Ford Fiesta ST - Battery charging

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Sat 6 Feb 2021 09:46
Ford Fiesta ST - Battery charging - Phil-87

Hi, I've just started charging my car battery and looking for some advice. The car is a 2014 Fiesta ST and the charger I'm using us a CTEK MXS 5.0 Fully Automatic Charger. The charger has a reconditioning mode which uses a higher voltage of up to 15.8V, and I'm wondering if this is safe because I haven't disconnected the battery from the car - the instructions for the charger didn't mention that.

So I'd just like to know is it safe to use this kind of charging mode while the battery is still connected to the car, or could this cause problems with the car electrics?

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Sat 6 Feb 2021 10:41
Ford Fiesta ST - Battery charging - elekie&a/c doctor
Can’t see that being a problem. The car’s alternator smart charge circuit is capable of charging at voltages up to 15.8 volts without issue . The c-Tek unit should be fine .
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Sat 6 Feb 2021 11:35
Ford Fiesta ST - Battery charging - edlithgow

Given how easy it is to disconnect the battery, I wouldn't risk not doing it.

I THINK I've seen posts on here stating that the CTEK is safe on-car.

OTOH the 1998 Honda Accord handbook prohibits on-car charging (though they may be covering themselves against less-smart chargers) and I've seen (and linked to recently on here) youtube videos in which an electronics engineer was very critical of the 5 amp CTEK's quality of construction.. though I don't know if this aspect was affected

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