is a good post here for reviving the GEL/Optima with a link to the manufacturers technical video.
The Diehard battery is of a different design, probably has more capability of holding a charge off the charger. (your mileage may vary)
There seems to be a significant energy drain on the electrical system while to car is not operating. This tied with the characteristic of the GEL/Optima battery has lead to the opinion that voltage/energy spikes during recharging of the battery has lead to gauge failures.( Multiple is some cases).
An excellent replacement gauge package put together by a forum member and offered by Speed Hut is available to replace/store/preserve the OEM (expensive) gauges in a hope that this problem is addressed/fixed in the future.
Most people have also switched to the Diehard battery.... I have not heard of any gauge failures after the switch... (which doesn't mean that some have not failed)
Talking with Kendall (Nota4re) at Cooltech will answer/fix your problems..
My .01
Someday I'll have .02, LOL
Thanks for all the input guys. I conclude that if your are going to use an Optima "Ford GT" battery - it is best to use the OEM charger in the dash power plug after testing the power plug's fuse. I am stuck on the GT Optima because of so many opinions that one should leave the GT as stock as possible - particularly when it has very low mileage - mine has 400mi. Any other thoughts? Thanks much. Jimmy K
SYCO GT
GT Owner
Did the same, just to be on the safe side. Put the OEM Optima into a marine type case and use it occasionally in the van to power equipment. Still runs great. About once every 5 weeks, I'd run the OEM charger for about 1-2 days. Never had a problem with the OEM.
Sears Platinum seems fine too.
Also use Battery Tenders on any other vehicles that need a deeper charge, with fine results.