Ctek 3300 Update
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 623
Likes: 4
From: Stuart Florida
Ctek 3300 Update
Problem? ...No Problem.
A few months ago I posted my Ctek was charging and battery was dead.
I installed a new battery and "IT APPEARED" the Ctek wouldn't shut
off, so I put my wife's Ctek on my C6.
It was "low voltage" on the new battery and there was no problem
with the Ctek, as it goes through about 8 levels of charge.
Nothing wrong with my 3 year old Ctek, it's on my C6 now.
A few months ago I posted my Ctek was charging and battery was dead.
I installed a new battery and "IT APPEARED" the Ctek wouldn't shut
off, so I put my wife's Ctek on my C6.
It was "low voltage" on the new battery and there was no problem
with the Ctek, as it goes through about 8 levels of charge.
Nothing wrong with my 3 year old Ctek, it's on my C6 now.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 30,427
Likes: 1,609
From: Outside the Quick Stop N.J.
A lot of people make the same mistake. Those small units are battery "maintainers" not chargers. They only work to keep a fully charged battery that way, not revive a dead one.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 2,587
Likes: 69
From: Memphis Tn
Pro
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 732
Likes: 2
I've used a CTEK 3300 with the cigarette lighter attachment in the center console for three years and haven't had any problems.
Twice I thought I had a problem but it turned out not to be a fault of the CTEK. First time turned out to be a loose piece on the cigarette lighter plug that was apparently made to work in two different sizes of socket. There is a little red piece that actually tightens onto the plug. Mine had the piece on, but not twisted tightly into place, causing the plug to not seat properly. The other time the wall socket ground fault had popped so the charger was not receiving any power. Neither of those was the fault of the CTEK.
Twice I thought I had a problem but it turned out not to be a fault of the CTEK. First time turned out to be a loose piece on the cigarette lighter plug that was apparently made to work in two different sizes of socket. There is a little red piece that actually tightens onto the plug. Mine had the piece on, but not twisted tightly into place, causing the plug to not seat properly. The other time the wall socket ground fault had popped so the charger was not receiving any power. Neither of those was the fault of the CTEK.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
Next, you have to press the big button twice so that amber lights up for the car symbol and the battery symbol in each row. One will turn green when the battery is charged, then amber later on when the level sinks. It will then trigger the maintainer to apply charge to the battery until the green comes on.
Finally, every time you disconnect the maintainer and turn it off, it needs to be reset. Otherwise, all you have is a maintainer that's doing nothing, but the power is on.
I learned all this by doing and expecting for it to "just work after I plugged it in" (that's the way my Schumacher had been) and as well after the GFI was tripped by lightning and it sat there with power but doing nothing.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
different models, different power to car source, even different basics of same model. even the 3300 fr. gm is different from the "store bought." I know you're right because others have said that theirs is just plug and play, but not all are the same way. for instance, both jwf and I have experienced the infrequent turning off of power via a tripped GFI, and the subsequent power-on-but-no-charging of the 3300.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 2,587
Likes: 69
From: Memphis Tn
different models, different power to car source, even different basics of same model. even the 3300 fr. gm is different from the "store bought." I know you're right because others have said that theirs is just plug and play, but not all are the same way. for instance, both jwf and I have experienced the infrequent turning off of power via a tripped GFI, and the subsequent power-on-but-no-charging of the 3300.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 623
Likes: 4
From: Stuart Florida
It IS a charger as well as a maintainer as well as a de-sulfate and
will charge up to 4.5 amps.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,872
Likes: 333
From: Olmsted Falls Ohio
St. Jude Donor '12 thru '24
I've used it to bring back several batteries from the dead that a regular charger couldn't do anything with. Seems that after a battery moderately sulfates, it is pretty much written off. The Ctek 3300 can bring these back to life - it may take a day or two though.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,924
Likes: 392
From: Atlanta - - - - - Save the manuals
I have a 05 and use a Ctek 3300. I just replaced the battery. The AC Delco lasted 5 years. The problems started last year when I would occasionally get a "Service Traction .." message. I would simply restart the car and all was fine, until Ctek finally could not fully charge the battery after three days.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 3,001
Likes: 243
From: Surprise, Az
Not true. They just take longer to charge a low automotive battery ranging to a couple of days. It took 2.5 days to charge a group 24 battery using Deltran's battery tender...the wall transformer type.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 30,427
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From: Outside the Quick Stop N.J.
Just because you can does not mean you should. Use the right tool for the job.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 3,001
Likes: 243
From: Surprise, Az
Interesting comment, I don't see the validity of the statement, if you have the time and it's the only tool available, it will work just fine and won't harm the charger. I did this about 10 years ago and the same charger is on the Corvette in Arizona where heat is a significant factor.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 30,427
Likes: 1,609
From: Outside the Quick Stop N.J.
Interesting comment, I don't see the validity of the statement, if you have the time and it's the only tool available, it will work just fine and won't harm the charger. I did this about 10 years ago and the same charger is on the Corvette in Arizona where heat is a significant factor.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,872
Likes: 333
From: Olmsted Falls Ohio
St. Jude Donor '12 thru '24
To each their own I guess. Looking at the documentation, CTek calls their 3300 product a 'Charger'. Their troubleshooting section says that the product will not function unless the battery is at 2 (two) v minimum - now that seems like an extremely dead battery to me, and the absence of a statement cautioning the use of the product in those conditions indicates to me the product is designed to attempt to revive and charge such a battery. I know I've revived a battery that started at 4.7 v - not that it was much good at subsequently holding the charge for an extended period, but it did charge up to above 12.5 v. The 3300 gets a little warm when aggressively charging, but I've never had the built-in internal overheat protect kick in.
