Maintenance and battery charging

Every 16,000 km or 12 months.

Warning: Be careful when checking and maintaining the battery. The electrolyte contains sulfuric acid, which is extremely hazardous to skin, eyes and clothing. Be careful when filling and carrying the battery. Hydrogen that can be released from the battery is explosive. Do not use open flame and avoid creating sparks near the battery. When connecting and disconnecting a battery, always disconnect the negative cable first and connect it last.

General information

1. Regular battery maintenance is the only way to ensure a fast and reliable engine start. For general battery maintenance information, see the Weekly Checks section at the beginning of this manual. The rules for starting the engine from an external battery are also given there. See Chapter 5A for more information on removing and installing the battery.

Electrolyte level

2. If the electrolyte level has dropped in a battery that requires periodic maintenance, then it must be restored. Check the level in each of the six cells.

3. The level should be 10 mm above the top edges of the plates. On the case there may be marks of the maximum and minimum levels.

4. If the level has dropped, use a screwdriver or a coin to unscrew the filler plug and add distilled water to it (pic. 4.4, a, b). Remove the battery clamp to access the middle plugs.





5. Screw in and tighten the stopper securely and wipe off any soaked water.

Warning: Do not overfill cells: electrolyte may leak out during charging and cause corrosion or damage to the battery.

Loading

Warning: When the battery is being charged, hydrogen is generated, which is highly flammable and highly explosive. Avoid open flames and do not smoke near a charging or charged battery. Protect your eyes when near a charging battery. Before disconnecting the battery from the charger, you must turn off the charger itself.

6. A discharged battery is best charged gradually. If you make short trips, it is advisable that the battery is fully charged. Keeping the battery charged is very important in winter when starting the engine is difficult.

7. It is best to use a charger with a rating of 1 or 2 A. It is the safest and does not force the battery when charging. It is, however, relatively inexpensive.

8. For fast charging, you can use a charger with a large charge current. In this case, the charge current should not exceed 1/10 of the nominal capacity of the battery (in ampere-hours) - usually not more than 5 A. Forced charging may damage the battery. This loading method should only be used in emergencies.

9. The average battery charging time is indicated in the instructions for the charger. Usually it is 12-16 hours.