So I got my new battery and my wife grabbed me a new charger; a CTEK MXS 5.0, the new "Test & Charge" model.  I stuck it in and it heads up to stage 4 charging fairly quickly and there it seems to stay for hours. 

The manual says don't leave them alone on stage 4, but I have to go out so I disco the fucker.  I normally wouldn't care, but new battery and all...  A quick measure of voltage, 14.183.

Today I come home at lunch and check the voltage and it's snuck back to normal, non charging voltage, 12.something...  So I stick it back on charge and after hours and hours and hours (12pm till 9.30) it's on 14.200 volts.  All the time on stage 4 charging.

 

Anyways, I think it hits stage 7 (float?) at 14.4 ish volts?  So does this sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow charging seem normal?  How long will the damn thing stay on stage 4 before it moves on?  I get the feeling somethings not right?

What setting did you have it on? How many amp hrs is the battery.

I use a CTEK MXS 7.0 & yes is takes a while to charge a battery as it is only delivering 7amps per hour at 14.7V peak. Other than at first stage where it's 15.8V for desulphation.

According to the manual the model your using is only charging at 5amps per hour at 14.7V peak. So, dependant on how discharged your battery is charging can take quite a while. Your manual suggests that Stage 4 could last up to 8 hours but, does not comment on how discharged the battery is prior to charging.

So, short answer from my non expert opinion is the charging time seems normal for a small charger unit. If the battery is not holding charge though, there could be a problem with the new battery.

Reply to SDMF

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From stage 4? If so that makes me feel a little better. If my bike was inside rather than under a carport (of course tonight it starts to spit rain) I might just leave it charging. Tomorrow I might rig it up so the charger's better protected from the weather and just let it go for it.

My old charger never took this long to hit float, or maybe it lied...? Either way, I just wish this shit was easier.

 

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Bonkerz,

Yes mate, can be at Stage 4 for up to 8 hrs before switching modes.

Be careful with the weather, I blew a CTEK up charging a battery in my boat once & it rained... all that precious blue smoke just departed & she no work no more...

What charger were you using before? Do you know what it's amp delivery rate was?

I love my CTEK & put all the batteries in our vehicles through recon cycle about once every 6 months... we get many, many years of life from our batteries

Here ya go Bonkerz...

type this in your computer for a pdf file manual for your charger

http://www.ctek.com/Archive/ProductManualPdf/MXS%205.0_EN.pdf

In MC (small battery mode) it's delivering 0.8 Amp per hour

Stage 3 which it would have skipped to if your battery already had a good charge is 'ready to use' level & indicates battery is 80% charged

Edit to my previous... Stage 4 indicates ready to use & at 80%.. .then absorption charge begins to take battery to full charge.

The smaller HD batteries (dyna, softy) are 19 a/h , so you CAN use the normal charge program (car symbol).
It will charge up to the full 5A rate.
The small battery program (bike symbol) is designed for 1 to 14 a/h batteries, and only charges at 0.8 amps as stated above
I still use the low charge setting for the bike, and a new battery can take many hours to charge.

Today I hooked it back up at lunch. Knocked off at 3...no movement from stage 4. Checked at 4..nothing. Had to go out not long after and I was going to leave it except it looked like rain. I look down just before unhooking it and stage 7...!!!!!!! Thanks guys.

There's a glass mat symbol? I think mine has motorcycle, car, cold start and recondition?

Fuck, now that I think of it I seem to remember AGM in the manual somewhere, I was just told it auto selects the right charge? That might explain why my old charger was faster?

Haw....when in doubt.................................

I have had a CTEK 2600 since 2005, used to leave attached to our caravan onboard battery. I now use on bike or car if/when needed. It automatically can tell & changes charge to suite AGM, Lead Acid, etc. I think its a 7 or 9 stage charger, and can also be used to just Supply power. Cost about $250. and worth every cent. They can be left permanently charging a battery without damaging them. A mate borrowed mine a few weeks ago as His AGM battery had shit itself ( well so he had thought) My CTEK, done it's stuff ( took almost 48 hours) and now his battery is like new again.

If there is a fault or Battery is Ratshit, my CTEK has a light to tell you to throw battery away.