Inspecting and Replenishing
258
The battery
Working on the battery
The battery is located in the engine compartment below a plastic
cover*.
– Press the interlock on the side of the battery cover ⇒fig. 196,
fold the battery cover out and pull it out.
– The installtion of the battery cover takes place in the reverse order.
Removal and installation of the battery is not recommended since it can,
under certain circumstances, lead to major damage. Contact a specialist
garage.
There is a risk of injuries, scalding, accidents and burns when carrying out
any work on the battery and on the electrical system. It is essential to comply with the warning instructions stated below
⇒ and with the
general applicable rules of safety.
WARNING
•The battery acid is strongly corrosive and must, therefore, be
handled with the greatest of care. Always wear protective gloves,
eye and skin protection when handling batteries. Corrosive fumes
in the air irritate the air passages and lead to conjunctivitis and
inflammation of the air passages in the lungs. Battery acid
corrodes dental enamel and creates deep wounds after contact
with the skin which take a long time to heal. Repeated contact with
diluted acids causes skin diseases (inflammations, ulcers, slin
cracks). Acids coming into contact with water are diluted accompa-
nied by significant development of heat.
•Do not tilt the battery otherwise battery electrolyte may flow out
of the battery vent openings. Protect the eyes with safety glasses
or a shield! There is the danger of suffering blindness! If any
battery electrolyte gets into your eye, rinse out your eye immedi-
ately with clear water for several minutes. Contact a doctor without
delay.
•Splashes of acid on your skin or clothes should be neutralised
as soon as possible using soap suds and then rinsed with plenty
of water. Contact a doctor immediately if you swallow battery elec-
trolyte.
•Keep batteries out of the reach of children.
•Hydrogen is released when you charge a battery and a highly
explosive gas mixture is produced. An explosion can be caused
through sparkling over during unclamping or loosening of the
cable plug while the ignition is on.
•Bridging of the poles will create a short circuit (e.g. through
metal objects, cables). Possible consequences of a short circuit:
Melting of lead struts, explosion and burning of the battery, jets of
acid spurting out.
Fig. 196 Engine
compartment: The
battery
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Inspecting and Replenishing259
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
•It is prohibited to work with a naked flame and light, to smoke or
to carry out any activities which produce sparks. Avoid creating
sparks when working with cables and electrical devices. Strong
sparking represents a risk of injury.
•Before carrying out any work on the electrical system, switch
off the engine, the ignition as well as all electrical components and
disconnect the negative cable (-) on the battery. If you wish to
replace a bulb it is sufficient to switch off the appropriate light.
•Never charge a frozen or thawed battery - risk of explosion and
caustic burns! Replace a frozen battery.
•Never use a battery which is damaged - risk of explosion! Imme-
diately replace a damaged battery.
Caution
•You must only disconnect the battery if the ignition is switched on,
otherwise the electrical system (electronic components) of the vehicle
may be damaged. When disconnecting the battery from the electrical
system of the vehicle, first disconnect the negative terminal (-) of the
battery. Then disconnect the positive terminal (+).
•When reconnecting the battery, first connect the positive terminal (+)
and only then the negative terminal (-) of the battery. You must on no
account connect the cables wrongly - risk of a cable fire.
•Ensure that battery acid does not come into contact with the vehicle
body otherwise damage could occur to the paintwork.
•Do not place the battery in direct daylight in order to protect the battery
housing from the effects of ultra-violet light.
For the sake of the environment
A removed battery is a special type of waste which is harmful to the envi-
ronment - contact your specialist garage regarding disposing of the
battery.
Note
Please also refer to the guidelines ⇒page 261, “Disconnecting and recon-
necting the battery”, also after connecting the battery.
Battery with a charge level indicator, the so-called
magic eye
There is a so-called magic eye ⇒fig. 197 located on the top of the battery.
The “magic eye” changes its colour in line with the charge state of and
electrolyte level in the battery.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 197 Battery with a
charge level indicator
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Inspecting and Replenishing
260
Air bubbles can influence the colour of the “magic eye”. For this reason
carefully knock on the “magic eye” before carrying out the check.
•Green colour - the battery is adequately charged.
•Dark colour - the battery has to be charged
•Colourless or yellow colour - have the battery checked by a Škoda
dealer.
Batteries, which are more than 5 years old, must be replaced. We recom-
mend you have the electrolyte level inspected and adjusted to the correct
level or the battery replaced if necessary by a Škoda dealer.
Caution
If the vehicle has not been driven for more than 3 to 4 weeks, the battery
will discharge because certain electrical components consume electricity
(e.g. control units) also in idle state. You can prevent the discharging of
the battery by disconnecting the negative terminal or charging the battery
constantly with a very low charging current. Please also refer to the notes
when working on the battery ⇒page 258, “Working on the battery”.
Inspecting the electrolyte level
The battery is practically maintenance-free under normal operating
conditions. We do, however, recommend that you have the electrolyte
level inspected from time to time by a Škoda dealer when outside temper-
atures are high or when driving on long trips. You should also check the
electrolyte level ⇒page 260 each time the battery is charged.
The battery acid level will also be checked as part of the Inspection
Service.
Operation in winter
The battery has to provide greater amounts of electricity during the winter.
It also has only part of the initial power output at low temperatures that it
has at normal temperatures.
A discharged battery may already freeze at temperatures just below
0°C.
We therefore recommend that you have the battery checked by a Škoda
dealer before the start of the winter, and recharged if necessary.
WARNING
Never charge a frozen or thawed battery - risk of explosion and
caustic burns. Replace a frozen battery.
Charging the battery
A properly charged battery is essential for reliably starting
the engine.
– Read the warning notes ⇒ in “Working on the battery” on
page 258 and ⇒.
– Switch the ignition and all electrical components off.
– Only for “quick-charging”: Disconnect both battery cables (first of all “negative”, then “positive”).
– Carefully attach the terminal clamps of the charger to the battery terminals (red = “positive”, black = “negative”).
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Breakdown assistance283
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
– Attach the other end to a solid metal part which is
connected firmly to the engine block, or to the engine block
itself.
Starting engine
– Start the engine of the vehicle providing current and run the engine at idling speed.
– Now start the engine of the vehicle with the discharged battery.
– Interrupt the attempt at starting an engine after 10 seconds if it does not start right away and wait for about 30 seconds
before repeating the attempt.
– Disconnect the cables on the engine in exactly the reverse
order they were connected up.
WARNING
•The non-insulated parts of the terminal clamps must never
make contact with each other. Furthermore, the cable connected to
the positive terminal of the battery must not come into contact with
electrically conducting parts of the vehicle - risk of a short circuit!
•Do not affix the jump starting cables to the negative terminal of
the discharged battery. There is the risk of detonating gas seeping
out the battery being ignited by the strong spark which results from
the engine being started.
•Run the jump-start cables so that they cannot be caught by any
rotating parts in the engine compartment.
•Do not bend over the batteries - risk of caustic burns!
•The vent screws of the battery cells must be tightened firmly.
•Keep any sources of ignition (naked flame, smouldering ciga-
rettes etc.) away from the battery - risk of an explosion!
Tow-starting and towing vehicle
General
Please pay attention to the following instructions if you are going
to use a tow rope:
Driver of the towing vehicle
– Do not drive off until the tow rope is taught.
– Release the clutch particularly gently when starting off or depress the accelerator particularly gently if your vehicle is
fitted with an automatic gearbox.
Driver of the towed vehicle
– Switch the ignition on so that the steering wheel is not blocked and you can also operate the turn signal lights, the headlight
flasher, the windscreen wipers and windscreen washer
system.
– Take the vehicle out of gear or move the selector lever into position N if your vehicle is fitted with an automatic gearbox.
A4WARNING (continued)
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Breakdown assistance
286
Rear towing eye
– Take the cover out of the bumper ⇒fig. 215 . – Screw in the towing eye anticlockwise down to the stop
⇒fig. 216 and tighten up using the wheel wrench (push the
wheel wrench through eye).
– Put the cover in place after screwing out the towing eye again and press into place. The cover must engage firmly.
Tow-starting a vehicle
If the engine does not start, we generally do not recommend to
tow-start your vehicle. One should attempt to start the engine
using jump start cables ⇒page 281 or call on the services of the
SERVICE mobile.
If your vehicle has to be towed:
– Engage 2nd or 3rd gear with the vehicle stationary.
– Depress the clutch pedal fully and keep it depressed.
– Switch on the ignition.
– Wait until both vehicles are moving then release the clutch pedal slowly.
– Depress the clutch pedal fully when the engine fires and take the vehicle out of gear.
For technical reasons it is not possible to tow-start a car fitted with an
automatic gearbox .
Fig. 215 Rear bumper:
Removing cover
Fig. 216 Rear bumper:
Installing the towing
eye
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Fuses and light bulbs
288
Fuses and light bulbs
Electric fuses
Replacing fuses
Defect fuses must be replaced.
Individual electrical circuits are protected by fuses. The fuses are
located on the left side of the dash panel behind the safety cover
and under the cover in the engine compartment on the left.
– Switch the ignition off and also the electrical component
affected.
– Use a screwdriver to take off the fuse cover on the side of the dash panel ⇒fig. 217 or the fuse cover in the engine compart-
ment ⇒page 289. – Find out which fuse belongs to the relevant component
⇒page 293, “Fuse assignment in the dash panel” or
⇒ page 290, “Fuse assignment in engine compartment -
version 1” or ⇒page 291, “Fuse assignment in engine
compartment - version 2”.
– Take the plastic clip out of its fixture in the fuse cover, insert it onto the respective fuse and pull out this fuse.
– Defect fuses can be detected by their melted metal strips. Replace the defect fuse by a new fuse of the same ampere
number.
– Fit on the fuse cover again.
We recommend that you carry the box of replacement fuses with you
which was delivered in your vehicle. Replacement fuses 12) are available
at Škoda dealers.
Colour coding of fuses
Fig. 217 Fuse cover:
left side of the dash
panel
12)Replacement fuses are, on the other hand, part of the basic equipping of the ve-
hicle in some countries.
ColourMaximum amperage
light brown5
brown7,5
red10
blue15
yellow20
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Fuses and light bulbs291
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Fuse assignment in engine compartment - version 2
F23Engine control unit10
F24Control unit for CAN databus5
F25Not assigned
F26Not assigned
F27Not assigned
F28Engine control unit25
F29Actuation for coolant pump after-running5
F30Control unit for auxiliary heating20
F31Front window wiper30
F32Not assigned
F33Not assigned
F34Not assigned
F35Not assigned
F36Not assigned
F37Not assigned
F38Radiator fan, valves10
F39Clutch pedal switch, brake pedal switch5
F40Ignition coils20
F41Not assigned
F42Actuation of fuel pump5
F43Not assigned
F44Not assigned
F45Not assigned
F46Not assigned
No.Power consumerAmperes
F47Central control unit, Left main headlights40
F48Central control unit, Right main headlights40
F49Power supply for terminal 15 (ignition on)40
F50Not assigned
F51Not assigned
F52Power supply relay - terminal X a)40
F53Accessory equipment50
F54Not assigned
a)In order not to drain the battery unnecessarily when starting the engine, the elec-
trical components of this terminal are automatically switched off.
No.Power consumerAmperes
Fig. 220 Schematic
representation of fuse
box in engine compart-
ment - version 2
s24s.book Page 291 Thursday, November 24, 2005 12:27 PM
Fuses and light bulbs
292
Certain electrical components are only standard on certain vehicle model
versions or only suppliable as optional equipment for certain models.
No.Power consumerAmperes
F1Control unit for convenience functions20
F2Windshield wiper lever and turn signal light lever5
F3Measuring circuit5
F4Valves for ABS30
F5Control unit for automatic gearbox15
F6Instrument cluster5
F7Not assigned
F8Radio15
F9Phone5
F10Engine control unit, Main relay5
F11Control unit for auxiliary heating20
F12Control unit for CAN databus5
F13Engine control unit25/30
F14Ignition20
F15Lambda probe, NOx-sensor, Fuel pump relay15
F16Pump for ABS30
F17Horn15
F18Amplifier for digital sound processor30
F19Front window wiper30
F20Not assigned5
F21Lambda probe15
F22Clutch pedal switch, brake pedal switch5
F23Secondary air pump
Air mass meter
Fuel high pressure pump5
10
15
F24Activated charcoal filter, exhaust gas recirculation
valve10
F25Right lighting system40
F26Left lighting system40
F27Secondary air pump
Preglowing40
50
F28Power suppy terminal 15, Starter40
F29Power supply terminal 3050
F30Te r m i n a l Xa)40
a)In order not to drain the battery unnecessarily when starting the engine, the elec-
trical components of this terminal are automatically switched off.
No.Power consumerAmperes
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