BATTERY 6Y 3 PERIODIC SERVICING Since the Battery is a perishable item which requires periodic servicing a good maintenance program will in sure the longest possible Battery life INDICATOR COMMON CAUSES OF FAILURE E lf the Battery tests good but fails to perform satis p factorily in service for no apparent reason the following are some of the more important factors that may point to g L the cause of the trouble I W 1 Vehicle accessories inadvertently left on overnight to cause a discharged condition 2 Slow speed driving of short duration to cause an j V L undercharged condition i 3 A vehicle electrical load exceeding the generator F 1 v capacity 3 t 4 Defect in the charging system such as high resist ance slipping fan belt faulty generator or voltage a yggulatolx ELECTROLYTE LEVEL 5 Battery abuse including failure to keep the Battery E LOW top clean cable clamps and posts clean and tight and improper addition of water to the cells LEVEL Fig 6b CuI woy View Showing EIectroIyI e at Low Level The Battery features an electrolyte level indicator With Indie r rH ving Light Appearance which is a specially designed vent plug with a transparent rod extending through the center fig 5b When the eleetvolvte ic at thc proper level thc lcwcr up cf the rod An alternate method of checking the electrolyte level is is immcfscda end thc exvcscd top cf thc Yoo wm appear to remove the vent plug and visually observe the electro Very dank Whc thc level falls below thc up cf thc roo lyte level in the vent wall The bottom of the vent well thc WP Win E new The Indicator revcals at 3 glenee if features a split vent which will cause the surface of the Watcr is ccdcc withcut thc ccccssiw cf rcmci ics thc electrolyte to appear distorted when it makes eeataet vcut PIUQQS fig sb The electrolyte level is correct when the distortion first The Level Indicator is used in only one cell second cell appears at the bottom of the split vent fig 4b cap from positive Battery post because when the electro lyte level is low in one cell it is normally low in all cells Thus when the Indicator shows water is needed ELECTROLYTE LEVEL check the level in all six cells The electrolyte level in the Battery should be checked regularly In hot weather particularly during trip driv ing checking should be more frequent because of more rapid loss of water If the electrolyte level is found to INDICATOR j 1 V be low then colorless odorless drinking water should be added to each cell until the liquid level rises to the split vent located in the bottom of the vent well DO NOT OVERFILL because this will cause loss of electrolyte re le Q sulting in poor performance short life and excessive corrosion E X CAUTION During service only water should be T Ir added to the Battery not electrolyte A Q The liquid level in the cells should never be allowed to ia drop below the top of the plates as the portion of the i plates exposed to air may be permanently damaged with a V g i resulting loss in performance j T i F c WATER USAGE ELECTgg L EVEL T3 Excessive usage of water indicates the Battery is being overcharged The most common causes of overcharge are high Battery operating temperatures or too high a voltage regulator setting Normal Battery water usage Fig 5b Cor w y View Showing EiectroIyte or Proper Level is approximately one to two ounces per month per With Indicator Having Dark Appearance b I2t I y CORVAIR SHOP MANUAL SUPPLEMENT