Maintenance (Continued)
Maintenance
! | WARNING | ! |
The electrolyte (acid) produces a highly explosive gas. Keep all sparks, flame and fire away from area when charging battery or when handling electrolyte or battery. Electrolyte (acid) is a highly corrosive liquid. Wear eye protection. Wash affected areas immediately after having eye or skin contact with electrolyte (acid). Battery acid is corrosive. Rinse empty acid containers with water and mutilate before discarding. If acid is spilled on battery, bench, or clothing, etc., Flush with clear water and neutralize with baking soda. DO NOT attempt to charge battery while installed on the rider. DO NOT use “BOOST” chargers on the battery.
Battery Service
1.Remove the battery. Refer to the section entitled “BAT-
TERY REMOVAL”.
2.Place the battery in a well ventilated area on a level sur- face.
3.Using distilled water, refill the cells as required to cover the cell plates (of which can also be viewed through the plastic battery case).
4.With the cell caps removed, connect the battery charger to the battery terminals. Red to positive (+) terminal and black to negative
5.Slow charge the battery at 1 amp for 10 hours.
6.If the battery will not accept a charge or is partially charged after 10 hours of charging at 1 amp, replace with a new battery.
Battery Storage
If the mower is to be stored out of season on its rear bumper, it is recommended the battery be removed, charged and stored.
1.Remove the battery. Refer to the section entitled “BAT-
TERY REMOVAL”.
2.Perform battery service.
3.Bring the battery to full charge, if required.
4.Store the battery in an area away from the rider on a wood surface. DO NOT STORE THE BATTERY ON A CONCRETE SURFACE.
New Battery Preparation
1.Remove the battery from the carton.
2.Place the battery in a well ventilated area on a level non- concrete surface.
3.Remove the battery cell caps. Fill the cells as required with electrolyte (purchased separately) to the proper level. Filling the battery with electrolyte will bring the battery to 80% charged state.
4.With the cell caps removed, connect the battery charger to the battery terminals; RED to positive (+) and BLACK to negative
! | WARNING | ! |
DO NOT attempt to charge the battery while installed on the rider. DO NOT use “BOOST” chargers on the battery.
DO NOT OVERFILL!
IMPORTANT: Never place anything in the battery other than the specified electrolyte.
5.Slow charge the battery at 1 amp for 2 hours to bring the battery to full charge.
6.After charging, check the level of electrolyte and add as needed to bring the level to 3/16” above the cell plates.
7.Reinstall the cell caps.
8.Remove the hair pin and swivel from the deck support to allow clearance for battery installation.
9.Slide the battery partially into the battery housing.
10.Connect the red positive (+) cable (B, Figure 49) first, from the wiring harness to the positive terminal (+) on the battery, using the bolt and nut provided in the hard- ware bag. Connect the black negative
11.Insert the battery completely into the battery housing.
12.Reinstall the battery cover (A, Figure 48).
13.Reinstall the swivel and hair pin for the deck support.
Battery Testing
There are two types of battery tests: Unloaded and Loaded. The unloaded test is the procedure that will be discussed. It’s the simplest and most commonly used. An unloaded test is made on a battery without discharging current. To perform unloaded testing, check charge condition using either a hydrometer or voltmeter.
1.Using a voltmeter, voltage readings appear instantly to show the state of charge. Remember to hook the posi- tive lead to the battery’s positive terminal, and the nega- tive lead to the negative terminal.
2.A hydrometer measures the specific gravity of each cell. The specific gravity tells the degree of charge; generally, a specific gravity of about 1.265 to 1.280 indicates full charge. A reading of 1.230 to 1.260 indicates the battery should be charged. The chart on the next page shows the charge level as measured by syringe float hydrome- ter, digital voltmeter and five ball hydrometer.
! | WARNING | ! |
Shield the positive terminal with the terminal cover located on the battery harness. This prevents metal from touching the positive terminal, which could cause sparks.
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