Technical data

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3. Battery Usage and Defects
3.1 Jump Start
When performing a jump start using jumper cables,
there can be bursts of high voltage of hundreds of
volts when connecting the cables. If the vehicle’s
electrical system is not protected against such
surges, they can cause damage to sensitive
electronic components, like the ABS system, the
airbags control units, etc.
Please follow the vehicle manufacturer’s
operating instructions!
Do not attempt to jump start a damaged battery. u
When giving starting aid with jumper cables, high u
voltage peaks of several hundred volts can occur
when connecting the cables. If the vehicle electrical
system is not protected from these peaks, they can
damage sensitive electronic components.
Only use standardised battery jumper cables. Only u
connect batteries of the same nominal voltage.
Before giving starting aid, try to figure out the u
reason for the battery weakness. If the reason is
a failure in the vehicle electrical system, starting
aid should not be given. The battery or the electric
system of the vehicle giving starting aid might
become damaged.
Warning: Always protect your eyes and hands from u
the battery.
How to do it: 4 easy steps
Turn off both vehicle engines. 1.
Connect the positive terminals (1) and (2) and then 2.
connect the charged battery’s negative terminal
(3) with a bare metallic point (4) away from the
battery of the vehicle requiring assistance.
Start the engine in the vehicle providing assistance, 3.
followed by the engine in the vehicle requiring
assistance for a maximum of 15 seconds.
Disconnect the cables in reverse order (4-3-2-1).4.
Use only standard jumper cables for connecting
the batteries. Connect only batteries with the
same nominal voltage.
Before performing a jump start, try to find out
what caused the battery failure. If the cause was
a fault in the electrical system, do not jump start.
The battery or the electrical system of the vehicle
providing the jump start could be damaged.
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–
+
+
Important:
far away from the
battery
12 V 12 V
(1) Weak battery
(2) Donor battery
(4)
(3)
3.2 Battery Installation and Removal
Modern vehicles are equipped with sensitive
electrical systems such as airbag controllers,
ABS, stability and traction control units, onboard
computers etc. For some vehicles, it is necessary
to follow certain procedures in order to install or
take the battery out of service. For example, the
electrical components may require resetting after
they have been turned off.
Please follow the vehicle manufacturer’s
operating instructions!
Switch off the engine and all electrical equipment 1.
before installing or removing the battery.
Install only batteries that are fully charged and 2.
undamaged.
Install the type of battery recommended for the 3.
particular vehicle.
Avoid causing short-circuits with tools or cables. 4.
After having installed the battery in the vehicle,
remove the covers from the terminal poles just
before connecting the cables to the terminals.
For removing, disconnect the negative terminal 5.
(-) first and then the positive terminal (+). Before
installing the battery, clean the surface inside
the vehicle. Fix the battery safely and securely.
If the battery is not securely installed, it will be
subjected to a larger degree of vibration which
can reduce its service life. Friction between the
battery container and the support area can cause
damage and wear to the container. Also, the
container can rupture, causing the electrolyte to
leak out.
Clean the battery terminals and its lugs. 6.
Lubricate them lightly with acid-free grease.
When installing, connect the positive terminal (+)
first, then the negative terminal (-). Check that
the terminal lugs are firmly in place. Make use of
the accessories from the previous battery such as
hose connections, terminal supports and covers
for terminals. Use the top-up caps supplied.
At least one vent must remain open to avoid the 7.
risk of an explosion.
3.3 Taking the Vehicle out of Service
When a vehicle is taken out of service (for example,
when it is used only seasonally), charge up the
battery and store it in a cool place. If it is necessary
to leave the battery in the vehicle, disconnect the
negative terminal. Check the OCV of the battery
every two months. If the OCV is below 12.4V,
recharge the battery.
3.4 Technical Information on Battery
Problems
3.4.1 Manufacturing Defects
Short Circuit / Dead Cell
If a battery has a service life that is less than 12
months, the problem is usually caused by a dead
cell, that is, one of the cells has a density value that
is much lower than the others. The affected cell
bubbles visibly during the high-discharge test. To
evaluate the density, a high-discharge test should
be carried out. In some cases, the dead cell may
be visible in the form of a sulphated cell.
Internal Breakage
The battery has good density values, but the voltage
across the terminals cannot be measured.
3.4.2 Mishandling and Warranty Exclusion
The following technical problems are caused
by mishandling the battery. Such cases are not
subject to warranty.
Low State of Charge
A low state of charge is the first stage of deep
discharge. With a low state of charge, the active
material will not have sustained any damage.
The battery can still be charged with a standard
charger.
The causes of a low state of charge are:
A defective alternator. u
A low voltage output from the regulator. u
High contact resistances caused by loose cable u
connections or dirt on the cable terminals.
Slack drive belts. u
Insufficient engine running time due to short u
journey times.
Subsequent addition of electrical equipment. u
Defective equipment causing continuous u
discharge.
Deep Discharge
A battery suffers a deep discharge when its
capacity is totally used up. The longer the
battery remains in this state, the greater will
be the damage done to the active material. The
plates begin to suffer sulphation and recharging
becomes impossible. This damage is irreversible.
Possible causes of deep discharge are:
See ‘Causes of Low State of Charge’ u
Headlights or other electrical equipment are not u
switched off.
A battery in a good state of charge will usually
have a load-free voltage >12.6V. Therefore, the
voltage without charge for each cell is about
2.1V. If there is a short circuit in just a single cell,
this will result in a reduction of about 2.1V of the
terminal voltage, which would be a typical ‘short-
circuit’ voltage of 10.5V. The likelihood of two
cells within the same battery having a short circuit
is very low. In the case of two cells with short
circuits, the OCV drops by 4.2V to a value of 8.4V.
In order to exclude the effects of long shipment
and storage times on the terminal voltage, as well
as the possibility of two cells with short circuits
etc., only batteries with a load-free voltage lower
than 8 volts are regarded as deeply discharged
and a claim on warranty will be rejected.
Sulphation
If a battery is left in a discharged state for an
excessive period of time, there will be a chemical
reaction known as sulphation, which will
certainly compromise its performance. During the
discharge process, lead sulphate is generated on
the positive and negative plates and distributed
evenly among them.
The longer the battery is left in a discharged state,
the more the small sulphate crystals grow into
larger crystals and it becomes very difficult to
convert these back into lead dioxide. Sulphation
can become visible in the form of a white/grey
layer on the plates. In most cases, this damage
is irreversible and the battery cannot be used
anymore.
Figure 1 – Picture of a battery with deep discharge and
sulphation
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