As a long time user (20+ years) of Battery Tender Chargers (BTCs) I thought I would give my .02.
The Red & Green Indicator lights on BTCs show the status of the Battery charging cycle. From what I have seen some models of BTCs have different Red/Green light patterns. If you do not have the Manuals for your BTC you might want to visit their web site, find your charger and read the manual. http://www.batterytender.com/Chargers/ The manuals also have some good information about Battery Voltages, etc and how the BTC works. Before deciding that the BTC is not working I strongly advise you read the manual for your model if you have not already done so. >From what I have seen the following light patterns are the same across >multiple models of BTCs according to the manuals I have read. 1.) RED LIGHT FLASHING – The red light flashing indicates that the battery charger has AC power available and that the microprocessor is functioning properly. If the red light continues to flash, then either the battery voltage is too low (less than 3 volts) or the output alligator clips or ring terminals are not connected correctly. 2.) RED LIGHT ON STEADY – Whenever the red light is on steady, a battery is connected properly and the charger is charging the battery. The red light will remain on until the charger completes the charging stage. 3.) GREEN LIGHT FLASHING –When the green light is flashing, the battery is greater than 80% charged and may be removed from the charger and used if necessary. Whenever possible, leave the battery on charge until the green light is solid. 4.) GREEN LIGHT ON STEADY –When the green light burns steady, the charge is complete and the battery can be returned to service if necessary. It can also stay connected to maintain the battery for an indefinite period of time There is a a section in the manuals for troubleshooting which might help you out as well. My BTCs are connected to my vehicles for months at a time. I also use BTCs for the deep cycle battery and brake battery in my car trailer. I do agree with others that it is VERY IMPORTANT to monitor the water level in batteries connected to battery chargers. With the exception of the trailer brake battery and my lawn mower battery all my other batteries (even those labeled “Maintenance Free”) can be filled with water when needed and I have done so. BTW, I have seen MUCH LONGER battery life when I use BTCs. So far, I have yet to have a BTC stop working. Charlie From: Larry Velez Sent: Monday, March 21, 2016 11:45 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [mk2-16v] Battery Tender Longevity? Good point, I have been testing the batteries without the charger which is why I suspect it is not charging (it is also not going to a green light like it used to, stays either red or flashing red/green). I’ll test the voltage with the charger connected and see what it registers when I am back from a business trip. And thanks for the heads up on the Optima charger, do not have AGM batteries right now – except for the dead red-top from the 16V from many years ago that I am sure can’t be revived anymore. Thanks. -Larry From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Holland Phillips Sent: Monday, March 21, 2016 11:40 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [mk2-16v] Battery Tender Longevity? You can easily test the charger. Just use a volt meter, and while the charger is plugged in, and connected to a battery, you should see at least 13.8 volts or so. If you're not reading above 13volts, it's probably not working. The Optima charger is a nice piece, but only if you're running AGM type batteries. It will work on standard lead acid batteries, but you're spending a lot of money for the AGM charging ability if you don't need it. ~Holland On Mar 21, 2016 08:00, "Larry Velez" <[email protected]> wrote: My battery tender Jr. does not seem to be charging the batteries I am trying to use it on anymore. Do these things die after a while? I assume there is no hard in having them connected to a battery all the time? I try to swap between the Mk2 and the E30 but now it seems like it is not charging either battery. Might have to step up to a better one. Is this $200 fancy Optima one worth the extra money in anyone’s opinion? http://www.amazon.com/Optima-Digital-Performance-Battery-Maintainer/dp/B009M3PQFA Dying batteries is what led to the world of pain I am still in on my 16V. The battery would not stay charged and I was forced to park it away from an outlet (because NYC!) so it ended up sitting longer than it should have which caused the ethanol heavy gas to muck everything up… now I fear uncharged batteries. Larry 91 GTI 16V -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MK2-16v" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/mk2-16v. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mk2-16v/D276AEE2D82A49B79422A7BDC6AA9ED9%40CHARLIERPC. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
