CTEK battery charger - where do I connect?

[Charlotte of Kent]

Hope I am asking this question in the right place .....

Having suffered two dead batteries in 3 years in my 2006 Z4M roadster (probably because I don't drive it enough, mechanic has checked the electrics and has pronounced them sound) I have now purchased a CTEK battery charger to give it a little help now and then, but not knowing too much about electrics I am wondering - where do I connect the black minus clamp?

The red plus clamp obviously connects to the the positive battery terminal, but the CTEK manual suggest (for batteries mounted inside a vehicle, which mine is) to "connect the black clamp to the vehicle chassis remote from the fuel pipe and the battery" unless my battery is positively earthed, in which case I should "connect it to the negative battery pole and connect the red clamp to the chassis as above.

There is also a nice little drawing showing both clamps connected to the respective battery poles.

Confused? Yep, I am, thoroughly ...... can anyone help me before I tie the thing in knots?
Thank you all so much in advance

 

[oldcarman]

I believe you should have a jumper cable connection in your engine compartment if it's like the Z3. If so you can just connect to there. If I'm wrong I'm certain someone will come by and make me out a fool!! JIM

 

[Charlotte of Kent]

I believe you should have a jumper cable connection in your engine compartment if it's like the Z3. If so you can just connect to there. If I'm wrong I'm certain someone will come by and make me out a fool!! JIM

Hi Jim, I have two terminals under the bonnet, yes, with the battery located in the boot, but am not sure whether I can connect to those or whether I need to connect directly to the battery, and this thing about the remote battery connection to the chassis is something totally new - I always thought you just just connect to the battery terminals, but electrics are not my strong point, so we may well both be fools ;-)

 

[oldcarman]

Hi, those terminals are connected directly between the battery in the trunk and the starter to aid in jump starting in case you need to instead of having to open the battery compartment in the trunk(boot)lol. It's a convenience thingy that BMW did for ease of jumping as most other vehicles have batteries in the front of the car so you could use shorter cables. HTH JIM

 

[Charlotte of Kent]

Hi, those terminals are connected directly between the battery in the trunk and the starter to aid in jump starting in case you need to instead of having to open the battery compartment in the trunk(boot)lol. It's a convenience thingy that BMW did for ease of jumping as most other vehicles have batteries in the front of the car so you could use shorter cables. HTH JIM

Yes, that I do know, as I have had to take out the battery on a couple of occasions and it was, to put it the British way, a right old pig's ear of a job !!! Why on earth they put the battery in the boot (trunk) I'd like to know. Might as well have put the thing on the moon for ease of access ....

 

[zedwheels]

Hi Charlotte, i always connect mine direct to the battery terminals in the boot. No worries!

 

[Charlotte of Kent]

Hi Charlotte, i always connect mine direct to the battery terminals in the boot. No worries!

So no fuffing abut with remote chassis connections? I will give that a try at the weekend, thank you.

 

[zedwheels]

No fuffing, simples

 

[andyglym]

Yep, I connect mine direct to the battery terminals in the boot. No dramas

 

[t-tony]

Hi Charlotte, i always connect mine direct to the battery terminals in the boot. No worries!

Yep, I connect mine direct to the battery terminals in the boot. No dramas

Do you guys disconnect the boot light or close the boot lid on the wires?

Tony.

 

[Nigel Sillett]

My charger is directly to the battery and I take the bulb out and partially close the boot lid on the wire...
The CTEK I use is the small version and has a pull apart connector (wires and plug remain on battery) which allows me to leave it attached permanently in the garage and only disconnect when needed.
Nigel

 

[Charlotte of Kent]

Good point that about closing the boot lid ... if I left it open I would probably use more power than I am charging, haha ... ;-)

 

[reddyzeddygo]

I always connect mine to the positive and negative terminals in the engine bay and run the lead out through the front ('kidney') grill, so I can close the bonnet and lock the Zed as normal. (Z3)

 

[Jack Ratt]

The boot lid seals will prevent any damage to the charger wires. My trickle charger is permanently connected to my battery. I work away from home during the week and only get to see my Zed when I get home on Friday night. I keep it on a trickle charge to ensure she's ready to roll

 

[Charlotte of Kent]

The boot lid seals will prevent any damage to the charger wires. My trickle charger is permanently connected to my battery. I work away from home during the week and only get to see my Zed when I get home on Friday night. I keep it on a trickle charge to ensure she's ready to roll

Same here - as I am chained to my desk during the week I tend to drive the Z only at weekends, so will probably do the same.

 

[andyglym]

Do you guys disconnect the boot light or close the boot lid on the wires?

Tony.

Tony, I just close the boot lid. No dramas on the leads.

 

[Dino D]

Maybe you guys need new batteries.
I can leave my Z for weeks and it starts everytime.

 

[t-tony]

I don't use one of these Andy, but for the sake of others I asked about closing the lid on the wires, personally I'm not sure I would do that. It's easier to pull the boot light out and disconnect one of the wires or remove the bulb. Also I wonder how many times you could do that without damaging the charger wires?

Tony.

 

[Kit]

Yes, that I do know, as I have had to take out the battery on a couple of occasions and it was, to put it the British way, a right old pig's ear of a job !!! Why on earth they put the battery in the boot (trunk) I'd like to know. Might as well have put the thing on the moon for ease of access ....

I believe its in the boot to help with weight distribution for better handling.

Mine is fine for a few weeks along as I don't play with it in the garage, but my lads just drains away, maybe its a power hungry alarm.

 

[zedwheels]

Hi Tony, whenever i use the charger which isn't often, i place the wires and gently press the boot shut.
The rubbers around the boot lid are thick enough so there's never any compression marks on the wires.