Trickle charger placement? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

RDuke · #1 11-25-2006, 03:04 PM

2002 CLK320
I'm new to the MB world, so please don't laugh?
Is there a place, under the hood, that a trickle/float charger can be attached?
I've checked the owners manual without success (do not have a service manual yet)
I've also "searched" the forum and come up empty
TIA

POS · #2 11-25-2006, 03:27 PM

Attached? You mean to the battery? A trickle charger will be attached to the battery.

RDuke · #3 11-25-2006, 04:31 PM

Possibly I didn't clarify my intent ---- because the battery is located in the trunk, I was hoping there was a connnection point (under the hood) to access? I own another vehicle that has this, for jump starting, because the battery is rather inaccessible.

Gilly · #4 11-25-2006, 04:37 PM

Not 100% sure, but I think there is a cover over a jumping lug on the drivers side under the hood (black square cap with a "+" symbol on it). If you want to mess around with that you might be able to get the positive side of the charger attached to that, and the other side you can find a chassis ground (look for a lug with a bunch of brown wires under the nut). This should make a circuit to the battery, might want to check voltage at the battery after installing it to make sure you see a slight rise when the charger is plugged in. Other than that, you could maybe go ahead and install it to the battery with the plug in cord accessable, then either lead the cord out of the trunk and close the trunk on it (should be enough gap to do this "relatively" safely, OR leave the trunk open and pull the trunk lid switch plunger down and that shuts off the trunk light (assuming car is in your garage when you do this and security not much of an issue).
Gilly

cmac2012 · #5 11-26-2006, 03:33 AM

My Beemer has the battery in the trunk and there's a post under the hood for attaching jumpers/trickle charger. It has a red plastic cover. Doesn't mean much for a MB but maybe German's think alike.

Peter Guenther · #6 11-26-2006, 07:34 AM

MB sold a trickle charger kit at one time. It was basicly a cigarette lighter type jack that was installed in the fender lining (up high on a 140) and wired to the battery. the charger had a plug that was inserted and left the charger in the trunk. The AC cord was just routed under the lid since the weather strip would allow it with no damage.

uberwgn · #7 11-26-2006, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmac2012

My Beemer has the battery in the trunk and there's a post under the hood for attaching jumpers/trickle charger. It has a red plastic cover.

Our W210 cars are exactly the same....there has to be an access point for somebody to jump start the car.

I've been using my "battery tenders" thru those connections for ages.

cbdo · #8 11-26-2006, 09:44 AM

My 560SL has the battery in the trunk, and I store it for several months each winter. The first year I simply opened the battery cover and the lead clips from the charger went to the post terminals. Since then, I wired up a pigtail from the battery that ends in a two-conductor plug; it stays in place full-time and I simply plug in the charger when storing the car. The wires from the charger terminate in the other half of the plug connector. The wire comes out at the edge of the closed trunk, and there's been no damage to the seal and no leakage.
Safety points: Make sure that the charger side of the lead is long enough that the charger is outside the trunk (no desire for 110v wires or active electronics in a sealed space). Wire in a fuse holder on the car side and give it a fuse no higher than the max rating of the charger--3A is plenty. I used the flat rubber type connector usually used for trailers. With that plug, the pigtail has an exposed conductor end when not in use; make sure it's the ground side--no exposed hot leads. And if you contemplate using the charger for anything else, simply save the alligator clips and wire them to a second plug to mate with the one on the charger.

It sounds like a lot of work but is about a half-hour project, with no chance that alligator clips will come off of anything--especially useful since I store at the cottage and the car's unobserved for a few weeks at a time.