Inspecting and Replenishing193
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Battery
Working on the battery
Particular care is required when carrying out any work on the
battery!
The battery is located in the engine compartment in the plenum chamber
below a cover.
Taking off cover
– Press the cover in direction of arrow ⇒fig. 178 .
There is a risk of injuries, scalding, acci dents and burns when carrying out any work
on the battery and on the electrical system. For this reason, 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 corros ive and must, therefore, be handled
with the greatest of care. Always we ar 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 de
ntal 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 accompanied 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 immediately 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 electrolyte.
•Keep batteries out of the reach of children.
•Hydrogen is released when you char ge 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.
•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 device s. 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! Immediately
replace a damaged battery.
B1Z-0042HB1Z-0042H
Fig. 178 Engine
compartment: plenum
chamber - battery cover
WARNING (continued)
NKO B5 20.book Page 193 Friday, March 2, 2007 1:46 PM
Inspecting and Replenishing
194
Caution
•You must only disconnect the battery if the ignition is switched off, 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 negati ve terminal (-) of the battery. Then disconnect the positive
terminal (+).
•When reconnecting the battery, first connec t 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 dayl ight 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 environment -
contact your specialist garage regarding disposing of the battery.
Note
Please also refer to the guidelines ⇒page 196, “Disconnecting and reconnecting
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. 179 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.
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 specialist garage
Batteries, which are more than 5 years old, must be replaced. We recommend you
have the electrolyte level inspected and adjusted to the correct level or the battery
replaced if necessary by a specialist garage.
Caution
If the vehicle has not been driven for more than 3 to 4 weeks, the battery will
discharge because certain electrical comp onents consume electricity (e.g. control
units) also in idle state. You can prevent the discharging of the battery by discon-
necting 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 193, “Working on the battery”.
Fig. 179 Engine
compartment: Battery
with magic eye
NKO B5 20.book Page 194 Friday, March 2, 2007 1:46 PM
Inspecting and Replenishing195
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Inspecting the electrolyte level
The battery is practically maintenance-free under normal oper ating conditions.
We do, however, recommend that you have the electrolyte level inspected from
time to time by a specialist garage when outside temperatures are high or when
driving on long trips. You should also check the electrolyte level ⇒page 195 each
time the battery is charged.
The battery acid level will also be chec ked 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 freez e at temperatures just below 0°C.
We therefore recommend that you have the battery checked by a specialist garage
before the start of the winter, and recharged if necessary.
Note
If the vehicle is not going to be driven for a period of some weeks when there is very
severe frost one should remove ⇒page 196 the battery and store it in a place
which is protected from frost. This prevents the battery from freezing up and
thereby being destroyed.
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 193 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”).
– You can now plug the mains cable of the charger into the power socket
and switch on the charger.
– When charging is completed: switch the charger off and unplug the mains cable from the power socket.
– Only then should you disconnect the terminal clamps of the charger.
– Reconnect the cables to the battery (first of all “positive”, then “nega- tive”).
It is not normally necessary to disconnect the cables of the battery if you recharge
the battery using low amperages (as for example from a mini-charger). Please also
refer to the instructions from the charger manufacturer.
A charging current of 0.1 of the total battery capacity (or lower) is that which should
be used until full charging is achieved.
It is, however, necess ary to disconnect both cables be fore charging the battery with
high amperages, so-called “ quick-charging”.
“Quick-charging” a battery is dangerous ⇒ in “Working on the battery” on
page 193. It requires a special charger an d appropriate knowledge. We therefore
recommend that you have your battery qu ick-charged only by your specialist
garage.
A discharged battery may already freeze at temperatures just below 0°C. ⇒. We
recommend that you no longer use a ba ttery which has thawed out because the
casing of the battery may be cracked through the formation of ice and this would
allow battery electrolyte to flow out.
The vent plugs of the battery should not be opened for charging.
NKO B5 20.book Page 195 Friday, March 2, 2007 1:46 PM
Inspecting and Replenishing
196
WARNING
Never charge a frozen or thawed battery - risk of explosion and caustic
burns. Replace a frozen battery.
Removing and installing the battery
Removing and installing the battery
– Please also refer to the note s when working on the battery
⇒ page 193.
– Switched off all electrical components and remove the ignition key. – Pull off gasket and take out the cover of the plenum chamber
in the direction of the arrow ⇒fig. 180 .
– Unclamp the battery negative terminal (-).
– Unclamp the battery positive terminal (+).
– Unscrew the screw ⇒ fig. 181 completely and remove the locking
plate.
– Move the battery in the direction of the arrow and pull it out in an upward direction.
– Installation takes plac e in the reverse order.
Please also refer to the following no tes when connecting up the battery
⇒ page 196.
Note
We do not recommend that you remove and install the battery yourself (even when
you are following the instructions given in this Owner's manual) since a battery can
be heavily damaged in the process und er certain circumstances. Contact a
specialist garage.
Disconnecting and reconnecting the battery
On disconnecting and reconnecting the batt ery the following functions are initially
deactivated or are no longer able to operate fault-free.
Fig. 180 Engine
compartment: plenum
chamber - cover
Fig. 181 Engine
compartment: The
battery
AAAB
AC
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Breakdown assistance
216
•We recommend purchasing jump-start cabl es from Škoda Service Partners as a
Škoda original accessory or from retailers who sell branded batteries.
Start engine
It is important to connect the jump-start cables in the correct order.
Connecting positive terminals
– Attach one end to the positive terminal ⇒fig. 199 of the
discharged battery .
– Attach the other end to the positive terminal of the battery supplying the power .
Connecting negative term inal and engine block
– Attach one end to the negative terminal of the battery supplying
the power .
– Attach the other end to a soli d metal part which is connected
firmly to the engine block, or to the engine block itself ⇒. Starting engine
– Start the engine of the vehicle prov
iding 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 cabl e 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.
•Do not affix the cable end to pa rts of the fuel and brake system.
•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 cigarettes etc.)
away from the battery - risk of an explosion!
Fig. 199 Jump-starting
using the battery from
another vehicle: A - flat
vehicle battery, B -
battery providing current
A1
AA
A2
AB
A3
AB
A4
A4
NKO B5 20.book Page 216 Friday, March 2, 2007 1:46 PM
Breakdown assistance217
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Tow-starting and towing vehicle
General
Please pay attention to the following in structions 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 gent ly when starting off or depress the
accelerator particularly gently if yo ur vehicle is fitted with an auto-
matic 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.
– Note that the brake servo unit and power steering only operate if the engine is running. You will require si gnificantly greater physical force
to depress the brake pedal and to steer the vehicle if the engine is not
running.
– Ensure that the tow rope is always kept taught.
Tow rope or tow bar
A tow bar is safest way of towing a vehicle and also minimizes any shocks. You can
use a tow rope only if a suitable to w bar is not available.
The tow rope must be elastic to protect the vehicle. Thus one should only use
plastic fibre rope or a rope made out of a similarly elastic material. Attach the tow rope or the tow bar only to the
towing eyes provided for this
purpose ⇒page 218, “Front towing eye” and ⇒page 218, “Rear towing eye”.
Driving style
Towing another vehicle requires a certain amount of practice. Both drivers should
be familiar with the partic ular points about towing a vehicle. Unskilled drivers
should not attempt to tow in another vehicle or to be towed in.
One should be constantly vigi lant not to allow impermissibly high towing forces or
jerky loadings. There is always a risk of excessive stresses and damage resulting at
the points to which you attach the tow rope or tow bar when you attempt to tow a
vehicle which is not stan ding on a paved road.
Caution
If the gearbox of your vehicle no longer contains any oil because of a defect, your
vehicle must only be towed in with the driven wheels raised clear of the ground, or
on a special vehicle transporter or trailer.
Note
•Please comply with any legal requiremen ts particularly regarding the switched
on signal systems, when towing in or tow-starting another vehicle.
•The tow rope must not be twisted as it may in certain circumstances result in the
front towing eye being unscrewed out of your vehicle.
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Breakdown assistance
218
Front towing eye
The front towing eye is welded on behind the bumper on the right.
– Carefully pull the protective grille ⇒fig. 200 off in the right-hand area
of the bumper.
Rear towing eye
The rear towing eye is welded on below the rear bumper on the right.
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 215 or call on the servic es of the SERVICE mobile.
If your vehicle has to be towed:
– Engage 2nd or 3rd gear wi th the vehicle stationary. – Depress the clutch pedal fully and keep it depressed.
– Switch on the ignition.
– Wait until both vehicles are movi
ng 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 possib le to tow-start a car fitted with an automatic
gearbox .
WARNING
There is high risk of having an accident when tow-starting a vehicle, when
for example the towed vehicle runs into the towing vehicle.
Caution
Vehicles which are fitted with a catalytic converter should not be tow-started over
a d i s t a n c e o f m o re t h a n 5 0 m e t re s . U n b u r n t fuel may get into the catalytic converter
and damage it.
Towing in a vehicle fitted with a manual gearbox
Please refer to the notes ⇒ page 217.
The car can be towed in with a tow bar or a tow rope or with the front or rear wheels
raised. The maximum towing speed is 50 km/h.
Towing of a vehicle with an automatic gearbox
Please refer to the notes ⇒ page 217.
The car can be towed in with a tow bar or a tow rope. Refer at the same time to the
following guidelines:
Fig. 200 Front bumper:
protective grille of
towing eye
NKO B5 20.book Page 218 Friday, March 2, 2007 1:46 PM
Fuses and light bulbs
220
Fuses and light bulbs
Electric fuses
Replacing fuses
Defect fuses must be replaced.
Individual electrical circuits are prot ected by fuses. The fuses are located
on the left side of the dash panel behind the safety cover.
– Switch the ignition off and also the electrical component affected.
– Use a screwdriver to take off the fuse cover ⇒fig. 201 .
– Find out which fuse belongs to the component which is not operating ⇒page 221, “Fuse assignment”.
– 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. You can obtain replacement fuses 6) from a Škoda Service
Par tner.
Colour coding of fuses
Caution
•Never attempt to “repair” fuses and also do not replace them with a fuse of a
higher amperage - risk of fire! This may also cause damage at another part of the
electrical system.
•Have the electrical system checked as quickly as possible by a specialist garage
if a newly inserted fuse blows again after a short time.
Note
We recommend that you have these fuses replaced by a specialist garage.
B1Z-0042HB1Z-0042HFig. 201 Left side of the
dash panel: fuse cover
6)Replacement fuses are, on the other hand, part of the basic equipping of the vehicle in some
countries.
ColourMaximum amperage
light brown5
brown7,5
red10
blue15
yellow20
white25
green30
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