Inspecting and replenishing137
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
skin diseases (inflammations, ulcers, sk
in cracks). Acids coming into contact
with water are diluted accompanied by significant development of heat.
•
Do not tilt the battery otherwise batt ery electrolyte may flow out of the
battery vent openings. Protect the eyes wi th 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 clot hes should be neutralised as soon as
possible using soap suds and then rinsed with plenty of water. Contact a doctor
immediately if you swal low battery electrolyte.
•
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, explo-
sion and burning of the battery, jets of acid spurting out.
•
It is prohibited to work with a naked fl ame and light, to smoke or to carry out
any activities which produce sparks. Avoid creating sparks when working with
cables and electrical devices. Strong spar k build-up 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 repl ace a bulb it is sufficient to switch off
the appropriate light.
•
Never charge a frozen or thawed batt ery - risk of explosion and caustic
burns! Replace a frozen battery.
•
Never jump-start the batteries which have a too low electrolyte level - risk
of explosion and caustic burns!
•
Never use a battery which is damaged - risk of explosion! Immediately
replace a damaged battery.Caution
•
You must only disconnect the battery if the ignition is switched off, otherwise
the electrical system (electronic componen ts) 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 batt ery. 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 wa ste which is harmful to the environment -
contact your specialist garage regarding disposing of the battery.
Note
Please also refer to the guidelines page 139, also after connecting the battery.Battery with a two-tone indicatorAn indicator for the electrolyte level, the so-called magic eye fig. 127, is located
on the top of the battery. The indicator changes its colour in line with the electrolyte
level in the battery.
Air bubbles can influence the colour of the indicator. For this reason carefully knock
on the indicator before carrying out the check.•
Black colour - electrolyte level is correct.
•
Colourless or light yellow colour - electrolyte level too low, the battery must be
replaced.
Batteries, which are more than 5 years ol d, must be replaced. We recommend you
have the battery checked or replaced by a specialist garage.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 127 The battery: Show
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Breakdown assistance153
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Note
The set of safety wheel bolts can be obta ined from an authorised Škoda Service
Partner.Jump-startingInitial stepsYou can use the battery of another vehicl e for jump-starting yours if the engine
does not start because the battery on your ve hicle is flat. You will require jump-start
cables for this purpose.
Both batteries must have a rated voltage of 12 V. The capacity (Ah) of the battery
supplying the power must not be signific antly less than the capacity of the
discharged battery in your vehicle.
Jump-start cables
Only use jump-start cables which have an adequately large cross-section and insu-
lated terminal clamps. Please pay attent ion to the manufacturer's instructions.
Positive cable - colour coding in the majority of cases red.
Negative cable - colour coding in the majority of cases black.
WARNING
•
A discharged battery may already freeze at temperatures just below 0 °C. In
case of frozen battery carry out no jump-starting - risk of explosion!
•
Please pay attention to the warning instructions relating to working in the
engine compartment page 131, “Working in the engine compartment”.Note
•
There must not be any contact between the two vehicles otherwise current may
flow as soon as the negati ve terminals are connected.
•
The discharged battery must be properly connected to the system of the
vehicle.
•
Switch off any mobile phone, pay attention to the instructions for use of the
mobile phone in such a situation.
•
We recommend you buy jump-start cables from a car battery specialist.
Start engineIt is important to connect the jump -start cables in the correct order.Connecting positive terminals– Attach one end to the positive terminal fig. 140 of the discharged battery
.
– Attach the other end to the positive terminal of the battery supplying the
power .Connecting negative terminal and engine block– Attach one end to the negative termin al of the battery supplying the power
.
– Attach the other end to a solid metal part which is connected firmly to the engine block, or to the engine block itself.Starting the 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.
Fig. 140 Jump-starting using the battery
from another vehicle: A - flat vehicle
battery, B - battery providing current
1
A
2
B
3
B
4
s2lk.2.book Page 153 Monday, April 18, 2011 7:41 AM
Breakdown assistance
154WARNING
•
The non-insulated parts of the termi nal 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 fl ame, smouldering cigarettes etc.) away
from the battery - risk of an explosion!
•
Never jump-start the batteries which have a too low electrolyte level - risk
of explosion and caustic burns!
Tow-starting and towing vehicleGeneralPlease pay attention to the following instru ctions 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.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 headli ght flasher, the windscreen wipers and
windscreen washer system.
–Move the gearshift lever into Neutral.
– Note that the brake servo unit and power steering only operate if the engine is running. You will require significantly 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 tow 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.
Only attach the tow rope to the towing eyes provided for this purpose page 155
and page 155.
Driving style
Towing another vehicle requires a certain amount of practice. Both drivers should
be familiar with the particular points about towing a vehicle. Unskilled drivers
should not attempt to tow in another vehicle or to be towed in.
One should be constantly vigilant 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 standing 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 tr ansporter or trailer.
Note
•
Please comply with any national legal provisions particularly regarding the
switched on signal systems, when towing in or tow-starting another vehicle.
•
The tow rope must not be twisted as it ma y in certain circumstances result in the
front towing eye being unsc rewed out of your vehicle.
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