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Checking and charging the battery

Checking and charging the battery

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. The specific gravity in a fully charged battery should be 1.28. A specific gravity of 1.21 corresponds to a battery that is charged to 50%.


The battery can usually be charged with a conventional battery charger. Check the water level before charging and top up with distilled water if necessary.

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


The charging current should not exceed 40 A when boost-charging. Max. charging time: 1.5 hours.

Important

Never boost-charge a battery if the voltage is below 12 V and the battery is more than 2 years old.


3. If the battery is completely discharged due to the lights or some other source of consumption having been left on, a weak starting charge should be provided to initiate the chemical process in the battery. If this is the case, start charging with 3 A current (it must not exceed 5 A) for 24 hours or until the charging current has dropped to its lowest stable value.


Gas starts to form in the battery at 14.4 V.

If possible, a battery charger capable of delivering a pulsating charging current should be used.