2011 Battery Removal advice needed - to charge it up.

Hi all, Can anyone give me advice how to remove the Battery on a 2011 C3 1.6 Petrol. I want to charge it up as I only do short regular journeys, I see the positive + Post but I can't find the Negative - Post. I was hoping to leave a slave Battery connected to the leads so that I wouldn't lose the cars memory whilst charging the Battery that's currently on the car.Is there anyway I can do this leaving the leads on until I can connect the slave battery. All I need really is to get to the Negative Post of the Battery but it seems easier said than done. Any advice welcome. Willi

Do you need to remove the battery from the car to charge it? If not you can charge with the battery still in and connected so long as you use a smallish charger, something up to a few amps should be fine.

The problem with bigger chargers is the peak voltages they produce which can be way over the 14-15 volts which is generally safe for charging.

I have a small Accumate charger which varies the charging according to the battery state and will provide a maintenance charge if the vehicle is not used over a few days. Its electronic so the output waveform doesn't have the large peaks associated with conventional chargers, I left it connected to a car for a month during the winter two years ago when the weather was terrible.

Another possibility would be a solar charger. To be of any use it would need to be 12 watts minimum. They are easy to connect if the cigarette lighter/accessory socket is permanently live as you can simply plug them in when the car isn't being used. I have a second vehicle which is only used now and then during the winter months (once a month if its lucky) and the solar chager has kept it flat battery free now for three winters.

If you do plan to use to use a slave battery while the main battery is disconnected, you can use jump leads to connect it to the battery leads but be very careful to avoid shorts from the positive to the chassis. You can get smallish battery boxes to do this job, they usually plug into the lighter/accessory socket which of course only works if this is permanently live, you also need to check that ther load is minimal, eg no doors open or courtesy lights on, they won't last long with anything more than a small trickle current flowing. They are safer than using another full size battery and leads. Using a portable starter (essentially a 12 volt battery in a box) is another option.

If you have a 'stop-start' Citroen C3, then these have a special battery set-up and may require special charging equipment or techniques.

If its not a 'stop-starter', then to get to the battery of a 2009 (and later) Citroen C3 you need to release the clips that hold the control unit housing on the right of the battery, unfasten the clips that hold the fusebox that on top of the battery. You can then remove the positive cable, then remove the plastic cover.

It all seems a little complicated compared to the previous shape C3s which are much more simple to remove with 2 plastic covers that pull off and a plastic lever to depress to release the clip that holds the battery.


Citroen don't recommend using a 'slave' battery to back up the system while the main battery is disconnected, but they do suggest shutting down the computer systems before removing it.

Citroen suggests you close all the windows and doors and wait 2 minutes after switching off the 'ignition' before disconnecting the battery. This should allow the computers to be in a safe mode of operation before removing the power.

I would suggest, if following the above that you leave the drivers window fully down, to assist in the reconnection procedure.

Reconnection of the battery need the computer to be brought back online by switching on the 'ignition' and waiting one minute before opening doors, using windows and turning on the lights (not easy with all doors and windows closed, hence leave the window open).

Thanks to both of you for your replies I must admit I'm still a bit confused on where to go from here,it obviously would be easier to charge the battery on the car without disconnecting the Leads but as I see it that's not an option anyway because I can't get access to the Negative Post unless I disconnect the Positive Lead first,and obviously once I do that the live link to the car would be lost. By the way I couldn't keep the system live by using the cigarette lighter because it is dead when the ignition is switched off.It looks as if I'll have to disconnect it but I have read of people having loads of trouble when they have disconnected the battery so I was looking for a way of not having to do that. If and when I disconnect the Positive Lead does the cover lift off then for me to be able to get access to the Negative Post. As I haven't any photos or anything to go by to see how or what is underneath.I've been trying to get a Haynes Manual for the New Shape Citroen C3 but it doesn't look if there is anything out there yet to help explain some of the basic maintainance tasks.My other cars have been just simple Battery connections that you can just see when you open the bonnet. Thanks both of you for bothering to reply and if you have anything else to add I'd be grateful. Willi.

You don't need to connect a charger to both battery terminals. You must always put the positive on the positive battery terminal but the negative can go on a suitable chassis point near the battery. If you can find the bolt where the battery earth lead joins to the body or another earthing point (there's always one near the battery) that will be fine. Another good place for the negative is the engine block, lifting brackets are a good place.

I should have said before as C3CAR has pointed out, check what the manufacturer recommends.

Thanks Missing Links for that; That would be ideal and so much easier If I dare risk it. I've driven cars for 50 years and this is the first
time that I've had a car where I've been afraid to charge the battery, still I suppose we've all got to get used to progress. I've sent for a Citroen Service and Repair DVD Disc off Ebay the seller says it should cover my Model but I'm not entirely convinced that it will.
Perhaps I can pick up a few tips from that. I wonder if there's anybody out there that has charged there battery without disconnecting it. With me only doing such a lot of short journeys (Helping Folks you know) it looks as if I'm going to have a busy winter. Willi