If the electrolyte level drops, add only distilled water. Avoid overfilling. If this does happen or some electrolyte spills out, wipe it off immediately and rinse the area with water and soda, as the electrolyte is very aggressive and corrodes heavily when in contact with metal.
In addition to keeping the battery contacts clean and coated with petroleum jelly, the top of the battery, especially the top of the cans (cells), must be kept clean and dry. This prevents corrosion and partial self-discharge of the battery due to moisture and dirt.
Every three months, remove the battery and inspect the battery mounting bolts, mounting plate, tray and cables for corrosion (white fluffy deposit on metal, brittle to the touch). If corrosion is found, clean off the deposits with ammonia and coat the cleaned metal with a rust remover or primer.
If there is excessive deposits on the top of the battery, this may be due to cracks in the case causing electrolyte leakage or overcharging of the battery, indicating the need to have the voltage regulator checked by a workshop.
When checking the battery every three months, check the density of the electrolyte using a hydrometer to determine the degree of charge of the battery and the condition of the electrolyte.
- Fill the hydrometer with electrolyte through a special hole on the battery case. At the same time, measure the temperature of the electrolyte. If the electrolyte level is low, tilt the battery to make it easier to measure.
- Convert the density of the electrolyte at a given temperature to the density at a standard temperature of 20°C.
Example. electrolyte temperature 35°C, measured density 1.230. Reduced density will be 1.240.
There should be a very small difference between different cans, and if the difference exceeds 0.025 g/cm³, the reasons for this may be the following:
- loss of electrolyte from a battery caused by splashing or leakage, which can lead to a decrease in the specific gravity of the electrolyte when the lack of electrolyte is compensated for by adding distilled water instead of fresh electrolyte.
- an internal short circuit caused by bending of the plates or something similar will result in the entire battery failing and inevitably causing it to fail soon. The density of the electrolyte at different temperatures for a fully charged battery is shown in Table A. The density of the electrolyte of a fully discharged battery at different temperatures is shown in Table B.
Elements of the device for checking/correcting the density of the battery electrolyte and the density of the coolant (antifreeze)
1 - hydrometer for checking the density of battery electrolyte;
2 - hydrometer for checking the density of the coolant;
3 - funnel;
4 - extension cord;
5 - glass tube;
6 - glass rod;
7 - container with a rubber bulb;
8 - case.
Table A. Electrolyte density (the battery is fully charged)
Table B. Electrolyte Density (the battery is completely discharged)
