Carrier and Hold-Down, Reading Hydrometer, Battery Charging & Procedure Information

CARRIER AND HOLD-DOWN

The battery carrier and hold-down clamp should be clean and free from corrosion before installing battery.

The carrier should be in a sound condition so that it will hold the battery securely and keep it level. Make certain there are no parts in the carrier before installing battery.

To prevent the battery from shaking in its carrier, the hold-down bolts should be tight, but not overtightened.

FIGURE 4 - TEST PROCEDURE:

READING BUILT-IN HYDROMETER

Look down into the built-in hydrometer (clean and use a flashlight if necessary) to observe its reading (refer to Fig. 4).

^ Green Dot Visible - Any green appearance is interpreted as a "green dot" and indicates that the battery is 65% or above in state of charge and is ready for use or testing. A fully charged battery should read 12.6 or more volts.

^ Dark, Green Dot Not Visible - Indicates the battery is below 65% state of charge and needs charging prior to testing.

^ Clear or Light Yellow - This means the fluid level is below the bottom of the hydrometer. This may have been caused by excessive or prolonged charging, a cracked or broken case, excessive tipping, or normal battery wearout. Replace battery. Do not charge, test or jump-start. A dark reading may be misinterpreted as a clear or light yellow when inspecting a Freedom II battery. This is caused by light filtering through the new translucent case. Shake the battery to determine the fluid level and shield the battery sides from light to determine the true reading before replacing the battery.
BATTERY CHARGING

When charging a sealed battery, the following safety precautions must be followed:

^ Do not charge battery if hydrometer is clear or light yellow. Replace battery.

^ If the battery feels hot, 125 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius), or violent gassing or spewing of electrolyte through the vent hole occurs, discontinue charging or reduce charging rate.

CHARGING PROCEDURE

Bolts alone, screwed into the side terminal, should not be used for the connection of battery charger cables since the mating threads inside the battery terminals provide a very small contact surface, which has high resistance to current flow.
The high resistance can prevent adequate charging current from reaching the battery, creating the appearance of the battery not accepting a charge, or at the least requiring longer charging time. It also explains why some batteries are called bad when they are load tested, but are obviously good batteries when checked with proper connections at the terminals.

FIGURE 3 - CHARGING ADAPTER:

There are two ways of connecting to the side terminals to charge a battery:

- By use of an adapter charging tool (see Figure 3). The number of this tool is AC-Delco ST-1201 or Borroughs Bt-3572-2. The adapter should be snugged up against the lead pads of the battery with pliers to keep resistance between the adapter and battery terminals at a minimum. This is the preferred method.

- By the use of a 3/8" bolt with standard threads (16 UNC) and 3/8" nuts with standard threads (see Fig. 3).

a. Screw 3/8" nut onto 3/8" bolt (1-1/2" or longer).

b. Using fingers, screw one bolt into each side terminal until it bottoms out, and then back off one full turn. (Do not tighten with wrench as bolts can be driven through case.)

c. Holding the bolt, screw the nut down on the bolt until the nut is against the battery terminal lead pad. Snug nut with pliers. (Do not overtighten as nut inside battery terminal could be pulled out.)

d. Attach the charger or tester leads to the 3/8" nuts and follow normal charging and testing procedures. The main charging or load test current will be carried through the lead pads of the battery terminals and not through the nuts inside the terminals.

1. Batteries with green dot showing do not require charging unless they have just been discharged (such as in cranking vehicle).

2. When charging side-terminal batteries, install adapters kit AC Delco part number ST-1201 or Borroughs BT-3572-2. Refer to Figure 3.
3. Make sure all charger connections are clean and tight.

4. For best results, batteries should be charged while they are at room temperature. A battery that is extremely cold may not accept current for several hours after starting charger.

5. Charge battery until green dot appears (see Charging Time Required). Battery should be checked every half-hour while charging. Tipping or gently shaking battery may be necessary to make green dot appear.

6. After charging, battery should be tested as outlined in "BATTERY TESTING."