Contents: Charger ↓ Instructions for a battery that does…↓ Charging a deeply discharged and…↓ Fast charging/engine starting from a…↓
Safety instructions:
- Do not disconnect the battery while the engine is running.
- Never short-circuit a battery, meaning that the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals are not connected directly. When short-circuited, the battery will heat up and may burst.
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame. Battery electrolyte is corrosive and should not come into contact with eyes, skin or clothing. If it does, immediately rinse the area where the electrolyte has come into contact with plenty of clean water.
- Traffic jams (cross-head) modern batteries with a centralized system for removing gases that form during charging must be tightly wrapped. Make sure that the hose for removing gases that form is not pinched.
- Thaw a frozen battery before charging. A charged battery freezes at a temperature of approximately -65°C, a half-discharged battery at approximately -30°C, and a discharged battery at approximately -12°C. Check the thawed battery for cracks in the case before charging, and replace the battery if necessary.
- Charge the battery only in a well-ventilated or open area. When charging the battery installed in the vehicle, keep the engine compartment hood open.
To charge the battery using a standard or fast charger, remove the battery from the vehicle. At a minimum, disconnect the ground (-) and positive (+) cables from the terminals.
Warning: If the battery is charged without disconnecting the wires, the electronic units of the car may be damaged. When charging, the battery temperature must be at least +10°C.
Charger
Remove the battery, see the relevant chapter.
Conventional battery: Before charging, check the electrolyte level, add distilled water if necessary, see the relevant chapter.
If the charger allows you to adjust the charging current, set the charging current to approximately 10% of the battery capacity. That is, with a battery capacity of 50 Ah, the charging current should be approximately 5.0 A. The approximate charging time is 10 hours.
With the charger turned off, connect the positive (+) lead of the charger to the positive (+) terminal of the battery. Connect the negative (-) lead of the charger to the negative (-) terminal of the battery.
Insert the charger plug into the socket and, if necessary, turn on the charger via the switch.
During direct current charging, regularly check the battery temperature by touch with your hand. The battery electrolyte temperature should not exceed +55°C, otherwise stop charging or reduce the charging current.
After charging the battery, turn off the charger (if there is a switch) and pull the plug out of the socket.
Disconnect the charger wires from the battery.
Check the charged battery, see the relevant chapter.
Install the battery on the car, see the relevant chapter.
Instructions for a battery that does not have a centralized system for removing the gases that form
Before starting charging, unscrew the plugs from the battery and place them lightly on the holes. This prevents electrolyte from splashing when gases are released during charging.
Charge the battery until all its elements actively release gas and until 3 measurements taken at 1-hour intervals show that the electrolyte density and voltage no longer increase.
After charging is complete, allow the gases to escape for about 20 minutes, then tighten the caps.
Charging a deeply discharged and sulfated battery
A battery that has not been used for a long time (for example, when preserving a car), spontaneously discharges and its plates become sulfated.
If the battery voltage without load is less than 11.6 volts, it is considered to be deeply discharged. For checking the open circuit voltage, see the chapter above.
A heavily discharged battery has electrolyte (a mixture of sulfuric acid and distilled water) consists almost entirely of water. Attention: At negative ambient temperatures, such a battery may freeze and its casing may burst. A heavily discharged battery becomes sulfated, which means that all surfaces of its plates become hard. The electrolyte becomes opaque and acquires a faint whitish color.
If a heavily discharged battery is recharged immediately after discharging, the sulfation disappears. If this is not done, the plates continue to harden and the charge acceptance remains limited for a long time.
A heavily discharged and sulfated battery should be charged with a small current, not exceeding 5% of the battery capacity. That is, for a 60 Ah battery, the charging current should be approximately 3 A.
The charging voltage should not exceed 14.4 volts.
Caution: A deeply discharged battery should never be charged using a fast charger.
Fast charging/engine starting from a charger
Charging the battery using a fast charger, as well as starting the engine with this device, should only be done in exceptional cases. During fast charging, the charging current is 20 to 50% of the battery capacity. In this case, short-term exposure to very high current damages the battery. A battery that has been stored for a long time and is heavily discharged cannot be charged using a fast charger, since this causes so-called superficial charging.
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