Checking the Battery Electrolyte Level
Batter y electr ol yte contains sulfuric acid
which is a deadl y poison and causes sev er e
bur ns.
• Do not drink electr ol yte and a v oid
contact with skin, ey es or clothing . W ear
safety g lasses to shield y our ey es and
r ub ber g lo v es to pr otect y our hands.
• Fill the batter y wher e clean w ater is
al w ays a v aila ble f or flushing the skin.
1. Tip the seat forw ard to see the batter y .
2. Look at the side of the batter y . T he electrolyte
m ust be up to the Upper line ( Figure 32 ).
Do not allo w the electrolyte to fall belo w the
Lo w er line ( Figure 32 ).
Figure 32
1. Vent caps
3. Lower line
2. Upper line
3. If the electrolyte is lo w , add the required amount
of distilled w ater; refer to Adding W ater to
the Batter y in Electrical System Maintenance ,
pag e 27 .
Adding Water to the Battery
T he best time to add distilled w ater to the batter y is
just before y ou operate the mac hine . T his lets the
w ater mix thoroughly with the electrolyte solution.
1. R emo v e the batter y from the mac hine;
refer to R emo ving the Batter y in
Electrical System Maintenance , pag e 27 .
Important: Nev er fill the batter y with
distilled w ater while the batter y is installed
in the machine. Electr ol yte could be
spilled on other par ts and cause cor r osion.
2. Clean the top of the batter y with a paper to w el.
3. R emo v e the v ent caps from the batter y
( Figure 32 ).
4. Slo wly pour distilled w ater into eac h batter y
cell until the electrolyte lev el is up to the Upper
line ( Figure 32 ) on the batter y case .
Important: Do not o v erfill the batter y
because electr ol yte (sulfuric acid) can
cause sev er e cor r osion and dama ge to the
chassis.
5. W ait fiv e to ten min utes after filling the batter y
cells . Add distilled w ater , if necessar y , until
the electrolyte lev el is up to the Upper line
( Figure 32 ) on the batter y case .
6. R einstall the batter y v ent caps .
Charging the Battery
Important: Al w ays k eep the batter y
full y charged (1.260 specific g ra vity). T his
is especiall y impor tant to pr ev ent batter y
dama ge when the temperatur e is belo w 32°F
(0°C).
1. R emo v e the batter y from the c hassis; refer to
R emo ving the Batter y .
2. Chec k the electrolyte lev el; refer to Chec king
the Electrolyte Lev el.
3. Mak e sure that the v ent caps are installed in
the batter y . Charg e the batter y for 1 hour at 25
to 30 amps or 6 hours at 4-6 amps . Do not
o v erc harg e the batter y .
4. W hen the batter y is fully c harg ed, unplug
the c harg er from the electrical outlet, then
disconnect the c harg er leads from the batter y
posts ( Figure 33 ).
28
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