Battery - Service and Care

87mitsubishi01

SUBJECT:

BATTERY CARE
NO. TSB-88-08-001

DATE January, 1988

MODEL All Models Including Precis
PURPOSE

Recently, some new vehicles may have been delivered to dealerships with batteries that are not fully charged. During shipment and pre-delivery storage, the batteries can become discharged and will not start the vehicle. This bulletin is issued to reduce unnecessary battery replacement and to encourage you to give suspected discharged batteries a slow-charge (trickle charge) before replacing them.

Due to the chemical composition of these batteries, they will not accept a fast-charge once they have been discharged. The batteries may not appear to respond to charging current for 15-30 minutes. A battery like this is often thought by the technician to be defective when in fact, it is perfectly good. Most maintenance free batteries respond well to a slow-charge of 2 to 5 amps over a period of several hours. It is not recommended to fast-charge (boost-charge) any battery, because this type of charging will give the battery a "surface charge" only, and will not be sufficient to maintain the proper specific gravity for an extended period of time.

BATTERY CHARGING

CAUTION: Before charging a battery, always turn the ignition switch OFF and disconnect the negative battery cable to avoid possible damage to sensitive electronic components.

For best results, batteries should be charged while the electrolyte is at room temperature (55~F - 85~F, 13~C - 30~C). A battery that is extremely cold or has remained in a complete discharged condition may not accept current for several hours after beginning the charge cycle.

If the battery does not indicate a full charge at the completion of the recommended charge time, the charge procedure should be repeated. If after two charges, the battery is still not fully charged, conduct a specified load test and replace the battery only if the battery fails the test.

Recommended Charging Times: 16 hours @ 3 amps 8 hours @ 5 amps 4 hours @ 10 amps

If a battery is to be charged overnight (16 hours), a timer or voltage-controlled charger is recommended.