Fitting a battery conditioner... Do's and Don'ts

[Jimblob]

So Lotus said to come see the dealer - which I ignored!

I made sure the car was off for 30 mins. I then disconnected the negative battery again - left it off for a minute.

Then I reconnected the negative battery terminal - however in the process the small electrical connector to the BMS was also disconnected. I didn’t deliberately disconnect it so I was thinking that maybe it was a little loose all along - hence why it was so easily disconnected.

I then left that connector off for another 10 mins. Then I reconnected that and started up the car.

The warning light if now off and hasn’t come back yet

I’m going to drive it for another day to make sure the light stays off before plugging in the battery conditioner to charge it a little. Fingers crossed that works and the light stays off.

Will report back in 24 hours…

 

[Andrea]

The Emira handbook has battery specifications. Its a standard (non-lithium) battery.

Emira Handbook | Lotus Cars United Kingdom

Your new Lotus Emira is built in the true tradition of Lotus sports cars; high performance with precision handling. Understand more about your vehicle with the Lotus Emira handbook.

www.lotuscars.com

View attachment 21046

For once something easy and ordinary!

 

[Andrea]

So Lotus said to come see the dealer - which I ignored!

I made sure the car was off for 30 mins. I then disconnected the negative battery again - left it off for a minute.

Then I reconnected the negative battery terminal - however in the process the small electrical connector to the BMS was also disconnected. I didn’t deliberately disconnect it so I was thinking that maybe it was a little loose all along - hence why it was so easily disconnected.

I then left that connector off for another 10 mins. Then I reconnected that and started up the car.

The warning light if now off and hasn’t come back yet

I’m going to drive it for another day to make sure the light stays off before plugging in the battery conditioner to charge it a little. Fingers crossed that works and the light stays off.

Will report back in 24 hours…

Let's hope for the best!

 

[Jimblob]

All is now good with my battery charger and there are no warning lights on anymore.

I think the sensor wire much have come loose when I was initially connecting the terminals as it all works perfectly now - IE the battery charges etc and there are no warning lights on the dash.

I’m not sure if the wire was a little loose to begin with (IE clip not properly seated) but either way I should have checked so I I’ll take ownership of this problem as a user/installer error!

 

[Mousetrail]

Hi Jimblob, glad to hear that you resolved the issues. Which model of the CTEK chargers did you use and does the cable fit ok past the boot seal?

 

[Jimblob]

Not sure the model - it’s branded Porsche from a previous car. The cable goes past boot seal perfectly and I can still move it slightly meaning it’s not being pinched at all.

 

[digilotus]

Porsche generally OEM CTEK chargers as do many others. They're one of the best available. Typical general purpose model is the MXS 5.0.

 

[robrmon]

Porsche generally OEM CTEK chargers as do many others. They're one of the best available. Typical general purpose model is the MXS 5.0.

I have that model on my Evora and it’s very good. I see $75 on Amazon right now. Recommended.

I expect the Emira will have the same electrical gremlins that are present in the Evora. The battery drain after a few weeks is pronounced. We might find that if you do drive a car that’s not fully charged, it ends up stranded in Limp mode. So 100% my car will always be on a tender. It’s something I’ve come to accept, the joys of Lotus ownership.

 

[Porter]

The Emiras that I have seen on tour in the US have had their own included battery tender in a little case in the trunk, and they were pre-wired for it.

So there must be a way to hook up a battery tender properly to these, or all of the tour vehicles would have had serious problems.

 

[Jimblob]

The Emiras that I have seen on tour in the US have had their own included battery tender in a little case in the trunk, and they were pre-wired for it.

So there must be a way to hook up a battery tender properly to these, or all of the tour vehicles would have had serious problems.

Hi @Porter - all is good with my car. See a few posts earlier. I think it was potentially a loose connection, that’s all… my error.

Charger works a treat.

 

[Porter]

Hi @Porter - all is good with my car. See a few posts earlier. I think it was potentially a loose connection, that’s all… my error.

Charger works a treat.

I see it now! Great to hear this worked out well in the end. Enjoy it!

 

[Time2Fly]

I have that model on my Evora and it’s very good. I see $75 on Amazon right now. Recommended.

I see several MXS chargers from them and they all have different specs. Which is the correct one?

 

[robrmon]

I see several MXS chargers from them and they all have different specs. Which is the correct one?

Personally I use this one

CTEK - 40-206 MXS 5.0 Fully Automatic 4.3 amp Battery Charger and Maintainer 12V https://a.co/d/2AFgBmS

 

[scoates]

Went to check on it, unlocked without issue, all systems started properly and not even a hesitation when starting the engine! Also took the opportunity to confirm that you can start the car in Sport or Track by holding the start button with no pedals pressed for 5 seconds. Left the charger off for now, think it would easily last a few more weeks.

Just gone out to the car again as finally a dry day with no salt on the road tomorrow so going to take it out for a run, and again started perfectly first time with no hesitation! So that was it sat for 9 weeks, unlocked once then locked again, and then started once on 7th Jan to test the last time and left alone since. Definitely seems like it would last longer, but I'm itching to give it a run so it won't be me testing it this time!

 

[Emira28]

Hi all - Does anyone know which CTEK Quick Connect/Release will fit the Emira battery for the CTEK MXS 5.0 trickle charger?

Do you need:
M6 https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/add-ons/connect-eyelet-m6
or
M8 https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/add-ons/connect-eyelet-m8

Thanks!

 

[KJD]

M8.
Just looked for when I fit mine.

 

[Emira28]

M8.
Just looked for when I fit mine.

That’s super helpful. Thank you.

Picking mine up next week and can’t wait!

 

[Pugwash]

I feel like I'm making a sequel of single white female called magma red emira....I also have a ctek awaiting new duties - M6 eyelets (IIRC from another thread) so £6.99 off ebay?

I used 8mm and the one with the traffic lights on the connector so you get a quick visual of the battery condition. Turns out the tracker also gives the battery voltage. Not sure 6mm would fit on the +ve stud I used.

 

[emiralust]

I bought the M6 being lazy but a quick snip and crimp with a dive into the odds and sods box and I had new connectors on the end. But yeah don’t by the 6mm one.

Make sure you wait at least 30 minutes after the car was last turned on before doing this. (I did and had zero errors/warning lights come on) Always disconnect positive first Owners manual asks for negative (black) to be disconnected first and is reconnected last. I didn’t even disrupt the circuit to be honest and the quick connector isn’t a complete circuit as long as it’s not got anything plugged into it.

There is a nice gap when the cover goes on for the positive wire to poke through.

The finished position of the wire has to poke out on the left hand side of the boot cover case otherwise the hand tight black nuts won’t go back on if you’re too far to the right.

is

 

[Pugwash]

Good point about waiting for 30 mins after switching everything off. However in the end I didn’t disconnect the battery at all. I went on the the nut on the positive side, same as you and for the earth went onto one of the bolts on the bracket at the bottom that secures the battery down. I checked for continuity first to make sure it was a good earth. At the end of the day with the covers back on mine pokes out just the same as yours.