I just received a previously owned GM trickle charger, the model # is 1051, it has the Corvette flag emblem on it. I plugged it into the car first and then into a wall outlet. It showed to be charging the battery but after a short time it was fairly warm, not uncomfortable to touch, but warmer than I expected it to be for the short time it had been plugged in.

I checked it about 30 minutes later and it was hot enough that it was uncomfortable to hold on to in my hand. I unplugged it, checked the connection at the car, rotated it to make sure it was fully connected and then plugged it back into he wall. The indicator went to showing the battery was fully charged.

So the question is, do these trickle charges normally get warm enough that they are uncomfortable to handle?

Has anyone else had an issue like this?

I have only had the car about 6 weeks and only put 1000 miles on it , so it is not driven often, I expected the battery to need a bit of topping off, and would like to keep the battery on the tender when parked, but I am uncomfortable with leaving it alone for long periods of time with it getting as warm (hot) as it did today.

Suggestions are appreciated.

 

Doesn't sound normal to me but I don't use that brand, I personally use the Deltran Battery Tenders myself. I use them on all my vehicles, I have a couple 4 bank ones and a few single ones (I have a lot of vehicles). They get slightly warm to the touch, but not to where they are uncomfortable by any means.

 

The only other thing I can think of that might cause this is possibly corrosion on the terminals where it connects to the battery causing added resistance in the circuit, I'd suggest checking the terminals for this, and cleaning them if need be.

 

Good thought, I will check that this evening after work.

 

I’ve had a Die Hard one I found on Amazon for years now and it works very well. Doesn’t get hot. A little warm is about it.

 

I have used Deltran units on my motorcycles and lawn equipment, they never got much more than warm, that is why I asking the questions about this particular GM model,, I do not have the manual and I have no experience with this particular type.

 

No signs of corrosion, the connections look brand new., going to try the charger again this evening see if it still gets hot.

 

Well, it was a thought.

 

It was a good thought, thanks.
Tonight after 2 hours it is warm, not uncomfortable to hold, maybe I had a bad connection at the socket in the hatch. I have also placed the charger on a piece of extruded aluminum (1.5" x 1.5" x 6") to act as a heat sink, maybe that is helping also. If this works I will probably build a proper heat heat sink and screw the charger body to that.

 

Update, monitored the charger periodically all evening, never did get as hot as the first attempt noted in post 1, so left it plugged in all night, this morning it is showing a green light indicating full charge and on the maintainer cycle and just barely warm, so I guess it is good to go, must have been a poor connection between the charger plug and the vehicle port inside the rear hatch. I think I will build a proper heat sink and mount the charger unit to that.

 

Well perhaps your battery was low enough the first time you tried it where it but an extra load on the charger causing it to work harder, who knows. At least you have the green light now, and it's barely warm now

 

That is what I was thinking also.

 

CTek's tend to run warm or even hot. Not sure why but I tend to stay away from them.

I have 5 Deltrans Plus chargers in my garage and none of them ever ran more than a little warm and in float mode they were at ambient temp of the garage. Some of these chargers I've had almost 10 years.

I even have a Deltran 4 amp charger that runs just warm when charging but ambient when in float mode.

 

Battery charger has the the same warranty as the car. If the car is under warranty take it back in.

 

Like I mentioned earlier, I have two 4 bank Deltrans that I use and I've never seen them get hot, these are the ones I have https://www.deltran-global.com/four-bank