Battery Service; Checking The Battery Voltage; Charging A Discharged Battery; Jump Starting With An Auxiliary Battery - Viking MT 830 Owner's Manual

Troubleshooting, Adjustment, & Service

BATTERY SERVICE

WARNING
Keep open flames and sparks away from the battery;
the gasses coming from it are highly explosive.
Ventilate the battery well during charging.
Checking Battery Voltage
A voltmeter can be used to determine condition of bat-
tery. When engine is off, the voltmeter shows battery
voltage, which should be 12 volts. When engine is run-
ning, the voltmeter shows voltage of charging circuit
which normally is 13 to 14 volts.
A dead battery or one too weak to start the engine may
not mean the battery needs to be replaced. For example,
it may mean that the alternator is not charging the bat-
tery properly. If there is any doubt about the cause of the
problem, see your dealer. If you need to replace the bat-
tery, follow the steps under Cleaning the Battery &
Cables in the Regular Maintenance Section.
WARNING
Do not attempt to charge a frozen battery. Allow the
battery to warm to 60° F (15.5° C) before placing on
charger.
Charging a Completely Discharged Battery
1. Be aware of all the safety precautions you should
observe during the charging operation. If you are
unfamiliar with the use of a battery charger, have the
battery serviced by your dealer.
2. Always unplug or turn the charger off before attaching
or removing the clamp connections.
3. Carefully attach the clamps to the battery in proper
polarity (usually red to [+] positive and black to [-]
negative).
4. Charge the battery until fully charged.
Jump Starting With an Auxiliary (Booster)
Battery
Jump starting is not recommended. However, if it must
be done, follow these directions. Both booster and dis-
charged batteries should be treated carefully when using
jumper cables. Follow the steps below EXACTLY, being
careful not to cause sparks. Refer to Figure 40.
1. Both batteries must be of the same voltage.
2. Position the vehicle with the booster battery adja-
cent to the vehicle with the discharged battery so
that booster cables can be connected easily to the
batteries in both vehicles. Make certain vehicles do
not touch each other.
3. Wear safety glasses and shield eyes and face from
batteries at all times.
4. Connect positive (+) cable to positive post of dis-
charged battery (wired to starter or solenoid).
5. Connect the other end of same cable to same post
marked positive (+) on booster battery.
6. Connect the second cable negative (-) to other post
of booster battery.
7. Make final connection on engine block of stalled
vehicle away from battery. Do not lean over batter-
ies.
8. Start the engine of the vehicle with the booster bat-
tery. Wait a few minutes, then attempt to start the
engine of the vehicle with the discharged battery.
9. If the vehicle does not start after cranking for thirty
seconds, STOP PROCEDURE. More than thirty
seconds seldom starts the engine unless some
mechanical adjustment is made.
10. After starting, allow the engine to return to idle
speed. Remove the cable connection at the engine
or frame. Then remove the other end of the same
cable from the booster battery.
11. Remove the other cable by disconnecting at the dis-
charged battery first and then disconnect the oppo-
site end from the booster battery.
EN - 40