FREE REPAIR MANUALS & LABOR GUIDES 1982-2013 Vehicles
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Battery Charging



Battery Charging

IMPORTANT:
- An auxiliary starting system must not be used as this could damage the electronics of the car.
- To start the car when the battery is discharged, use a booster battery or another car and jumper cables.

1. Measure the specific gravity of the battery acid. In a fully charged battery it should be 1.28. A specific gravity of 1.21 corresponds to a 50% charge.







In the normal case the battery can be charged with a conventional battery charger.

2. For boost-charging, the battery's negative terminal must be disconnected and the water refill plugs should be removed.







During boost-charging, the charging current should not exceed 40 A. Max. charge time 1.5 hours.

IMPORTANT: Do not boost-charge a battery if the voltage is below 12V or if the battery is more than two years old.

3. If the battery has been run flat, because a lamp or other consumer was left on, a weak starting charge is required to initiate the chemical process in the battery. In such cases, start with a charge current of about 3 A (it must not exceed 5 A) for 24 hours or until the charge current has fallen to its lowest steady value.







The battery begins to give off gas at 14.4V.

In the above case, a battery charger with a pulsating charging current should be used for preference.