Jeep Cherokee XJ 1999 Manual - page 4
WARNING:
•
IF THE BATTERY SHOWS SIGNS OF FREEZ-
ING, LEAKING, LOOSE POSTS, OR LOW ELECTRO-
LYTE LEVEL, DO NOT TEST, ASSIST-BOOST, OR
CHARGE. THE BATTERY MAY ARC INTERNALLY
AND EXPLODE. PERSONAL INJURY AND/OR VEHI-
CLE DAMAGE MAY RESULT.
•
EXPLOSIVE HYDROGEN GAS FORMS IN AND
AROUND THE BATTERY. DO NOT SMOKE, USE
FLAME, OR CREATE SPARKS NEAR THE BATTERY.
PERSONAL INJURY AND/OR VEHICLE DAMAGE
MAY RESULT.
•
THE BATTERY CONTAINS SULFURIC ACID,
WHICH IS POISONOUS AND CAUSTIC. AVOID CON-
TACT WITH THE SKIN, EYES, OR CLOTHING. IN
THE EVENT OF CONTACT, FLUSH WITH WATER
AND CALL A PHYSICIAN IMMEDIATELY. KEEP OUT
OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN.
•
IF THE BATTERY IS EQUIPPED WITH REMOV-
ABLE CELL CAPS, BE CERTAIN THAT EACH OF
THE CELL CAPS IS IN PLACE AND TIGHT BEFORE
THE BATTERY IS RETURNED TO SERVICE. PER-
SONAL INJURY AND/OR VEHICLE DAMAGE MAY
RESULT FROM LOOSE OR MISSING CELL CAPS.
The condition of a battery is determined by two cri-
teria:
1.
State-Of-Charge - This can be determined by
checking the specific gravity of the battery electrolyte
(built-in test indicator or hydrometer test), or by
checking the battery voltage (open-circuit voltage
test).
2.
Cranking Capacity - This can be determined
by performing a battery load test, which measures
the ability of the battery to supply high-amperage
current.
First, determine the battery state-of-charge. This
can be done in one of three ways. If the battery has a
built-in test indicator, view the test indicator to
determine the state-of-charge. If the battery has no
test indicator, but has removable cell caps, perform
the hydrometer test to determine the state-of-charge.
If the cell caps are not removable, or a hydrometer is
not available, perform the open-circuit voltage test to
determine the state-of-charge.
The battery must be charged before proceeding
with a load test if:
•
The battery built-in test indicator has a black or
dark color visible.
•
The temperature corrected specific gravity of the
battery electrolyte is less than 1.235.
•
The battery open-circuit voltage is less than 12.4
volts.
A battery that will not accept a charge is faulty,
and
must
be
replaced.
Further
testing
is
not
required. A fully-charged battery must be load tested
to determine its cranking capacity. A battery that is
fully-charged, but does not pass the load test, is
faulty and must be replaced.
NOTE: Completely discharged batteries may take
several hours to accept a charge. Refer to Battery
Charging - Charging A Completely Discharged Bat-
tery in the Service Procedures section of this group
for more information.
A battery is fully-charged when:
•
All cells are gassing freely during charging.
•
A green color is visible in the sight glass of the
built-in test indicator.
•
Three corrected specific gravity tests, taken at
one-hour intervals, indicate no increase in the spe-
cific gravity.
•
Open-circuit voltage is 12.4 volts or greater.
8A - 4
BATTERY
XJ
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING (Continued)