Checking Battery
Checking The Battery
General warning notes
General warning notes for the battery
ATTENTION:
Emerging battery acid.
- Danger of injury and risk of damage to materials coming into contact with battery acid.
- Wear suitable protective clothing and goggles.
- Do not tip battery; acid can emerge from the vent openings.
- Only illuminate the inside of the battery with a torch. Danger of explosion.
- Do not handle a naked flame or lit cigarette near the battery.
- Do not tilt battery when removing it. Risk of caustic burns as a result of emerging acid.
- Protect the vehicle exterior and interior against battery acid. Cover areas if necessary.
- Rinse acid splashes in the eyes immediately with clean water for a few minutes. Consult a doctor immediately.
- Neutralise acid splashes on the skin, clothing or objects immediately with soap suds and rinse again with plenty of water.
- If acid has been drunk unintentionally, consult a doctor immediately.
Ignition of the battery during charging.
- Danger of injury and risk of damage to materials coming into contact with battery acid when the battery is being charged.
- The battery plugs must always be screwed in correctly when charging and during voltage measurement and load measurement.
- Rooms in which batteries are being charged should not be entered with a naked flame or when smoking. Gases form through the charging process in the batteries which are highly flammable.
NOTE:
To prevent contact corrosion, only approved bolts, nuts, washers, etc. should be used. These elements have a special surface coating and must be stored separately.
The battery is one of the most important electrical components in the vehicle. Fault-free functioning of the battery contributes greatly to customer satisfaction. To guarantee long and efficient operation, the battery must be checked and maintained according to the description provided.
Besides the starting function, the battery also has the tasks of buffer and supplier of electrical energy for the entire vehicle electrical system.
NOTE: Warning notes and safety regulations for lead-acid batteries
Battery With Warnings And Safety Regulations:
-1- Fire, sparks, naked flames and smoking are forbidden:
- Avoid sparking when using cables and electrical devices.
- Avoid short circuits.
- In batteries with central venting, there is an increased concentration of oxyhydrogen gas at the hose opening. The venting hose should not be bent or blocked by dirt.
- In batteries with central venting, there is an increased concentration of oxyhydrogen gas at the hose opening.
-2- Wear eye protection.
-3- Lead-acid, Keep children away from acid and batteries.
-4- Danger of caustic burns:
- Battery acid is highly caustic, therefore wear protective gloves.
- Do not tip battery; acid can emerge from the vent openings.
First aid: Rinse acid splashes in the eyes immediately with clean water for a few minutes. Consult a doctor immediately. Neutralise acid splashes on the skin, clothing or objects immediately with soap suds and rinse again with plenty of water. If acid has been drunk unintentionally, consult a doctor immediately.
-5- Observe information on the battery, in the Technical Manual and in the Driver's Manual.
-6- Danger of explosion:
- A highly explosive detonating gas mixture is formed when charging batteries.
-7- Disposal:
- Hand in old batteries at a collection point.
-8- Never dispose of old batteries in the domestic rubbish.
Battery handling requirements
Low-maintenance battery
- Battery terminals do not need to be greased.
- The battery terminal clamps should only be attached manually, without excessive force, to prevent damage to the battery housing.
- The tightening torque for the battery terminals is 5 Nm (3.5 ftlb.).
- If the battery is to be reconnected, proceed according to 'Work instructions after disconnecting the battery'.
- To ensure that the battery does not leak, it is essential to ensure that the original plugs supplied with the battery are screwed into the battery openings.
- In the event of loss or damage, only original plugs of the same design should be used.
- The plugs must be fitted with an O-ring seal.
Battery central venting
NOTE:
Central Venting:
- State of the art batteries are fitted with central venting -A-.
- The gas generated during charging emerges centrally through an opening on the upper cover side. The backfire protection is integrated at the same position, which prevents the ignition of the combustible gas present in the battery.
- In batteries with hose/pipe -A- for the central venting, ensure that the hose is not pinched. Only then can the battery be freely vented.
Visual inspection of battery
Before measurements such as open-circuit voltage, gravity of electrolyte or the battery load test are carried out, a visual inspection of the battery must be performed.
Through this check, it can be determined:
- Whether the housing of the battery is damaged. Acid can leak out due to damage of the housing.
- Whether the battery terminals (battery line connections) are damaged. Contact of the line connections cannot be guaranteed if the battery terminals are damaged. This can cause a line fire and malfunctions in the electrical system.
Checking acid level of low-maintenance battery
NOTE:
- Use a commercially available battery filling bottle.
- The correct acid level of the battery is an important factor for long and efficient operation of the battery.
- When the acid level is too low, a capacity loss (performance loss) of the battery occurs, which is caused by the cell plates drying out. If the cell plates are not surrounded by electrolyte (battery acid), this will lead to corrosion of the lead plates, the plate bridges and the cell connectors. The result of the corrosion is that battery functioning cannot be guaranteed. The battery will become unserviceable.
- If the acid level is too high, damage can occur by the battery acid (sulphuric acid/water mixture) leaking out of the battery.
Removing Battery Cover:
1. Switch off ignition and remove ignition key.
2. Remove battery cover.
Emerging battery acid, see General warning notes.
3. Unscrew battery plugs.
4. Shine a torch into the battery. The acid level of the battery must be at the protruding lug.
- If the acid level is too low, refill with distilled water using the battery filling bottle.
5. Screw in battery plugs again and ensure that they are seated correctly.
6. Remount battery cover.
Checking gravity of electrolyte
NOTE:
- Only for low-maintenance batteries.
- Use commercially available battery acid tester.
- The acid density test provides information about the state of the battery in conjunction with the battery load test.
- The temperature of the battery acid must be at least 10 degree C.
The gravity of electrolyte must be checked as follows in all battery cells (low-maintenance battery) :
1. Switch off ignition and remove ignition key.
Emerging battery acid, see General warning notes.
2. Unscrew all battery plugs (plugs of the battery cells).
3. Dip the acid siphon or the pipette into the battery cell and take up the battery acid.
4. Read off the gravity of electrolyte in kg/cu.dm on the scale of the battery acid tester and compare with the following table.
Battery charge state Spec. gravity in kg/cu.dm
in normal climatic zones
discharged 1.12
half charged 1.20
well charged 1.28
Battery charge state in tropical Spec. gravity in kg/cu.dm
climatic zones (hot countries)
discharged 1.08
half charged 1.16
well charged 1.23
The gravity of electrolyte must be at least 1.24 kg/cu.dm in normal climatic zones.
- If the gravity of electrolyte is too low, charge battery.
- After charging the battery, repeat the electrolyte gravity test.
The measured values for the gravity of electrolyte of the individual battery cells should not deviate by more than 0.03 kg/cu.dm from each other.
Example 1: The gravity of electrolyte in cell 4 is too low.
Example 2: The gravity of electrolyte in cells 4 and 5 is too low. The specific gravity of electrolyte deviations between the battery cells is greater than 0.03 kg/cu.dm.
- If the nominal values are not achieved, replace battery.
- If the nominal values are achieved, screw in the original plugs again.
Open-circuit voltage measurement
NOTE:
- Use a hand-held multimeter to measure the battery voltage.
- After charging and waiting for at least 2 hours, during which time the battery should neither be loaded nor charged:
1. Switch off ignition and remove ignition key.
2. Disconnect ground strap on the battery.
3. Measure the battery voltage with a hand-held multimeter.
- The battery open-circuit voltage should not fall below 12.5 V.
- If the hand-held multimeter shows 12.5 V or more, the battery voltage is OK.
- If the hand-held multimeter shows a battery voltage below 12.5 V: Charge battery.
Battery load test
NOTE:
- The acid density test provides information about the state of the battery in conjunction with the battery load test.
- A battery test device is required for the load test.
- The battery need not be removed or disconnected.
- The battery must be charged before the load test is performed.
Carrying out battery load test:
1. Switch off ignition and remove ignition key.
2. Observe the information in the operating instructions of the battery test device.
3. Connect the clamps of the test lines to the battery terminals as described in the operating instructions of the test device.
- As the load current varies, the current must be set depending on the battery capacity (operating instructions of test device).
4. Perform the battery load test in accordance with the operating instructions.
- The result of the battery load test is a voltage value that must be compared with the specified minimum voltage (limit value).
5. If the minimum voltage is not attained, replace battery.
Remarks on battery load test:
The battery voltage sinks during this test due to the severe load on the battery.
If the battery is in order, the voltage value only decreases to the minimum voltage.
If the battery is faulty, the battery voltage will sink very quickly below the specified minimum voltage.
After the test has taken place, the low voltage value remains over a long period of time; the voltage increases again slowly.
Charging battery
NOTE:
- A battery charging device is required.
- Observe charging device operating instructions.
- The battery must have a minimum temperature of 10 degree C.
- If possible, do not fast charge batteries as this can damage them.
- If exhaustively discharged batteries are charged quickly, they will not take up a charge current or they will be identified too early as full due to the so-called "surface charge".
1. Switch off battery charging device.
2. Switch off ignition and remove ignition key.
3. First disconnect the ground strap of the battery, then the positive battery line.
4. Connect positive line of the battery charging device to the positive terminal of the battery.
5. Connect negative line of the battery charging device to the negative terminal of the battery.
6. Set the charge current on the battery charging device according to the battery capacity.
7. Switch on battery charging device.
Procedure for charging totally discharged batteries:
Batteries which are not in operation for a long period of time discharge.
A battery is totally discharged if the open-circuit voltage has sunk below 11.6 V.
In totally discharged batteries, the battery acid (sulphuric acid and water mixture) consists of virtually only water, as the sulphuric acid proportion is considerably reduced.
Totally discharged batteries sulphatise, i.e. the entire plate surfaces of the batteries harden.
If totally discharged batteries are immediately recharged after an exhaustive discharge, the sulphatisation recedes again.
If these batteries are not recharged, the plates continue to harden and charge take-up ability is limited. A reduction in the battery performance is the result.
Totally discharged batteries must be charged with a low charge current as follows:
- Set charge current at maximum 10% of battery capacity, i.e. with a 80 Ah battery the charge current is maximum 8 A.
8. Charge battery.