Any recommendations for trickle charger for Focus mk4 mild hybrid.

can anyone confirm if it’s Red to live terminal and black to earth point on bodywork?

I have two of these CTEK chargers, one for my BMW and one for my Fiesta, the best chargers I’ve ever used...

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00FC42HAA/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_QAAYZ62181FXKGW71M5C

I have the Maypole as recommended by others on here...  Not used it yet so can't review lol.

Maypole 7423A Battery Charger Auto Electronic 4A 12V: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

I have the Maypole as recommended by others on here...  Not used it yet so can't review lol.

Maypole 7423A Battery Charger Auto Electronic 4A 12V: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike

Hi, this one sounds good, does the manual explain how to attach to battery? 
 

On WWW I have read it’s both battery terminals alternate I have read it’s red to live and black to earth on car! 
 

I’m confused.com

1 hour ago, Andyr55 said:

Hi, this one sounds good, does the manual explain how to attach to battery? 
 

On WWW I have read it’s both battery terminals alternate I have read it’s red to live and black to earth on car! 
 

I’m confused.com

Haven't opened mine yet but there's a PDF manual here - PTCxx-B系列充电器 (netsuite.com)

1) Connect the positive charging lead (RED) to the positive post of the battery (marked + / +ve or P).

2) For vehicles with the battery still installed: Connect the negative charging lead (BLACK) to the vehicle chassis (marked - / -ve or N), well away from the battery, fuel line, and hot or moving parts

Ordered one 😉

1 hour ago, Andyr55 said:

Ordered one 😉

Great, the Maypole also arrives with a 'fly lead' that you can permanently bolt to your battery, so it makes future charging quick and easy as you also get another lead that plugs straight into it from the charger, as already stated, black to black, red to red.

Oh, and if you intend to leave it permanently on charge, one of these should prevent the odd mishap (I speak from experience!)

9 hours ago, StephenFord said:

Great, the Maypole also arrives with a 'fly lead' that you can permanently bolt to your battery, so it makes future charging quick and easy as you also get another lead that plugs straight into it from the charger, as already stated, black to black, red to red.

Oh, and if you intend to leave it permanently on charge, one of these should prevent the odd mishap (I speak from experience!)

Surely it’s red to red and black to earth  on car? 

4 hours ago, Andyr55 said:

Surely it’s red to red and black to earth  on car? 

You are entirely correct as seen by the chargers instructions. However, I have used a fly lead for years, and always simply bolted the black to the earth off the battery - never had an issue...

On a vehicle with a Battery Monitoring System (BMS) like the Focus MK3, MK3.5 and MK4 the negative lead of the battery charger must never be connected directly to the negative battery terminal.

On these vehicles the sensor of the BMS (that measures battery power, current and temperature) is integrated into the negative battery terminal. When a battery charger is connected directly to the negative battery terminal the BMS will not detect that the battery is being charged. As a result of this the actual State of Charge (SoC) of the battery will be different from the SoC expected by the BMS. This can result in overcharging the battery which seriously affects the life expectancy of the battery.

On a vehicle with BMS the negative lead of a battery charger (or any other accessoires) must always be connected before the BMS sensor.


On a vehicle with a BMS system you may experience that the CANbus system will not enter sleep mode while the battery is being charged with an external battery charger. I have seen this before (also on my Focus MK3). When this happens the vehicle will draw a considerable amount of power from the battery. My experience is that a 4A electronic charger may struggle to charge the battery and become very, very hot when the CANbus system is still active. 

 

4 minutes ago, JW1982 said:

On a vehicle with a Battery Monitoring System (BMS) like the Focus MK3, MK3.5 and MK4 the negative lead of the battery charger must never be connected directly to the negative battery terminal.

On these vehicles the sensor of the BMS (that measures battery power, current and temperature) is integrated into the negative battery terminal. When a battery charger is connected directly to the negative battery terminal the BMS will not detect that the battery is being charged. As a result of this the actual State of Charge (SoC) of the battery will be different from the SoC expected by the BMS. This can result in overcharging the battery which seriously affects the life expectancy of the battery.

On a vehicle with BMS the negative lead of a battery charger (or any other accessoires) must always be connected before the BMS sensor.


On a vehicle with a BMS system you may experience that the CANbus system will not enter sleep mode while the battery is being charged with an external battery charger. I have seen this before (also on my Focus MK3). When this happens the vehicle will draw a considerable amount of power from the battery. My experience is that a 4A electronic charger may struggle to charge the battery and become very, very hot when the CANbus system is still active. 

 

OK, you have appropriately scared me now! LOL On my old Mk2, I'll remove the fly lead negative lead and look to bolt it directly to the car somewhere...

The MK2/MK2.5 does not have a BMS at all so on these vehicles it is completely save to have the negative lead of a battery charger connected directly to the battery terminal.

1 minute ago, JW1982 said:

The MK2/MK2.5 does not have a BMS so on these vehicles it is completely save to have the negative lead of a battery charger connected directly to the battery terminal.

Thank you so much, I'll leave just as is then, but will definitely remember if I ever get a 'modern' car!

1 hour ago, JW1982 said:

The MK2/MK2.5 does not have a BMS at all so on these vehicles it is completely save to have the negative lead of a battery charger connected directly to the battery terminal

Another good reason to hang on to our Mk2.5

EFB battery on Focus mhev. Are these classed as standard for charging purposes against AGM battery.

not sure on differences 😳

keen to get my Maypole charger

going when it arrives.

An EFB battery is basically an enhanced, higher performance version of a normal wet cell lead acid battery. Compared to a normal wet cell lead acid battery the EFB battery has thicker positive plates and fibreglass mats between the plates. 

The required voltage to charge an EFB battery is between 13.8 and 14.8 Volts (where 14.4 Volts is the optimal voltage). When charging an EFB battery the battery charger must support EFB battery charging. Some chargers have a specific setting for EFB batteries while others use the AGM or frost setting to charge an EFB battery

Thanks, my battery was at 11.4 v when I connected the charger so I guess lack of use has had an effect.

20 minutes ago, Andyr55 said:

Thanks, my battery was at 11.4 v when I connected the charger so I guess lack of use has had an effect.

You got the charger already?? LOL

12 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

You got the charger already?? LOL

Amazon……

22 hours ago, JW1982 said:

An EFB battery is basically an enhanced, higher performance version of a normal wet cell lead acid battery. Compared to a normal wet cell lead acid battery the EFB battery has thicker positive plates and fibreglass mats between the plates. 

The required voltage to charge an EFB battery is between 13.8 and 14.8 Volts (where 14.4 Volts is the optimal voltage). When charging an EFB battery the battery charger must support EFB battery charging. Some chargers have a specific setting for EFB batteries while others use the AGM or frost setting to charge an EFB battery

When I have fully charged the battery, would you suggest a manual reset of the BMS ?

When the battery is charged with the vehicle battery cable(s) connected there is no reason to reset the BMS manually.

On a battery that has a reduced capacity as a result of wear manually resetting the BMS can even cause problems. 

Battery fully charged using the Maypole. Took ages (10 hrs) from start to finish. Is this normal timeframe for charging?

VARTA EFB Fitted to my Focus. 

6 minutes ago, Andyr55 said:

Battery fully charged using the Maypole. Took ages (10 hrs) from start to finish. Is this normal timeframe for charging?

VARTA EFB Fitted to my Focus. 

Yes, future charges should be shorter, especially if you leave it permanently on 'trickle charging'...

4 hours ago, Andyr55 said:

Battery fully charged using the Maypole. Took ages (10 hrs) from start to finish. Is this normal timeframe for charging?

I have a Ctek MX 5 and a Noco Genius 5. These "smart" chargers do take a long time - 6/7 hours or so - to run through their full cycle even when the battery is just a little low, rather than completely flat.

I've never let things go so far, but the instructions suggest around 12 hours to achieve 80% charge on an "empty" 60Ah battery.

WELL ...CALLING ALL EXPERTS.

I have charged the car battery and within 10 hours its back in 'deep sleep mode' to preserve the battery!

called my local dealer and they have never heard of deep sleep but for £150 will put the car on a diagnostic machine. refund in ford manufacturing error located.

I am not over confident a refund will be forthcoming as they have never heard of the error.

Any of you mechanical experts have any suggestions.?