Table of Contents
Advertisement
8F - 8
BATTERY SYSTEM
BATTERY (Continued)
MICRO 420 BATTERY TESTER
The Micro 420 automotive battery tester is
designed to help the dealership technician diagnose
the cause of a defective battery. Follow the instruc-
tion manual supplied with the tester to properly
diagnose a battery. If the instruction manual is not
available, refer to the standard procedure in this sec-
tion, which includes the directions for using the
Micro 420 battery tester.
WARNING: IF THE BATTERY SHOWS SIGNS OF
FREEZING, LEAKING OR LOOSE POSTS, DO NOT
TEST, ASSIST-BOOST, OR CHARGE. THE BATTERY
MAY ARC INTERNALLY AND EXPLODE. PERSONAL
INJURY AND/OR VEHICLE DAMAGE MAY RESULT.
WARNING: EXPLOSIVE HYDROGEN GAS FORMS IN
AND AROUND THE BATTERY. DO NOT SMOKE,
USE FLAME, OR CREATE SPARKS NEAR THE BAT-
TERY. PERSONAL INJURY AND/OR VEHICLE DAM-
AGE MAY RESULT.
WARNING: THE BATTERY CONTAINS SULFURIC
ACID, WHICH IS POISONOUS AND CAUSTIC. AVOID
CONTACT WITH THE SKIN, EYES, OR CLOTHING.
IN THE EVENT OF CONTACT, FLUSH WITH WATER
AND CALL A PHYSICIAN IMMEDIATELY. KEEP OUT
OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN.
A battery that will not accept a charge is faulty,
and must be replaced. Further testing is not
required. A fully-charged battery must be load tested
to determine its cranking capacity. A battery that is
fully-charged, but does not pass the load test, is
faulty and must be replaced. Always test battery
using the Micro 420 battery tester before attempting
to replace a battery under the manufactures war-
ranty provisions.
NOTE: Completely discharged batteries may take
several hours to accept a charge. Refer to Standard
Procedures for the proper battery charging proce-
dures.
STANDARD PROCEDURE
STANDARD PROCEDURE - BATTERY
CHARGING
Battery charging can be performed fast or slow, in
terms of time. Slow battery charging is the best
means of restoring a battery to full potential. Fast
battery charging should only be performed when
absolutely necessary due to time restraints. A battery
is fully-charged when:
• All of the battery cells are gassing freely during
battery charging.
• A green color is visible in the sight glass of the
battery built-in test indicator.
• Three hydrometer tests, taken at one-hour inter-
vals, indicate no increase in the temperature-cor-
rected specific gravity of the battery electrolyte.
• Open-circuit voltage of the battery is 12.65 volts
or above.
WARNING: NEVER EXCEED TWENTY AMPERES
WHEN CHARGING A COLD (-1° C [30° F] OR
LOWER) BATTERY. THE BATTERY MAY ARC INTER-
NALLY AND EXPLODE. PERSONAL INJURY AND/OR
VEHICLE DAMAGE MAY RESULT.
CAUTION: Always disconnect and isolate the bat-
tery negative cable before charging a battery. Do
not exceed sixteen volts while charging a battery.
Damage to the vehicle electrical system compo-
nents may result.
CAUTION: Battery electrolyte will bubble inside the
battery case during normal battery charging. Elec-
trolyte boiling or being discharged from the battery
vents indicates a battery overcharging condition.
Immediately reduce the charging rate or turn off the
charger to evaluate the battery condition. Damage
to the battery may result from overcharging.
CAUTION: The battery should not be hot to the
touch. If the battery feels hot to the touch, turn off
the charger and let the battery cool before continu-
ing the charging operation. Damage to the battery
may result.
NOTE: Models equipped with the diesel engine are
equipped with two 12-volt batteries, connected in
parallel (positive-to-positive and negative-to-nega-
tive). In order to ensure proper charging of each
battery, these batteries MUST be disconnected from
each other, as well as from the vehicle electrical
system while being charged.
Some battery chargers are equipped with polarity-
sensing circuitry. This circuitry protects the battery
charger and the battery from being damaged if they
are improperly connected. If the battery state-of-
charge is too low for the polarity-sensing circuitry to
detect, the battery charger will not operate. This
makes it appear that the battery will not accept
charging current. See the instructions provided by
DR
Advertisement
Chapters
Table of Contents
