Volvo Penta 3.0GLP-C Owner's Manual page 80

Maintenance
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3. Use bolts and nuts to secure battery cables to the battery terminals. Do not use wing nuts to secure battery
cables, even if they were supplied with the battery.
4. Tighten all battery connections. Loose battery connections may cause damage to the engine's electrical sys-
tem.
5. Service electrical components only while the engine is off. Be careful when identifying positive and negative
battery cables and terminals. If you touch the wrong terminal with a battery cable, even briefly, the motor's
charging system may be damaged.
CAUTION! The battery terminal connections must always be insulated. If the battery mounting system
does not cover the connections, install protective covers. This will help prevent shorting or arcing at
the battery terminals.
WARNING! Do not expose the battery to electrical sparks or an open flame. Do not use jumper cables
and a booster battery to start the engine. Remove the battery from the boat to recharge. Do not re-
charge the battery in the boat.
The service life of your battery depends largely on
how it is maintained.
•
Keep batteries dry and clean. Oxidation or dirt
on the battery and battery terminals may cause
short circuits, voltage drops, and discharges
(especially in damp weather).
•
Clean battery terminals and leads to remove oxi-
dation.
•
Tighten cable terminals tightly.
•
Spray battery terminals and connections with an
anti corrosive agent, or coat them with petro-
leum jelly.
•
Check that all other electrical connections are
dry and free of oxidation, and that there are no
loose connections.
•
Always switch off the charging circuit before
removing the battery charger connectors.
•
Inspect your battery at regular intervals for spe-
cific gravity (state of charge), individual cell
water level, cleanliness and tight, greased con-
nections.
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CAUTION! Do not use deep cycle batteries on
EFI engines. A deep cycle battery, while it
may have enough cold cranking amps (CCA),
will cause problems with EFI engines. The
correct starting battery for all Volvo Penta EFI
engines is a standard marine battery with a
minimum of 650 CCA and a minimum of 135
minutes reserve capacity.
2. All other batteries must be heavy duty and con-
structed for marine use. They can be either
vented/refillable, maintenance- free, or deep-
cycle with a CCA or INCA rating.
•
If the battery has become discharged for no
apparent reason, check all electrical system
components for malfunction or a switch left ON,
before installing a recharged battery.
•
Electrolyte levels should be above the plates in
the battery and no higher than the fill indicator
level. Top off if necessary, using distilled water.
After topping off, run the engine at fast idle for at
least 30 minutes to charge the battery.
NOTE! Some maintenance-free batteries have spe-
cial instructions. Make sure to follow the bat-
tery manufacturers instructions carefully.
WARNING! Battery electrolyte is a corrosive
acid and should be handled with care. If you
spill or splash electrolyte on any part of the
body, immediately flush the exposed area
with liberal amounts of water and seek medi-
cal attention as soon as possible.
VPA 7743722 English 10-2004