Waking and charging my 19 GT with the new Tender?


FrankTheTank

GT Owner
Jul 27, 2016
104
Austin, Texas
Silly me didn’t put my car on the tender for 2 weeks and the battery died. Ok no big deal, so I hooked up the tender and tried resetting the battery. Problem is the solid green light comes on and then starts blinking indicating it’s not connected.

Suggestions please?
 

cedarstang

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
My K090 went dead also you have to hold the charger for 10 seconds for it to set up to charge. I did that and it work just fine take almost a day to fully charge.
Good luck
 

FrankTheTank

GT Owner
Jul 27, 2016
104
Austin, Texas
I did the reset to wake the battery multiple times, but a minute or two after reset the green led starts blinking which I think means it doesn’t sense a connection to the battery.
 

lc2006

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Nov 10, 2011
140
Centreville, Delaware
The GT has a lithium-ion battery. I should mention from the outset that I have ZERO experience with automotive lithium-ion batteries.

I was touring the Markham facility a couple of weeks ago when I was handed a full-size automotive battery. The battery weighed a fraction of what a lead-acid or an AGM battery would have weighed. I was told that the battery that had just been handed to me was a Ford GT lithium-ion battery. It was then emphatically emphasized to me that I must be extremely diligent about keeping my GT's battery tender connected at all times. I was told that, once the GT's battery becomes fully discharged, it cannot be recovered. It was then explained to me that the front end of the GT must be disassembled in order to access and replace the battery.

Perhaps you might speak with your servicing Ford dealer before doing anything?

Here is a link to a page on the Optima Battery website. The page explains a procedure (Recovery Option #2) that I have used to recover a fully-discharged AGM battery for which my charger would not initiate a charging cycle. I have no idea how difficult it would be to attach your GT's battery in parallel as described in Recovery Option #2.

Good luck!

 
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fjpikul

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Jan 4, 2006
11,475
Belleville, IL
Do you have the new 7 amp charger?
 

italianjoe

Well-known member
Apr 9, 2018
180
Dearborn Heights Mi.
Silly me didn’t put my car on the tender for 2 weeks and the battery died. Ok no big deal, so I hooked up the tender and tried resetting the battery. Problem is the solid green light comes on and then starts blinking indicating it’s not connected.

Suggestions please?


ok guys a few things I want to share with you...….1st thing does any of you know how the lithium ion battery works on a NFGT ? well if the battery ever gets below 10 volts and above 15 volts it will go into protection/sleep mode. when ever the battery is in protection/sleep mode it needs to be charged with a 7 amp charger...….most of the factory charger that comes with the NFGT is only 5 amps an updated charger is available. Also by jump starting the car that will not wake the battery up because of the spike in voltage above 15 volts.....you can use a normal battery charger that puts out 7 amp or better....... I hope this helps.

Joe
 
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AJB

GT
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Jun 28, 2006
2,943
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Joe - thanks for the clarification.
I will verify that I have a 7 amp charger in my 'tool kit" in case I ever need to 'wake up' the battery.
also.. base on all the vehicles you have worked on … "How long should we ever let the vehicle sit without the tender hooked up?
--one day
--5 days
--10 days ?
etc.

andy (ajb)
 

italianjoe

Well-known member
Apr 9, 2018
180
Dearborn Heights Mi.
Joe - thanks for the clarification.
I will verify that I have a 7 amp charger in my 'tool kit" in case I ever need to 'wake up' the battery.
also.. base on all the vehicles you have worked on … "How long should we ever let the vehicle sit without the tender hooked up?
--one day
--5 days
--10 days ?
etc.

andy (ajb)

ANDY,
I have been told 2 weeks or more.
 

JWZ

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Nov 17, 2013
747
Texas
Joe - thanks for the clarification.
I will verify that I have a 7 amp charger in my 'tool kit" in case I ever need to 'wake up' the battery.
also.. base on all the vehicles you have worked on … "How long should we ever let the vehicle sit without the tender hook
Joe - thanks for the clarification.
I will verify that I have a 7 amp charger in my 'tool kit" in case I ever need to 'wake up' the battery.
also.. base on all the vehicles you have worked on … "How long should we ever let the vehicle sit without the tender hooked up?
--one day
--5 days
--10 days ?
etc.

andy (ajb)
0DD8BEBC-A0F5-47D3-901B-7DAD1C28A46A.jpeg
 
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AJB

GT
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Jun 28, 2006
2,943
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Good Thread -- valuable information to the community.
thanks !
andy (ajb)
 
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FrankTheTank

GT Owner
Jul 27, 2016
104
Austin, Texas
ok guys a few things I want to share with you...….1st thing does any of you know how the lithium ion battery works on a NFGT ? well if the battery ever gets below 10 volts and above 15 volts it will go into protection/sleep mode. when ever the battery is in protection/sleep mode it needs to be charged with a 7 amp charger...….most of the factory charger that comes with the NFGT is only 5 amps an updated charger is available. Also by jump starting the car that will not wake the battery up because of the spike in voltage above 15 volts.....you can use a normal battery charger that puts out 7 amp or better....... I hope this helps.

Joe

Thank youI Joe!

I have the newer high amperage tender but it won’t wake up The battery. I also have a high amperage Conventional charger, but Wasn’t sure it is safe to use with a lithium ion battery - is it Safe to use a conventional charger with it?

Frank
 

italianjoe

Well-known member
Apr 9, 2018
180
Dearborn Heights Mi.
Thank youI Joe!

I have the newer high amperage tender but it won’t wake up The battery. I also have a high amperage Conventional charger, but Wasn’t sure it is safe to use with a lithium ion battery - is it Safe to use a conventional charger with it?

Frank
Yes Sir,

you can start off low to medium charge to wake up battery, also if the new higher 7 amp factory charger is not working I believe it is a covered component as well.

Joe
 

cedarstang

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Is Ford giving a 7 amp as an upgrade or do we need to buy it from Ford?
 
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JWZ

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Nov 17, 2013
747
Texas
Is Ford giving a 7 amp as an upgrade or do we need to buy it from Ford?
Haha! Good one!! Lol
 

THamonGT

GT
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
YEA, just like Ford gave you the Car Cover!
 

DLM

Active member
Mar 28, 2019
35
This is a good description of waking up the lithium battery. https://fordauthority.com/2018/06/fixing-a-flat-battery-is-tricky-on-the-ford-gt-supercar-video/
what it seems would be good is a cutoff for the battery so it wouldn’t drain. I’m going to look around for that online or figure it out if it is possible.
 

GT@50

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Dec 14, 2019
852
Issaquah
This is a good description of waking up the lithium battery. https://fordauthority.com/2018/06/fixing-a-flat-battery-is-tricky-on-the-ford-gt-supercar-video/
what it seems would be good is a cutoff for the battery so it wouldn’t drain. I’m going to look around for that online or figure it out if it is possible.
If the NFGT is like the new cars I work on, keep the battery up and connected. There's a lot of systems on cars that have to learn and/or be learned. HVAC, windows, transmissions, engine, etc. Without learning blend doors can break, window motors fail, binding/bumpy shifts, won't idle, etc.
 

italianjoe

Well-known member
Apr 9, 2018
180
Dearborn Heights Mi.
Is Ford giving a 7 amp as an upgrade or do we need to buy it from Ford?

As far as I know......no. However i can tell you there is nothing wrong with your Ctek 5 amp charger, I personally have a few for at work and a few more at home they are one of the best battery maintainers to date. If I remember correctly Ctek did not start producing the 7 amp charger until mid to late 2018.

Joe
 

THamonGT

GT
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
What is the number of the 7 amp Ctek charger and where can it be purchased at a reasonable price? My 2017 Ctek charger shows to be. 4.3 amp charger.
 

ch_petrolhead

Active member
Aug 20, 2016
36
Swiss Mountains
I think it's this charger that you are looking for