196 Che cking and filling
Charging of battery
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
,. Always read and heed all WARNINGS be-
low
c> A and c> A in Working on the bat-
tery on page 194 .
,. Switch off the ignit ion and all electrical con-
s umers.
,. Make sure the area is well vent ilated when
yo u charge the battery.
,. Connect charger cables.
ALWAYS connect
charger cables POSITIVE
G) to POSITIVE
G) ; NEGATIVE Q to NEGATIVE Q.
,. Switch on the charger.
,. Make sure the charging rate is not over
6 amps .
,. Turn off the charger
c::> .&_.
,. Disconnect the cha rger cables.
,. Connect both batte ry cables to the battery
if necessary -
first plus, then m inus.
It is not necessary to remove the battery from
the luggage compartment, and it is also not
necessa ry to disconnect the cables.
Normally, a battery should be charged at no
more than 10 percent of its rated capacity.
For example, a charging current of 4.5 amps
wou ld be used on a battery rated at 45 Ah.
Rated capacity of the battery in your vehicle is
listed on the battery housing .
The battery caps should
not be opened when
charging a battery.
&,. WARNING
-
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Never charge a frozen battery . It may ex-
plode because of gas trapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were fro-
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a we ll ventilated
area. Keep away from open flame o r elec-
t rical spark . Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is exp losive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect charger cab les
while the charger is operating .
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe-
tent tech nician with the proper equip-
ment .
- Battery acid that may spill during charg-
ing should be washed off with a solution
of warm water and bak ing soda to neu-
tralize th e acid .
(D Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the eng ine. This will seriously dam-
age sensit ive electronic components, such
as cont ro l units, relays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.
{1) Tips
The vehicle batte ry must not be charged
with a standa rd small charger that plugs
into the cigarette lighter or outlet.
Windshield/head Light
washer container
Fig. 14 9 Fender, left: Windshie ld was her fluid reser -
voir
The washer fluid container is marked with the
symbol
O on its cap.
,. Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtme nt,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c::> A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 182 .
,. Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer flu-
id. You can fi ll the container to the top.
111>