MB appproved battery charger/maintainer: CTEK - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Mike D · #16 09-26-2018, 01:41 PM

Just went back and searched. It appears they rolled the two products into one so the CTEK MUS 4.3 Test/Charge is recommended for both types now. Mine is a couple of years old.

The 4.3 is still more for maintenance than as a "charger" as it only puts out 4.3 amps.

Per their catalog.

"The MUS 4.3 is a fully automatic 8-step charger that delivers selectable 0.8 A or 4.3 A to 12 V batteries from 1.2–110 Ah and is suitable for maintenance charging up to 160 Ah."

chronometers · #17 09-26-2018, 04:07 PM

MB branded chargers are made by CTEK which is a Swedish company that manufactures chargers. CTEK makes a lot of different models and you have to make sure and get one rated to handle the large batteries our diesel's have (> 95 Ah). The MB branded ones at the dealer are expensive ($175+)!

This CTEK model is designed to both charge and maintain large batteries (95 Ah) as found in our vehicles (this was the best priced new one I could find on line and has free shipping and no sales tax):

CTEK charger suitable for our MB diesel batteries: MUS 4.3

The CTEK model MUS 4.3 that I purchased is very well made and thought out. I can see why MB approves of these!

-- Chris

funola · #18 09-26-2018, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chronometers

MB branded chargers are made by CTEK which is a Swedish company that manufactures chargers. CTEK makes a lot of different models and you have to make sure and get one rated to handle the large batteries our diesel's have (> 95 Ah). The MB branded ones at the dealer are expensive ($175+)!

This CTEK model is designed to both charge and maintain large batteries (95 Ah) as found in our vehicles (this was the best priced new one I could find on line and has free shipping and no sales tax):

CTEK charger suitable for our MB diesel batteries: MUS 4.3

The CTEK model MUS 4.3 that I purchased is very well made and thought out. I can see why MB approves of these!

-- Chris

I'd be very surprised if the $64 MUS 4.3 you bought from Ebay is made in Sweden. I would not be surprised if it is made in China. Did you receive it yet? Where is it made?

chronometers · #19 09-26-2018, 08:59 PM

10-4. CTEK is a Swedish company. They design their product there and like a lot of manufacturers, they manufacture their chargers in China. Build quality does appear to be excellent IMHO.

shertex · #20 10-31-2018, 06:03 PM

Ordered the charger. Apparently it comes with the M10 version of the quick connects, which should work for our purposes. FYI if you buy an extra set, as an accessory, it is not fused. But if you contact CTEK directly they can ship out a fused one. I'll do that because I'll need two.

Texasgeezer · #21 11-01-2018, 02:19 PM

Do these cycle on and off based on battery charge level?

If so, any idea what the on/off voltages are? Just wondering what the cycle time period might be.

I've only seen a small one a friend had installed on his jetski, it had minimal amperage but did cause all the battery fluid to disappear over one winter. So his didn't appear to protect his battery.

chronometers · #22 11-01-2018, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shertex

Ordered the charger. Apparently it comes with the M10 version of the quick connects, which should work for our purposes. FYI if you buy an extra set, as an accessory, it is not fused. But if you contact CTEK directly they can ship out a fused one. I'll do that because I'll need two.

I ordered an extra quick connect as well. These work really well especially on the vehicles with batteries in hard to reach places and you can install one on each vehicle you own and then just rotate the charger around during idel times (especially in the winter!). I continue to be impressed with the performance of these chargers (this was the best price I could find on a brand new one of this model):

CTEK charger suitable for our MB diesel batteries: MUS 4.3

chronometers · #23 11-01-2018, 10:09 PM

Here is a quick connection with a level status indicator that is also fused:

CTEK Comfort Connect Car Battery Level/Status Indicator Eyelet 56-382

I'm using a straight fused quick connection but I'd use this in future as it gives condition of battery at a glance.

shertex · #24 11-09-2018, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chronometers

Warning: do not run the "Reconditioning mode" with the charger connected to a battery and vehicle due to the higher voltage used. The newer diesels have very sensitive electronics and electrical systems! This mode might shorten the lifespan of the electrical system of the car.

-- Chris

FWIW CTEK tech support says it's perfectly fine to run reconditioning mode with the battery still connected to the vehicle.

chronometers · #25 11-09-2018, 11:42 PM

Hmmmm....I am not sure I would trust the reconditioning mode on the CDIs given the two battery system.

shertex · #26 11-10-2018, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chronometers

Hmmmm....I am not sure I would trust the reconditioning mode on the CDIs given the two battery system.

Yeah I’m not sure I would take the chance either.

funola · #27 11-10-2018, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shertex

Yeah I’m not sure I would take the chance either.

I don't think there is any concern, especially if CTEK tech support says so. The battery is a huge "sink", i.e. it acts as a huge voltage regulator. I think the CTEK reconditioning mode applies intermittent "smart high" voltages around and below 16V to the battery. The battery will pull the voltage well below 16V, probably to somewhere around and below 14V. The electronics in the car will not be damaged by 14V.

funola · #28 11-10-2018, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chronometers

The 0.8 model is not rated for our battery size (95 Ah) for charging per CTEK's manual and would not comply with California's energy efficiency standard either (meaning it uses too much energy for the amount of charge it delivers...your electric bill will be higher then if using other models). It is only rated for charging 1.2–32 Ah batteries.

The cases on the CTEKs 4.3 does get warm but not "too hot to the touch". I would suggest leaving any charger out in open with plenty of air circulation. Electronics don't like excessive heat anyway so better air circulation is always better.

With a Kill-a-watt, I measured the idle current of my 0.8 amp CTEK when the battery was fully charged. It was 0.05 amps, that's 6 watts at 120V.

Do you have a Kill-a-watt? Curious what the idle current is on your bigger 4.3 amp unit.

shertex · #29 06-04-2019, 06:37 AM

This will be the first big test for my CTEK charger. Had a brain fart and left my MBII scanner connected to the car for 2-3 days. 2 year old AGM completely drained. Been at stage 2 for about 6-7 hours....we'll see if it moves on to stage 3.

chronometers · #30 06-05-2019, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shertex

This will be the first big test for my CTEK charger. Had a brain fart and left my MBII scanner connected to the car for 2-3 days. 2 year old AGM completely drained. Been at stage 2 for about 6-7 hours....we'll see if it moves on to stage 3.

Let us know....I'm guessing it will work.

I used one to bring back from the dead a MB battery that had sat in a CDI all winter here in OH. It took awhile but it did the job and the battery is still going strong 18 months later.

Here is a new 4.3 amp charger at a super price for those in looking for one:

Ctek Battery Charger MXS 5.0 40-206 12 Volt 4.3A