Troubleshooting; Hydrometer - Crown C48-2+2 Owner's Manual And Service Manual

OPERATION AND SERVICE INFORMATION

TROUBLESHOOTING

In general, troubleshooting will be done for two distinct reasons. First, a battery that performs poorly and is
outside of the manufacturers specification should be identified in order to replace it under the terms of the
manufacturer's warranty. Different manufacturers have different requirements. Consult the battery
manufacturer or a manufacturer representative for specific requirements.
The second reason is to determine why a particular vehicle does not perform adequately. Performance
problems may result in a vehicle that runs slowly or in a vehicle that is unable to operate for the time
required.
A new battery must mature before it will develop its maximum capacity. Maturing may take up to 100
charge/discharge cycles. After the maturing phase, the older a battery gets, the lower the capacity. The only
way to determine the capacity of a battery is to perform a load test using a discharge machine following
manufacturer's recommendations.
A cost effective way to identify a poorly performing battery is to use a hydrometer to identify a battery in a
set with a lower than normal specific gravity. Once the particular cell or cells that are the problem are
identified, the suspect battery can be removed and replaced. At this point there is nothing that can be done to
salvage the battery; however, the individual battery should be replaced with a good battery of the same brand,
type and approximate age.

Hydrometer

A hydrometer (P/N 50900-G1) is used to test the state of charge of a battery cell (Ref Fig. 22). This is
performed by measuring the density of the electrolyte, which is accomplished by measuring the specific
gravity of the electrolyte. The greater the concentration of sulfuric acid, the more dense the electrolyte
becomes. The higher the density, the higher the state of charge.
!WARNING !
To prevent battery explosion that could result in severe personal injury or death, never
insert a metal thermometer into a battery. Use a hydrometer with a built in thermometer
34
Owner's Manual and Service Guide