Checking the electrolyte level in the battery and cleaning the terminals

The Fiesta is equipped with a maintenance-free battery. Its maintenance is reduced to keeping the case and terminals clean. These batteries do not contain antimony, which has a harmful effect on the plates. A separator is installed in the housing cover, which absorbs electrolyte vapors and then returns it to the battery banks, as a result of which water evaporation is excluded, leading to a decrease in the electrolyte level. By maintaining a stable electrolyte level, the life of the battery is significantly increased.

The electrolyte consists of sulfuric acid diluted with distilled water. Very high temperatures or a faulty voltage regulator can cause water to evaporate in the battery cells. When charging the battery, check the electrolyte level.

Only add distilled water to old batteries, as tap and boiled water contains salts and other minerals that damage the battery.

20,000 km, 12 months



SEQUENCE OF WORK

1. The electrolyte level must reach at least the mark «MIN», applied to the battery case, and at the same time completely cover the top of the lead plates.


2. When the electrolyte level drops, add distilled water to the appropriate jars up to the mark «MAX». Remove the plugs from the battery cans. Some batteries are equipped with special plugs.

3. In a normally charged battery, add distilled water to the upper mark («MAX») or 15 mm above the top edge of the lead plates.

4. In a heavily discharged battery, add enough distilled water to just cover the top of the plates. When the battery is being charged, the electrolyte level will rise significantly. If necessary, after charging, add distilled water up to the upper mark.

5. The amount of water to be added must be dosed very precisely, otherwise the battery banks will be overfilled. Never fill water above the upper mark - the electrolyte will leak out from under the plugs or side vents, which will cause corrosion and the formation of salt crystals on the surface of the battery and the area adjacent to it. Having previously disconnected the contact «31» battery, carefully remove the salt crystals with a wire brush and rinse with plenty of water.

Battery Terminal Care

Wash the oxide crystals from the battery terminals with warm water and soda or treat them with Neutralon (Varta).

Apply protective grease Ft 40 v 1 (Bosch) on the top of the battery terminals and the outer surface of the wire lugs. The inner surfaces of the wire lugs and the contact surface of the battery terminals must not be lubricated, otherwise the contact between the wire lugs and the terminals may be disturbed.




TECHNICAL DICTIONARY

Measuring voltage, current and resistance

It's not just an electrician who can help you determine if the various electrical devices in your Fiesta are working properly: there are a number of measuring instruments on the market that you can use to check the operation of the electrical devices yourself.

Pilot lamp (with needle contact) -

is a lamp with wires permanently connected to it and a connecting contact in the form of a needle, which pierces the insulation of the wire under test. Clamp type «crocodile» the second wire of the lamp is connected to the contact «31» battery or to unpainted metal of the car body or power unit - «mass». First of all, the lamp informs whether voltage is applied to the wire under test at all. By the brightness of its glow, you can roughly estimate the magnitude of the voltage.

Warning.

Pilot lamps consume a lot of power, so they are not suitable for testing electronic components (e.g. engine management systems). In this case, an LED probe must be used.

LED probe.

Depending on the design, the probes show a constant and alternating voltage from 6 to 700 V. The presence of voltage is indicated by the LED lighting up.


Universal measuring device.



Pic. 15.4. Wiring diagrams for a universal measuring device for measuring current (A), voltage (IN) and resistance (Ohm)

It can measure voltage, electric current (constant and variable) and resistance (pic. 15.4). As a rule, internal batteries are used to power these devices.

Voltage measurement.

To measure battery voltage with a multimeter, connect the black wire marked «–», to contact «31» battery (negative terminal) or to «mass». Red meter wire labeled «+», connect to contact «30» battery (positive terminal) or to the wire being measured. If the meter shows approximately 10.4 V, this means that there is one defective cell in the battery. Therefore, check the voltage of the battery while starting the engine with the starter: the measurement result is 5 V (±0.5 V) means the battery is low.

Measurement of electric current.

Moving charges create an electric current, which is characterized by current strength in amperes. The amount of current flowing in the electrical circuit is measured by an ammeter or a tester switched on in the current measurement mode. To measure the current, the electrical circuit is disconnected (is torn) and an ammeter is connected between the disconnected wires. As a rule, it is enough to disconnect the single-pin connector from the consumer of electrical energy and connect an ammeter between the contact of the connector and the contact of the consumer.


Warning.

The meter or instrument fuse will blow if the measured current is significantly higher than the selected measuring range. It is best to switch the ammeter to measure high currents at the beginning of the measurement and, if the arrow deviates by a small angle, switch the device to a smaller measurement range.

Resistance measurement.

Resistance can be determined from measured current and voltage values, as well as directly with an ohmmeter. With a universal measuring instrument in the resistance measurement mode, you can check the integrity of the wire or the switch for the flow of electric current. If the current flows freely, the device will show 0 ohms. In the event of a broken wire or faulty switch, the meter will display (infinity). In addition, a universal measuring device can measure the internal resistance of electrical components.