Checking and Filling
-Do not interchange the positive and nega
tive cables .
- When working on the battery, be sure not to
short-circuit the terminals with tools or oth
er metal objects. This would cause the bat
tery to heat up very quickly, which could
lead to damage or explosion and personal
injury .
- When a battery is charged, it produces hy
drogen gas which is explosive and could
cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children .
- Before work is done on the electrical sys
tem, disconnect the negative ground cable .
- Before performing any work on the electri
cal system, switch off the engine and igni
tion as well as any electrical equipment. The
negative cable on the battery must be dis
connected. If you are just going to replace a
light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch off
the anti-theft alarm system! Otherwise you
will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first dis
connect the negative cable and then the
positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make sure
all electrical consumers are switched off. Re
connect the positive cable first and then the
negative cable . Never interchange the ca
bles -this could start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out bat
tery. It could explode! If a battery has fro
z en, then it must be replaced . A discharged
battery can freeze over at 32°F (O°C).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attached
to the opening on the side of the battery .
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
There is the danger of an explosion! Always
replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
232
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems.
Wash hands after handling.
(D Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery when
the ignition is switched on or when the en
gine is running, otherwise , you will damage
electronic components in the electrical sys
tem .
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a long
period of time without being driven, protect
the battery from "freezing", otherwise it
will be damaged and will then have to be re placed.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged battery .
Fig. 202 Engin e compar tment : Co nnec tors fo r char ger and
jumper cables
Always read and heed all WARNINGS below
¢ .&. and
¢.&. in Working on the battery on
page 231 .
.. Hybrid drive*: read the important information
concerning a dead high voltage battery under
¢ page 105.
.. Turn off the ignition and all electrical consum
ers.
.. Make sure the area is well ventilated when you
charge the battery .
.. Open the engine hood
¢ page 221.
.. Remove the cover(!) by pressing on the arrow
¢fig. 202 .
.. Open the cover @on the positive terminal. .,.
M N
co
a:
co
,...., \!) 1.1"1
N 1.1"1 ,....,
Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emergency
crews and working personnel who have the nec
essary tools and equipment to perform these
operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
(D Note
Vehicles with an automatic transmission
cannot be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by con
necting it to the battery of another vehicle.
If the engine should fail to start because of a dis
charged or weak battery, the battery can be con
nected to the battery of
another vehicle, using a
pair of jumper cables to start the engine .
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large cross
section
to carry the starter current safely. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated terminal
clamps which are distinctly marked:
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minus(-) cable
in most cases colored black.
A WARNING
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal in
jury . Follow the instructions below for safe
handling of your vehicle's battery.
-Always shield your eyes and avoid leaning
over the battery whenever possible.
-A discharged battery can freeze at tempera
tures just below 32 °F (0 °C). Before con
necting a jumper cable, you must thaw the
Emergency situations
frozen battery completely, otherwise it
could explode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes or
skin. Flush any contacted area with water immediately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
vehicle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gases.
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a
low acid level in the battery.
- The voltage of the booster battery must al
so have a 12-Volt rating. The capacity (Ah)
of the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batteries of different voltage or substantial
ly different" Ah" rating may cause an explo
sion and personal injury.
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has been
frozen. The battery case may have be weak
ened ,
- Use of batteries of different voltage or sub stantially different capacity (Ah) rating may
cause an explosion and injury. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
q page 221.
(D Note
-Applying a higher voltage booster battery
will cause expensive damage to sensitive
electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact between
the vehicles as otherwise current could al
ready start to flow as soon as the positive
(+) terminals are connected.
(D Tips
- The discharged battery must be properly
connected to the vehicle's electrical system. .,..
271
Emergency situation s
When jump starting or charging the battery,
never connect the negative ground cable to
the battery negative post because the bat
tery manager system must be able to detect
the battery's state of charge. Always con nect the negative ground cable to the nega
tive ground post of the battery manager
control un it.
Use of jumper cables
Make sure to connect the jumper cable clamps in
exactly the order described below!
Fig. 227 Engine co mpar tment : Connectors for ju mp er ca
bl es and charger
Fig. 228 Jum p starting wi th the battery of anot her ve hicl e:
@ booste r batte ry ,@ discharged vehicle battery
The procedure described be low for connecting
jumper cables is intended to provide a jump start for your vehicle.
Hybrid drive*: read the important information
concerning a dead high voltage battery under
c;,page 105.
Vehicle with discharged battery:
• Turn off lights and accessories, move lever of
automatic transmission to N (Neutral) or P
(Park) and set parking brake.
272
Connect POSITIVE(+) to POSITIVE (+) (red)
• Remove the cover (!) by pressing on the arrow
¢fig. 227.
• Open the cover @on the positive terminal.
1. Connect one end of the red positive cable on
the
jump start bolt c::> fig. 228 @ (Bolts un
der cover = "positive") of the vehicle to be
started @.
2 . Connect the other end to the positive termi-
nal @ of the booster battery @.
Connect NEGATIVE (-) to NEGATIVE (-)
(black)
3 . Connect one end of the black negative cable
to the negative terminal @ of the booster
battery @.
4. Connect the other end of the black negative
cable to the
jump start bolt © (Bolts with
hex head= "negative") of the vehicle to be
started @.
Starting the engine
• Start the engine of the vehicle with the booster
battery @. Run the eng ine at a moderate
speed.
• Start engine with discharged vehicle battery @
in the usual manner.
• lfthe engine fails to start: do not keep the
starter cranking for longer than 10 seconds.
Wait for about 30 seconds and then try again.
• With engine running, remove jumper cables
from both vehicles in the exact
reverse order .
• Close the cover @on the positive terminal and
re-install the cover@¢
fig. 22 7.
The battery is vented to the outside to prevent
gases from entering the vehicle interior . Make
sure that the jumper clamps are well connected
with their
metal parts in full contact with the
batte ry terminals.
& WARNING
To avoid serious personal injury and damage
to the veh icle, heed all warnings and instruc
tions of the jumper cable manufacturer. If in
doubt, call for road service.
- Jumper cables must be long enough so that
the vehicles do not touch. ..,.