Trickle Charger Not Working

[Gierkink]

My car (red #872) is one of the European cars and it was delivered with a trickle charger to keep the battery charged when the car is not in use. The trickle charger is not working as the battery goes flat if I don't drive the car for a few weeks (I know, I know, I should just drive it more often). The trickle charger make/model is an AccuMate PRO. Power to the unit is fine as it lights-up. Has anyone else had this problem and any suggestions as to what I might try to fix it?

Thanks,


Rob

 

[samthejeepman]

i don't trust the plug in style chargers, i use external trickle chargers on all my cars, and every spring they all start up with no problem.
my gt has one on it as we speak.

sam
#1451 red/white

 

[Gierkink]

Sam,

Thanks for the prompt reply. I'm a bit clueless on this stuff so bear with me. I have an external trickle charger that plugs-in to a regular wall outlet (or the mains as they say here in the UK). When you say you don’t trust the plug in style chargers and use an external trickle chargers on your cars what do you mean by an external charger and how is that different from what I've described I'm using?

Thanks,

Rob

 

[Neilda]

I would imagine your charger is the same as mine (as fitted by Roush). A square black box (quite big) and attaching to a blue female connector on the GT above the front fans?

If so, are your sure your two connectors are mating properly? It won't activate properly if you do not screw the blue connector on.

There are three LED's on the front of the charger, the far right hand one should be illuminated. Is it?

Does this help?

Neil

 

[Gierkink]

Neil,

Thanks for the reply and I do have the same charger as you. I’ve been careful to ensure that I’ve screwed the blue connector on properly so I’m certain that this is not the issue (unless there’s a problem with the connector itself). The far right light does not illuminate but I’m not sure how this can help to diagnose the problem. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks,


Rob

 

[samthejeepman]

hi
by external charger, i should have said, the type that you plug into a regular ac outlet. at present i have 5 of them pluged in and attached to my sleeping vehicles batteries.
i have seen too many cigar lighter type devices( such as radar detectors, vacuums, chargers, and lighters) cause fires in cars, and that is one reason why i do not trust them.

sam
#1451 red/white

 

[analogdesigner]

Trickle charger test

Rob and other GT owners,

I decided to test my trickle charger in my lab to test it's load line performance. Here are the results as follows:

Open circuit (no load) = 17.0 volts

50 ohm load = 13.4 volts

25 ohm load = 12.0 volts

Please note that these are approximate average voltage levels. I would expect most units to fall within about +/- 5% of these values.

Also, make sure that your accessory outlet is actually working by plugging something into it that draws some current, i.e. a radar detector, cell phone, etc. Do not reply on using only a voltmeter with it's leads poked into the accessory jack, as a real load needs to be applied. Modern digital voltmeters can have super-high input impedances (they do not load the circuit). No voltage present could indicate a blown fuse, an unplugged connector within the wiring harness or a defective wiring harness (not likely).

It's probably not a bad idea for everyone to test their charger. I must always trickle charge my NSX as it can only make it about 3 to 4 weeks between engine starts.

Good luck, Jay

 

[teflon]

If you go to fordgtprices.com and look at the TSBs, I think you'll find one that has to do with the battery.

Greg A

 

[Neilda]

Rob, the far right hand light, from memory, tells you that the battery is fully charged and that the charger is 'maintaining it' sort of. The other lights merely indicate that the charger is on.

Hmmm!

I think there are two possibles here. One is that there is no current going from the female connector on the GT to the battery, i.e. the wires have come loose. Second is that your battery has failed (which would be unlikely).

I know when Roush fitted my trickle system that they changed the battery in the GT to one that would take a deep charge. Where are you based in the UK? Is your car now running? Neil.

 

[Neilda]

I'm not sure what they come fitted with - however Roush took out the battery that was fitted by the factory and replaced it with one to partner the new trickle charge...

 

[B O N Y]

My car sat for 4 weeks while I recovered from shoulder surgery. Went to open the door and the battery was D E A D. I left the alarm on in the garage. I charged the Optima battery and was off and running. I will use the trickle charger when the car sits for any lenght of time.

 

[Gierkink]

I finally seem to have got this sorted with some help from Roush. The fuse located on the lead near the positive battery terminal was blown and I replaced it today The charger seems to be working fine now.

Rob

 

[LEMANSZ]

where did you put the pigtail end coming out of the battery?

 

[samthejeepman]

i use aftermarket pig tail trickles on all my stored cars except the gt
the gt came with a cigar lighter plug in trickle charger, which i leave plugged in and connected to a wall a/c outlet
the car starts everytime i try it, especially with the below freezing temps we have been having.

sam #1451 red/white