Take hydrometer readings from each cell in the battery. If one reading is lower than
the others, this could indicate a faulty cell. If necessary, get an Auto-Electrician to
check your battery. One faulty cell is enough to ruin your battery.
It is pointless to continue using it and you would be better getting a new one.
Care
Sometimes the battery may appear at, but this could simply be dirty or loose con-
nections on your battery terminals. It is important to maintain the leads on a regular
basis. Do this by removing the leads from the battery, clean the inside of each con-
nector and terminal posts on the battery, smear the terminal posts and connectors
with Vaseline, ret in there correct positions and tighten rmly.
It is essential to keep the electrolyte level above the plates.
Note, however, that you should not overll it, as the electrolyte is strongly acidic.
When topping up do not use tap water. Always use distilled or de-ionized water. It
is important to keep the acid level up. If necessary have it checked by your garage.
Checking the condition of your battery (ONLY for NOT sealed batteries)
Using a hydrometer, which can be purchased, from most motor accessory stores,
you can check the specic gravity of the electrolyte in each cell. The hydrometer is
use to suck up a quantity of uid from the cell. The weighted oat inside the hydro-
meter will register the condition of that cell. Put the uid back into the cell after te-
sting, taking care not to splash the uid about.
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