CTEK D250S (56-677) & D250SA (40-186)0
Answer: The D250SA unit will be permanently replacing the older D250S version as of the 1st of 2018. The D250SA has increased efficiency with smart alternators which we are seeing more of in the auto market.
Question: Why is the alternator indicator light flashing?
Answer: Check the wiring setup of your battery bank, this unit will only work with 12V battery setups. If your battery bank is wired up in series for a 24V setup then this light will blink and continue to do so until you bring it down to 12V.
Question: Why is the power LED lamp not lit?
Answer: Make sure the system is properly connected and the ground terminal firmly tightened. Check that the voltage on the service battery is higher than 9 volts as the power LED lamp lights up when +9 volts is detected.
Question: Why is the power LED lamp flashing rapidly?
Answer: The charger has gone into power save mode due to low voltage form the starter battery.
Question: Why does the D250S Dual not start charging?
Answer: In order to start charging, the supply voltage from the D250S Dual needs to be above 13.1V at the service battery input, or above 11.5V from the solar input on the D250S Dual. In addition, the voltage on the service battery has to be above 5V for the charge process to begin. Measure the voltage of the batteries, and verify that they are within the levels specified above.
Question: Why does the D250S and D250SA not stop charging the service battery even though the alternator or charger on the starter battery has been turned off?
Answer: When the engine is turned off, the D250S and D250SA will continue to charge the service battery from the starting battery until the starting battery reaches a voltage level of 12.8V. Please note that this will NOT drain your starting battery, the voltage cut off level of 12.8V prevents this from happening. If there is power being generated by a solar panel thats hooked up to the D250S or D250SA unit then it will charge & maintain from this power source.
Question: What do the Symbols on the D250S and D250SA mean?
Answer:
Question: Why is the error lamp flashing?
Answer:
Question: Do I need an external regulator if I use a solar panel?
Answer: Negative, the CTEK D250 unit will act as the regulator
Question: Does the starter battery and the service battery need to be the same type?
Answer: No, you only require the service battery to be lead acid
Question: Can I use the D250SA for lithium batteries?
Answer: No, its works only with lead acid batteries.
Question: How do I activate the smart alternator setting on the D250SA
Answer: The D250SA has a wiring harness with a black and red wire, the red wire must be connected to an Ignition signal wire +15 (DIN 72552). Basically, the D250SA red wire needs to be connected to a connection that is live only when the ignition is on - this can be done either at they ignition relay strip of the vehicle or a fuse box. The point is the D250SA should sense +12V when the vehicle is running and 0V when the vehicle is off which enables the unit to adjust the acceptable input voltage.
Question: How do I know if my vehicle has a smart alternator?
Answer: Cars manufactured 2015 and later have smart alternators installed, all prior models will not unless installed by a 3rd party (aftermarket).
Question: Which fuse size shall I use for D250SA?
Answer: 30 Amp
If your all set you can head back to the CTEK D250S or the CTEK D250SA product page. If you were not able to get your issue resolved or question answered then please feel free to reach out to us via our contact us page.
CTEK D250S (56-677) & D250SA (40-186)
Question: What is the difference between the D250S and D250SA?
Answer: The D250SA unit will be permanently replacing the older D250S version as of the 1st of 2018. The D250SA has increased efficiency with smart alternators which we are seeing more of in the auto market.
Question: Why is the alternator indicator light flashing?
Answer: Check the wiring setup of your battery bank, this unit will only work with 12V battery setups. If your battery bank is wired up in series for a 24V setup then this light will blink and continue to do so until you bring it down to 12V.
Question: Why is the power LED lamp not lit?
Answer: Make sure the system is properly connected and the ground terminal firmly tightened. Check that the voltage on the service battery is higher than 9 volts as the power LED lamp lights up when +9 volts is detected.
Question: Why is the power LED lamp flashing rapidly?
Answer: The charger has gone into power save mode due to low voltage form the starter battery.
Question: Why does the D250S Dual not start charging?
Answer: In order to start charging, the supply voltage from the D250S Dual needs to be above 13.1V at the service battery input, or above 11.5V from the solar input on the D250S Dual. In addition, the voltage on the service battery has to be above 5V for the charge process to begin. Measure the voltage of the batteries, and verify that they are within the levels specified above.
Question: Why does the D250S and D250SA not stop charging the service battery even though the alternator or charger on the starter battery has been turned off?
Answer: When the engine is turned off, the D250S and D250SA will continue to charge the service battery from the starting battery until the starting battery reaches a voltage level of 12.8V. Please note that this will NOT drain your starting battery, the voltage cut off level of 12.8V prevents this from happening. If there is power being generated by a solar panel thats hooked up to the D250S or D250SA unit then it will charge & maintain from this power source.
Question: What do the Symbols on the D250S and D250SA mean?
Answer:
Question: Why is the error lamp flashing?
Answer:
Question: Do I need an external regulator if I use a solar panel?
Answer: Negative, the CTEK D250 unit will act as the regulator
Question: Does the starter battery and the service battery need to be the same type?
Answer: No, you only require the service battery to be lead acid
Question: Can I use the D250SA for lithium batteries?
Answer: No, its works only with lead acid batteries.
Question: How do I activate the smart alternator setting on the D250SA
Answer: The D250SA has a wiring harness with a black and red wire, the red wire must be connected to an Ignition signal wire +15 (DIN 72552). Basically, the D250SA red wire needs to be connected to a connection that is live only when the ignition is on - this can be done either at they ignition relay strip of the vehicle or a fuse box. The point is the D250SA should sense +12V when the vehicle is running and 0V when the vehicle is off which enables the unit to adjust the acceptable input voltage.
Question: How do I know if my vehicle has a smart alternator?
Answer: Cars manufactured 2015 and later have smart alternators installed, all prior models will not unless installed by a 3rd party (aftermarket).
Question: Which fuse size shall I use for D250SA?
Answer: 30 Amp
If your all set you can head back to the CTEK D250S or the CTEK D250SA product page. If you were not able to get your issue resolved or question answered then please feel free to reach out to us via our contact us page.
CTEK MXS 5.0 Charger 0
Answer: There are a few different reasons that could result in this light popping on. Reverse polarity - make sure that the positive and negative battery clamps are connected correctly and directly to the terminals of the battery if your using a CTEK accessory that is permanently mounted to your battery then make sure the connection is correct and tight. Outside Drains - There are loads being put on the battery which require more power than the charger can provide. Bad Battery - disconnect the battery from the charger and then reconnect. Pay attention to the light display, if the charger does not make it past the first light before it errors out them there is an internal issue with the battery itself. If the charger lights up to the fourth stage and then errors out after several hours then the battery is unable to retain (keep) the charge its receiving and will also need to be replaced.
Question: The (!) light is blinking
Answer: The charger is either not connected to a battery, or the battery voltage is too low for the charger to engage.
Question: The charger never gets to its eighth light
Answer: You may not catch the charger in its eighth stage, the charger will engage and then disengage this stage as needed. If you catch this light on then it means the charger applies a small trickle charge to your battery in order to get it back within optimal maintenance range. Most customers will only catch their 4.3 models in the seventh stage which is perfectly acceptable.
Question: When should I use the recondition mode?
Answer: You should recondition your battery once per year and/or after a deep discharge where the battery was run all the way down (i.e. you accidentally left the lights on). Using this mode properly will maximize lifetime and capacity.
Question: When all of the lights are lit up on the CTEK MXS 5.0 charger and I change the charging mode the unit goes back down to only the fourth stage light, is this right?
Answer: Yes, this is perfectly normal. Keep in mind that every time you change the charging mode - lets say from the car symbol to the snowflake symbol - the charger will re-set its algorithm and run the battery through it once again starting from stage one. Since the battery was already fully charged in this case the charger will move past the fourth stage much quicker.
If your all set you can head back to the CTEK MXS 5.0 Charger product page. However if you were unable to resolve your issue please feel free to shoot us a message on our contact us page for assistance.
CTEK MXS 5.0 Charger FAQ
Question: The (!) light is illuminated
Answer: There are a few different reasons that could result in this light popping on. Reverse polarity - make sure that the positive and negative battery clamps are connected correctly and directly to the terminals of the battery if your using a CTEK accessory that is permanently mounted to your battery then make sure the connection is correct and tight. Outside Drains - There are loads being put on the battery which require more power than the charger can provide. Bad Battery - disconnect the battery from the charger and then reconnect. Pay attention to the light display, if the charger does not make it past the first light before it errors out them there is an internal issue with the battery itself. If the charger lights up to the fourth stage and then errors out after several hours then the battery is unable to retain (keep) the charge its receiving and will also need to be replaced.
Question: The (!) light is blinking
Answer: The charger is either not connected to a battery, or the battery voltage is too low for the charger to engage.
Question: The charger never gets to its eighth light
Answer: You may not catch the charger in its eighth stage, the charger will engage and then disengage this stage as needed. If you catch this light on then it means the charger applies a small trickle charge to your battery in order to get it back within optimal maintenance range. Most customers will only catch their 4.3 models in the seventh stage which is perfectly acceptable.
Question: When should I use the recondition mode?
Answer: You should recondition your battery once per year and/or after a deep discharge where the battery was run all the way down (i.e. you accidentally left the lights on). Using this mode properly will maximize lifetime and capacity.
Question: When all of the lights are lit up on the CTEK MXS 5.0 charger and I change the charging mode the unit goes back down to only the fourth stage light, is this right?
Answer: Yes, this is perfectly normal. Keep in mind that every time you change the charging mode - lets say from the car symbol to the snowflake symbol - the charger will re-set its algorithm and run the battery through it once again starting from stage one. Since the battery was already fully charged in this case the charger will move past the fourth stage much quicker.
If your all set you can head back to the CTEK MXS 5.0 Charger product page. However if you were unable to resolve your issue please feel free to shoot us a message on our contact us page for assistance.
CTEK US 7002 Charger (56-353)0
Question: What is the clicking sound after its reached fully charged mean?
Answer: The clicking sound is an internal relay in the charger and is perfectly normal. If the unit continuously clicks non-stop when the battery is fully charged there may be an issue with the relay.
Question: The error LED is lit, why?
Answer: 1. Reverse Polarity - Make sure that the + clamp is connected to the + terminal and the - clamp is connected to the - terminal of the battery. If you have the negative connection grounded out to the frame of the vehicle try connecting it to the negative of your battery instead. 2. Bad Fuse - There is a fuse in the battery clamps that if blown will cause the error LED to blink on the 7002 model. 3. For older chargers pre 2014 the error mode will flash when only the plug is connected.
Question: I have no LED lights on when the charger is plugged into the wall outlet, why?
Answer: One of the LED's at the lower row should light up when the charger is connected to the power outlet. Make sure that they power outlet itself is actually working, if it is then there may be an issue with the charger itself - try the 7002 on a different outlet to verify.
Question: No LED's are lit on the top row when the charger is connected to both the power outlet and the battery, why?
Answer: The battery voltage could be under 2 volts. Try to charge the battery in Supply mode for approximately 5 minutes and then try switching the charger back to its standard charge mode.
Go back to the CTEK US 7002 Charger product page.
CTEK US 7002 Charger FAQ (56-353)
Question: What is the clicking sound after its reached fully charged mean?
Answer: The clicking sound is an internal relay in the charger and is perfectly normal. If the unit continuously clicks non-stop when the battery is fully charged there may be an issue with the relay.
Question: The error LED is lit, why?
Answer: 1. Reverse Polarity - Make sure that the + clamp is connected to the + terminal and the - clamp is connected to the - terminal of the battery. If you have the negative connection grounded out to the frame of the vehicle try connecting it to the negative of your battery instead. 2. Bad Fuse - There is a fuse in the battery clamps that if blown will cause the error LED to blink on the 7002 model. 3. For older chargers pre 2014 the error mode will flash when only the plug is connected.
Question: I have no LED lights on when the charger is plugged into the wall outlet, why?
Answer: One of the LED's at the lower row should light up when the charger is connected to the power outlet. Make sure that they power outlet itself is actually working, if it is then there may be an issue with the charger itself - try the 7002 on a different outlet to verify.
Question: No LED's are lit on the top row when the charger is connected to both the power outlet and the battery, why?
Answer: The battery voltage could be under 2 volts. Try to charge the battery in Supply mode for approximately 5 minutes and then try switching the charger back to its standard charge mode.
Go back to the CTEK US 7002 Charger product page.