Best Trickle Charger for Mojave/Gladiator with ESS and Dual battery system?

[HorsesRear]

That picture is a mess....... ugh, I got lazy in the heat.

No, nothing else needed with the Gladiator.

I used an adapter that plugged into the trailer connector and turned it into a 12v outlet, then I used bullet connectors to connect my charger to a 12v plug.
So if I forget and drive away, the plug will simply pull out of the 12v outlet plugged into the trailer connection.

Usually I stick a piece of paper in the door handle when it's plugged in so at least I'll wonder what that piece of paper is doing there and think a bit before hopping in and driving away.
(I back into the garage so I don't see the tail of the Jeep as I get in)

Very cool and I appreciate it.

Sponsored

 

[Gatorized]

Is OP using the AGM setting? Ive Been using a NOCO Genius5 charger since 2022 on the AGM setting and the original batteries are still getting it done. Even used it to revive my son’s Tundra battery After it sat inactive for several months .

 

[HueCity0846]

I am using NOCO 1 set on AGM. I use it every day and it keeps voltage near 13. Been using it for two months now and so far, so good.

 

[joeym7]

Is OP using the AGM setting? Ive Been using a NOCO Genius5 charger since 2022 on the AGM setting and the original batteries are still getting it done. Even used it to revive my son’s Tundra battery After it sat inactive for several months .

Yes sir agm all the way!

 

[Stuntman Mike]

I am using the CTEK MXS 5.0 and it works fine.

See also here.

 

[Pismo61]

I been using this for years. amazon.com/Battery-Tender-Selectable-Lithium-Charge/dp/B07XMJDJX7/ref=sr_1_6?crid=34SGCA1JC9CA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.SdcLDOsPeGJzTd0lna_lJXmoUca6EL92XL8EgSRDthR7Apb4Z0kAd3SdjbmEGpJnje_103YFSLaIeax6J-lJZdrKhC1VZZORcWx8b7peNu-YW52qLLBrowP0VlbHA1F89MZ9GNdCspdCFlLs-b4lnJB6V8O6uqVSEZ4kDxfY_irH5_nzwxe1-jY9CFi6KByikOLnrs5jJVmPB1NSYLoD60_14ZhZmdFwPFJjQKzsB3wdp5U-4kj2eVH988aam7MNoQ1RkHDo0u5rXkYZTwRCmNZD2fnY3Qpb00XvfMQrCYs.clsvJQSsgQ5BpLn97nwVm3wfSUYkD2ehK6MidW_wucg&dib_tag=se&keywords=4+amp+battery+tender&qid=1752153775&sprefix=4+amp%2Caps%2C282&sr=8-6

 

[jwilson2899]

I use the Ctek MUS 4.3 and it works great. Perfect for those times when I end up driving mostly the commuter car for a week or 2 and the truck sits.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I don't believe there's a "best", just several that work fine.
A maintainer will do just that, even de-sulphate, but aren't best for a really low battery (but will work- I've brought low batteries that were old and iffy back to life with a 1500 mA BatteryMinder ). I have several BatteryMinders and a couple of actual chargers. Almost any modern device will work for our AGM batteries as well as regular flooded cell batteries.
Pick one and go.

 

[joeym7]

This is from an earlier document with a different style of IBS (there have been at least 3 or 4 styles over the years) but it should show how not to do it........

IF you are doing a full charge of each battery independently, then you separate the negative cables, charge the aux battery and the main battery with IBS off and to the side, which resets it.
But for normal maintenance or trickle charging and so on - it's not necessary.

Well, fired up my new CTEK MXS 5 yesterday about 3PM, by this morning 6AM it went through the various steps and is fully charged at this point...So far so good, now the real test comes will it crap out like the last few Tenders I have (they probably did charge the batteries to about 80% but couldn't get it over the goal post, i.e., 100% charged. The odd thing is the worked fine for about 6 weeks and then show this anomalistic behavior).

I did have trouble implementing your suggestion though and I do want to implement it in the hopes it helps the CTEK survive for some years...I examined the area near the battery and it didn't look anything like the pic you so kindly posted above. (Maybe because the main battery has a cover on it from the factory)...I tried to find a body/engine ground and there are some unpainted bolts in their attacking the fender to something under the fender, I am not sure though if these are good grounding points for the negative charging lead...The last car I have purchased is a 2003 STS which I still own, so much easer to figure out, plenty of grounding bolts to use. Or maybe I am just getting too old - lol!

Any tips on finding a good ground in the engine compartment in the vicinity of the main battery is appreciated.

-Joseph

 

[Lost1wing]

This is the negative. You can connect your charger's black cable to either stud. Do not connect below the top plate or the battery post itself. Below that top plate is your IBS. You will see a plug attached to it. This is what you would have needed to disconnect in order to reset the IBS.

I this picture, one of those battery cables goes to the negative of your Aux battery. The other goes to your right fender and serves as the main ground.
The small wire is my NoCo charger connection.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

Usually I stick a piece of paper in the door handle when it's plugged in so at least I'll wonder what that piece of paper is doing there and think a bit before hopping in and driving away.

Now that there is smart!!

 

[joeym7]

This is the negative. You can connect your charger's black cable to either stud. Do not connect below the top plate or the battery post itself. Below that top plate is your IBS. You will see a plug attached to it. This is what you would have needed to disconnect in order to reset the IBS.

I this picture, one of those battery cables goes to the negative of your Aux battery. The other goes to your right fender and serves as the main ground.
The small wire is my NoCo charger connection.

Thanks so much, your picture makes it crystal clear, overnight, that is exactly where I connected it to: on the "top" on the stud right next to the one you connect to...That said, from the very beginning, since the first NOCO I had, and the second NOCO I had, and the Tower Top I had, I have always connected it in that same exact place...This now leaves the mystery unsolved as to why my 3 previous tethers at least partially showed the same anomalistic behavior? I would blame it on operational error, but it is almost impossible with the way the tethers are designed to have operational error, and I was hopping I had the grounding wrong -lol to end the mystery, alas not so...Does anyone else have any ideas on the root cause of the partial tether failures? Otherwise we will just have to leave it as one of those unsolved mysteries related to ESS/Dual Battery systems.

 

[jhale1800]

Well, fired up my new CTEK MXS 5 yesterday about 3PM, by this morning 6AM it went through the various steps and is fully charged at this point...So far so good, now the real test comes will it crap out like the last few Tenders I have (they probably did charge the batteries to about 80% but couldn't get it over the goal post, i.e., 100% charged. The odd thing is the worked fine for about 6 weeks and then show this anomalistic behavior).

I did have trouble implementing your suggestion though and I do want to implement it in the hopes it helps the CTEK survive for some years...I examined the area near the battery and it didn't look anything like the pic you so kindly posted above. (Maybe because the main battery has a cover on it from the factory)...I tried to find a body/engine ground and there are some unpainted bolts in their attacking the fender to something under the fender, I am not sure though if these are good grounding points for the negative charging lead...The last car I have purchased is a 2003 STS which I still own, so much easer to figure out, plenty of grounding bolts to use. Or maybe I am just getting too old - lol!

Any tips on finding a good ground in the engine compartment in the vicinity of the main battery is appreciated.

-Joseph

You can ground it here.

 

[Lost1wing]

Thanks so much, your picture makes it crystal clear, overnight, that is exactly where I connected it to: on the "top" on the stud right next to the one you connect to...That said, from the very beginning, since the first NOCO I had, and the second NOCO I had, and the Tower Top I had, I have always connected it in that same exact place...This now leaves the mystery unsolved as to why my 3 previous tethers at least partially showed the same anomalistic behavior? I would blame it on operational error, but it is almost impossible with the way the tethers are designed to have operational error, and I was hopping I had the grounding wrong -lol to end the mystery, alas not so...Does anyone else have any ideas on the root cause of the partial tether failures? Otherwise we will just have to leave it as one of those unsolved mysteries related to ESS/Dual Battery systems.

You could still have an issue with a parasitic leak. The NoCo 1 amp charger charges the AGM battery in 3 different phases depending on State of Charge. If you have a large drain with your electrical system, the 1 amp may not be high enough to even get to the next phase. A higher capacity trickle charger may be able to overcome the parasitic draw and charge your battery, but if this is the case, you will still end up with battery problems. Let's hope it was just a severely drained battery that a 1 amp could not handle. I doubt that several trickle charges were bad. I think NoCo has the charging phases on their web site.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Sponsored