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8F - 2
BATTERY SYSTEM
BATTERY SYSTEM (Continued)
• Battery Thermowrap - The battery ther-
mowarp insulates the battery from engine compart-
ment temperature extremes.
• Battery Tray - The battery tray provides a
secure mounting location in the engine compartment
for the battery and an anchor point for the battery
holddown.
For battery maintenance schedules and jump start-
ing procedure, see the owner's manual in the vehicle
glove box. Optionally, refer to the Lubrication and
Maintenance section of this manual for the battery
maintenance schedules and proper battery jump
starting procedure. While battery charging can be
considered a maintenance procedure, the battery
charging procedure and related information are
located later in this section.
OPERATION
The battery system is designed to provide a safe,
efficient and reliable means of delivering and storing
electrical energy. This electrical energy is required to
operate the engine starting system, as well as to
operate many of the other vehicle accessory systems
for limited durations while the engine and/or charg-
ing system are not operating. The battery system is
also designed to provide a reserve of electrical energy
to supplement the charging system for short dura-
tions while the engine is running and the electrical
current demands of the vehicle exceed the output of
the charging system. In addition to delivering, and
storing electrical energy for the vehicle, the battery
system serves as a capacitor and voltage stabilizer
for the vehicle electrical system. It absorbs most
abnormal or transient voltages caused by the switch-
ing ON/OFF of any of the electrical components or
circuits in the vehicle.
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING - BATTERY SYSTEM
The battery, starting, and charging systems in the
vehicle operate with one another and must be tested
as a complete system. In order for the engine to start
and the battery to maintain its charge properly, all of
the components that are used in these systems must
perform within specifications. It is important that
the battery, starting, and charging systems be thor-
oughly tested and inspected any time a battery needs
to be charged or replaced. The cause of abnormal bat-
tery discharge, overcharging or early battery failure
must be diagnosed and corrected before a battery is
replaced and before a vehicle is returned to service.
The service information for these systems has been
separated within this service manual to make it eas-
ier to locate the specific information you are seeking.
However, when attempting to diagnose any of these
systems, it is important that you keep their interde-
pendency in mind.
The diagnostic procedures used for the battery,
starting, and charging systems include the most
basic conventional diagnostic methods, to the more
sophisticated On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) built into
the Powertrain Control Module (PCM). Use of an
induction-type milliampere ammeter, a volt/ohmme-
ter, a battery charger, a carbon pile rheostat (load
tester) and a 12-volt test lamp may be required. All
OBD-sensed systems are monitored by the PCM.
Each monitored circuit is assigned a Diagnostic Trou-
ble Code (DTC). The PCM will store a DTC in elec-
tronic memory for any failure it detects. Refer to
Charging System for the proper charging system on-
board diagnostic test procedures.
MICRO 420 BATTERY TESTER
The Micro 420 automotive battery tester is a spe-
cial service tool, designed to help the dealership tech-
nician diagnose the cause of a defective battery.
Follow the instruction manual supplied with the
tester to properly diagnose a vehicle. If the instruc-
tion manual is not available refer to the standard
procedure in this section, which includes the direc-
tions for using the Micro 420 battery tester.
CS
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