C5 X7 Battery Charging

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Dircon
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C5 X7 Battery Charging

Post by Dircon »

I have a : C5 2lt Petrol. Exclusive. Auto. 2009.

I have been unwell lately. Therefore, my car has not had much use. I now find, that whenever I do use my car, I am greeted with the “Entering Economy Mode” message.

Therefore, I think my battery, (which is approx’ 18 months old), could do with a charge.

I am thinking of purchasing a Smart Charger, e.g. :
CTEK MXS 5.0.

Would I be able to use this Charger, along with its Cigar Lighter adapter, to charge my battery, without the need to disconnect it?

Obviously, my car has a lot of electronics, and I do not want to risk upsetting them.
However, I am still unwell, and it would really help me if I could charge my battery without being forced to disconnect it.

Please reply ASAP.

Thanks,
Paul
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Re: C5 X7 Battery Charging

Post by GiveMeABreak »

No - do not use these on the C5. Do the right thing and take the battery off to charge it. If you can, get a smart charger that can detect and condition the battery. When I took mine off for a maintenance charge as it had been left for a few weeks without running, it took a full day and night to bring it back up to full charge. I deliberatley left it on a trickle cycle (2A) as I was in no hurry.

There is a risk of damage putting any charging equipment into the accessories socket, and regardless of that, the X7 has a BSI managed 12 volt socket that is turned off independently after a timed period, so you may risk damage if you try charging through this.
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Re: C5 X7 Battery Charging

Post by bobins »

I've regularly used one of the Lidl ? Aldi ? (can't remember which) 'intelligent' chargers to charge up my C5 X7 battery and never disconnected the battery. I'd definitely NOT recommend doing so with an old style battery charger, but I've not had even the slighest whiff of a problem using this method with my 'intelligent' charger. At your own risk though....... 8-[
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Re: C5 X7 Battery Charging

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

And both Aldi and Lidl are doing car bits around now that include a smart charger each for under £15.

https://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/ ... &start=915
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Re: C5 X7 Battery Charging

Post by wheeler »

I wouldn't have any problem using a modern 'intelligent' charger on a multiplexed car with the battery still connected. I've done this regularly for years without any problem.
Most of the high end manufacturers supply CTEK chargers (albeit with a Bentley,Ferrari etc badge on it) permanently wired in for charging in situ.
I would agree though don't try to connect to the cigar lighter socket on this car.
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Re: C5 X7 Battery Charging

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Concerning removal of the battery for charging - my thoughts were geared towards practicality. It depends on your circumstances whether it is practical to do so of course - as it would mean leaving it with electrical trailing wires in this weather and for a significant period of time (depending on state of charge), and would not be appropriate if you lived in a street.
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Re: C5 X7 Battery Charging

Post by Dircon »

Thanks a lot for your helpful advice.

I certainly won’t use either of the Cigar Lighter Sockets.

One other thing. Someone has told me that a Smart Charger could be ok, with the Battery still connected. However, he added that a Desulphation option should not be used, as the voltage is too high, and would cause damage.
I note that the CTEK MXS 5.0 always appears to start its charging process with a Desulphation stage, at 15.8 volts.

Does anyone have any advice re’ this?

Many thanks,
Paul
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Re: C5 X7 Battery Charging

Post by xantia_v6 »

An initial desulphation phase will only produce high voltage if the battery is sulphated. A normal partially charged battery will absorb the current without producing excessive voltage, and anything less than 16V should not be a problem anyway.
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Re: C5 X7 Battery Charging

Post by Stickyfinger »

I have no problems with the smart charger/battery connected.
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Re: C5 X7 Battery Charging

Post by white exec »

The CTEK chargers have been frequently tested and reviewed as some of the best on the market, and the modest-output models (5.0 and lower) charge the battery at a tiny fraction of the current from the alternator.

Although the electronics on recent cars might well object to having a mains-powered garage fast recharger slapped on the battery without disconnection, do we have any evidence or reports of these small intelligent chargers actually causing problems that weren't attributable to the battery voltage falling away in the first place?
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Re: C5 X7 Battery Charging

Post by Stickyfinger »

If the battery has been left for more than 3/4 weeks, I do disconnect to charge......not a clue why :)
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Re: C5 X7 Battery Charging

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Officially, the battery can be charged on the vehicle as long as the charger meets PSA requirements, The problem is going to be ensuring it does.... So the following advice assumes that it does as it is aimed at PSA technicans.

CAUTION: Recharging the ancillaries battery on the vehicle using tooling that does not meet the specifications described below may cause the destruction of the ECUs on the vehicle.
  • The recharging must be carried out in a well-ventilated area.
  • Do not remove the ancillaries battery from the vehicle to recharge it.
The recharging of the ancillaries battery should be performed with it connected to the vehicle, using a battery charger meeting the following criteria (Types of battery Normal, "EF" or "VRLA / AGM"):
  • Voltage limited to 16 V
  • Adjustable maximum current
  • Programmable or limited duration of charging
  • Stopping of charging at a minimum current
  • Safety from the risks of inverting the polarity
  • Possibility to use the battery charger on a continuous basis
Specifications of the battery charger recommended by the manufacturer (MIDTRONICS PSA):
  • Battery diagnosis (At the start and at the finish of battery charging)
  • Rapid charge (Less than 3 hours)
  • Traceability for monitoring of the battery charging
N.B. : The range of use of the battery charger recommended by the manufacturer is between 20°C and 70°C.

CAUTION: Keep to the correct sequence for connecting the battery charger cables on the terminals.


Order of connection of the cables (Without disconnection of the terminal leads):
  • Connect the positive cable of the charger on the positive terminal of the ancillaries battery
  • Connect the negative cable of the charger on the negative terminal of the ancillaries battery
N.B. : If the ancillaries battery has to be replaced, recharge the new ancillaries battery (of the correct Part No.) prior to fitting it on the vehicle.

Don't forget that on the X7, you will also likely have a Battery Charge Status Unit. Where this is the case, and you are charging it on the vehicle with a charger that meets the requirements, then the following applies:

It is compulsory that the negative clip of an external battery charger is connected to the negative cable of the ancillaries battery (at the crimp terminal of the battery charge status unit or at an earth nut) but not directly to the negative terminal of the ancillaries battery; This precaution guarantees correct resetting of the "ancillaries battery charge status" parameter.
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Re: C5 X7 Battery Charging

Post by GiveMeABreak »

I invested in one of these, - just love the name :-D :

I just connect it up and it automatically detects my AGM battery. I leave it on the default 2A charge as I'm generally in no hurry, and therefore take it off the vehicle to do.


Charger A.png
Charger B.png
Charger C.png
Features:

High Efficiency (>85%)
Selectable Charging Rates to suit battery type
Selectable battery type
Temperature self-compensation: Charging voltage adapts to temperature to prevent battery under or over charging.
Capable of recharging severely discharged or heavily sulphated battery
Reverse polarity protection, short circuit protection, spark free contact
Ultra low input power consumption while in standby mode
Ease of use, clear charging status display
Full microprocessor controlled
Does not overcharge your battery even if it is kept connected in maintenance float mode.

Multi Charge Stages:
  • Battery desulphation charging
  • Soft start charging
  • Bulk charging
  • Absorption charging
  • Battery analysis
  • Recondition charging
  • Float and maintenance charging
It also has an ECO mode, so that if Ac power is connected and the battery is not connected, the charger will draw less that 1.5W (0.04 kWh) per day. Power consumption in maintenance mode is 0.05kWh per day.

I think that covers it. It's the best one I've had after the useless 'advanced' charger I bought from a well-known UK motoring & bicycle outlet failed miserably with no warnings just out the warranty period - and that was over £50 back in the day, so wasn't cheap at the time.
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Re: C5 X7 Battery Charging

Post by white exec »

That's reassuring to see the PSA requirements laid out in detail. Thanks for digging that out, Marc.

The CTEK MXS's look to meet PSA's requirements for on-car and connected charging.
They also have a charging voltage of 14.4v / 14.7v, battery type/state analysis, and are also designed to be left connected and operating indefinitely, which is ideal for vehicles used intermittently.

Full description of the 7-stage charging is on the CTEK site. Numerous models/powers available, in all sorts of price brackets.
Chris
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