___ C_ h_ e_c _k _i _ n _g ~ a_n _d_ f_il _l_in _ g _________________________________________ _
- Connect both battery cables to the batt ery if necessary -
first plus, then minus .
The battery m ust not be opened!:::} 0 in "Gene ral informat ion" on
page 238.
Charging the battery
On ly use chargers with a m aximum charging voltage of 14.8 V. T he
ba ttery conne ct ing cab les do not need to be d isco nnected. Do not
open the battery when charg ing.
Read all of the manufacturer's instr uctions for the charge r be fore
charting the battery .
It is not necessary to remove the battery from the engine compart
ment, and i t is also not necessa ry to disconnect the cables.
Norma lly, a battery should be charged at no more tha n 10 perce nt of
i t s rated capaci ty.
For example, a charging cu rrent of 4.5 amps wou ld b e used on a
battery rated at 45 Ah. Rate d capacity of the battery in your ve hicle is
listed on the batte ry housin g.
The bat tery caps shou ld
not be opened when charg ing a battery.
& WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
• Never charge a frozen battery . It may explode be cause of gas
trapped in the ice. Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
• Do not reuse batter ies wh ich were frozen . They must be
replaced. The battery housing may have cracked and weakened
when the battery froze .
• Charge th e battery in a w ell ventilated area. Keep away from
open flame or electrical spark . Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas gener
ated by the battery is explosive.
• To reduce the danger of e xplosion, never connect or disconnect
c harger cable s while the charger i s operating.
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Fast charging a battery is dangerous and should only be
attempted by a competent technician with the proper equipment .
• Battery acid that may spill during charging should be washed
off with a solut ion of warm water and baking soda to neutralize
the acid.
0 Note
• M ake s ure that the gas venting hose is always connected to the
or ig inal open ing o n the ba tte ry s ide . Othe rw ise gasses or battery aci d
co uld leak out .
• N ever use a fast cha rger as a booster to start t he eng ine . Th is will
ser iously damage sensitive electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio , etc. , as well as the batte ry c harge r.
• Th e vehicle may be optionally equ ipped wi th a gel ba tte ry, which
can only be charged at a constant current-limited voltage . To prevent
damage to the batte ry and the electronics system, a gel battery that
is connected must under no c ircums tances be charged with a quic k
charger.
[I) Tips
• The veh icle battery must not be c harged with a standard sma ll
c harger that plugs in to the outlet.
• Only charge the battery th rough the connections in the engine
c omp artment .•
Battery replacement
T he new battery must have the s am e specific ations as the
old one.
Inte lligent energy management in yo ur vehicle is responsib le for
distr ib uting the elect rical e nergy througho ut your vehicle
