Chapter I Tune-up and routine maintenance
I-13
8.1 Tools and materials required for battery maintenance
Face shield/safety
goggles - When removing corrosion
with a brush, the acidic particles can easily fly up into
your eyes
Baking soda
-A solution of baking soda and water can be
used to neutralize corrosion
Petroleum jelly
-A layer of this on the battery posts will
help prevent corrosion
Battery post/cable cleaner
- This wire brush cleaning tool
will remove all traces of corrosion from the battery posts and
cable clamps
Treated felt washers-
Placing one of these on each post,
directly under the cable clamps, will help prevent corrosion
Puller
- Sometimes the cable clamps are very difficult to
pull off the posts, even after the nut/bolt has been completely
loosened. This tool pulls the clamp straight up and off the
post without damage.
Battery post/cable cleaner
- Here is another cleaning tool
which is a slightly different version of number 4 above, but it
does the same thing
Rubber gloves
- Another safety item to consider when
servicing the battery; remember that’s acid inside the battery!
11 Additional information on the battery and jump starting can be found
in the front of this manual and in Chapter 5.
Charging
12 Remove all of the cell caps (if equipped) and cover the holes with a
clean cloth to prevent spattering electrolyte. Disconnectthe negative bat-
tery cable and hook the battery charger leads to the battery posts (positive
to positive, negative to negative), then plug in the charger. Make sure it is
set at 12 volts if it has a selector switch.
13 If you’re using a charger with a rate higher than two amps, check the
batteryregularlyduring charging to make sure it doesn’t overheat. If you’re
using a trickle charger, you can safely let the battery charge overnight after
you’ve checked it regularly for the first couple of hours.
14 if the battery has removeable cell caps, measure the specific gravity
with a hydrometer every hour during the last few hours of the charging
cycle. Hydrometers are available inexpensively from auto parts stores -
followthe instructions that come with the hydrometer. Considerthe battery
8.6 Removing the cable from a battery post with a wrench -
sometimes a special battery pliers is required for this procedure if
corrosion has caused deterioration of the nut hex (always remove
the ground cable first and hook it up last!)
8.7a Battery terminal corrosion usually appears as light,
fluffy powder
8.7b When cleaning the cable clamps, ail corrosion must be
removed (the inside of the clamp is tapered to match the taper on
the post, so don’t remove too much material)
charged when there’s no change in the specific gravity reading for two
hours and the electrolyte in the cells is gassing (bubbling) freely. The spe-
cificgravityreadingfromeachcellshould beverycloseto theothers. If not,
the battery probably has a bad cell(s).
15 Some batteries with sealed tops have built-in hydrometers on the top
that indicate the state of charge by the color displayed in the hydrometer
window. Normally, a bright-colored hydrometer indicates a full charge and
a dark hydrometer indicates the battery still needs charging. Check the
battery manufacturer’s instructions to be sure you know what the colors
mean.
16 If the battery has a sealed top and no built-in hydrometer, you can
hook up a digital voltmeter across the battery terminals to check the
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