Section 06: ELECTRICAL
PA1562
18
2. Do not break live circuits at battery
terminals because a spark usually occurs
at the point where a live circuit is broken.
Care must always be taken when
connecting or disconnecting booster leads
or cable clamps on chargers. Poor
connections are a common cause of
electric arcs, which cause explosions.
3. The electrical system on this vehicle is
negative ground. Installing the batteries
with the positive terminals grounded or
incorrect use of the booster battery and
jumper cables will result in serious
damage to the alternator, batteries and
battery cables.
The alligator clamps of the tester or charger
must be placed between the terminal nuts and
the lead pads of the terminal studs (Fig. 14) after
the vehicle cables are detached. The alligator
clamps should make firm contact with the lead
pads.
NOTE
If this connection cannot be made because of
the alligator clamp design, the load value for
testing must be reduced from 290 to 260
amperes.
On rare occasions, such as those that occur
following prolonged cranking, the green dot in
the test indicator may still be visible when the
battery is obviously discharged. Should this
occur, a boost charge of 20 amperes-hour is
recommended. Under normal operating
conditions, do not charge battery if the green dot
is visible. The battery should never be charged if
the test indicator (hydrometer) is clear or light
yellow. If this occurs, replace the battery.
FIGURE 14: ALLIGATOR CLAMPS AND BATTERY 06065
A charge rate between 3 and 50 amperes is
generally satisfactory for any maintenance-free
battery as long as spewing of electrolyte does
not occur or the battery does not feel
excessively hot (over 125ºF (52ºC)). If spewing
or violent gassing of electrolyte occurs or battery
temperature exceeds 125ºF (52ºC), the charging
rate must be reduced or temporarily stopped to
allow cooling and to avoid damaging the battery.
Battery temperature can be estimated by
touching or feeling the battery case. The battery
is sufficiently charged when the green dot in the
built-in hydrometer is visible. No further charging
is required. Shake or tilt the battery at hourly
intervals during charging to mix the electrolyte
and see if the green dot appears.
WARNING
Always turn off the charger before connecting
or disconnecting to a battery.
NOTE
The charge rate must be doubled when the
batteries are charged by the booster block,
because of the series-parallel circuit.
Battery charging consists of a charge current in
amperes for a period of time in hours. Thus, a
25 ampere charging rate for 2 hours would be a
50 ampere-hour charge to the battery. Most
batteries, whose load test values are greater
than 200 amperes, will have the green dot
visible after at least a 75 ampere-hour charge. In
the event that the green dot does not appear,
replace the battery.
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