Battery: Testing and Inspection
BatteryINSPECTION
WARNING:
- Electrolyte has toxicity; be careful handling the fluid.
- Avoid contact with skin, eyes or clothing. Especially at contact with eyes, flush with water for 15 minutes and get prompt medical attention.
- Batteries produce explosive gases. Keep sparks, flame, cigarettes away.
- Ventilate when charging or using in enclosed space.
- For safety, in case an explosion does occur, wear eye protection or shield your eyes when working near any battery. Never lean over a battery.
- Do not let battery fluid contact eyes, skin, fabrics, or paint-work because battery fluid is corrosive acid.
- To lessen the risk of sparks, remove rings, metal watch-bands, and other metal jewelry.Never allow metal tools to contact the positive battery terminal and anything connected to it while you are at the same time in contact with any other metallic portion of the vehicle. This may cause short circuit.
1. EXTERNAL PARTS
Check the battery case, top cover, vent plugs, and terminal posts for dirt or cracks. If necessary, clean with water and wipe with a dry cloth. Apply a thin coat of grease on the terminal posts to prevent corrosion.
2. ELECTROLYTE LEVEL
Check the electrolyte level in each cell. If the level is below MIN level, bring the level to MAX level by pouring distilled water into the battery cell. Do not fill beyond MAX level.
3. SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF ELECTROLYTE
1. Measure specific gravity of electrolyte using a hydrometer and a thermometer.
Specific gravity varies with temperature of electrolyte so that it must be corrected at 20 degree C (68 degree F) using the following equation:
S20 = St + 0.0007 * (t-20).
S20: Specific gravity corrected at electrolyte temperature of 20 degree C (68 degree F)
St: Measured specific gravity
t: Measured temperature (degree C)
Determine whether or not battery must be charged, according to corrected specific gravity.
Standard specific gravity: 1.220 - 1.290 [20 degree C (68 degree F)]
2. Measuring the specific gravity of the electrolyte in the battery will disclose the state of charge of the battery. The relation between specific gravity and state of charge is as shown in the figure.
MEASUREMENT
WARNING: Do not bring an open flame close to the battery at this time.
CAUTION:
- Prior to charging, corroded terminals should be cleaned with a brush and common caustic soda solution.
- Be careful since battery electrolyte overflows while charging the battery.
- Observe instructions when handling the battery charger.
- Before charging the battery on vehicle, disconnect the battery ground terminal to prevent damage of generator diodes or other electrical modules.
1. JUDGMENT OF BATTERY IN CHARGED CONDITION
1. Specific gravity of electrolyte should be held within the specific range from 1.250 to 1.290 for more than one hour.
2. Voltage per battery cell should be held at a specific value in a range from 2.5 to 2.8 V for more than one hour.
2. CHECK HYDROMETER FOR STATE OF CHARGE
3. NORMAL CHARGING
Charge the battery at current value specified by manufacturer or at approx. 1/10 of battery's ampere-hour rating.
4. QUICK CHARGING
Quick charging is a method that the battery is charged in a short period of time with a relatively large current by using a quick charger.
Since a large current flow raises electrolyte temperature, the battery is subject to damage if the large current is used for prolonged time. For this reason, the quick charging must be carried out within a current range that will not increase the electrolyte temperature above 40 degree C (104 degree F).
Also the quick charging is a temporary means to bring battery voltage up to a fair value and, as a rule, a battery should be charged slowly with a low current.
CAUTION:
- Observe the items in 3. NORMAL CHARGING.
- Never use more than 10 A when charging the battery because it will shorten the battery life.