Deck 16: Battery Testing and Service

Question 1

Technician A says that distilled or clean drinking water should be added to a battery when the electrolyte level is low. Technician B says that fresh electrolyte (solution of acid and water) should be added. Which technician is correct?
a. Technician A only
b. Technician B only
c. Both Technicians A and B
d. Neither Technician A nor B

Answer 1

The normal battery has sulphuric acid
as electrolyte and lead peroxide
plate as electrode in general. When the battery is fully discharged, the electrolyte is decomposed with the lead and format
and the oxidation of the electrolyte convert it into water
.
During the
formation, hydrogen gas is released by the sulphuric acid
in reduction process and during water
, oxygen gas is released.
The water is decomposed in the gases and vaporized due to heat generation. So, the electrolyte solution has deficiency of water only.
Hence, the technician A is correct.
There is no need of the addition of the sulphuric acid
to the solution.
So, technician B's statement is incorrect.
Rest of the options does not satisfy the above condition. So, the options 'b', 'c', and 'd' are incorrect.

Question 2

What are the results of a voltmeter test of a battery and its state of charge?

Answer 2

The state of charge of any battery is determined by testing the battery with a voltmeter. The battery voltage output and state of charge for a battery at or near room temperature
are given in Table 1.
Table 1: The estimated state of charge of a 12 volt battery after the surface charge has been removed.

Question 3

All batteries should be in a secure bracket that is bolted to the vehicle to prevent physical damage to the battery.
a. True
b. False

Answer 3

Batteries have outer shield to protect inner arrangement. The outer shield protects electrolyte to overflow and electrode from physical damage. The secure bracket is used to protect the vehicle battery from the external damage i.e. to prevent vibration from damaging the plates inside the battery.
TRUE
.

Question 4

What are the steps for performing a battery load test?

Question 5

A battery date code sticker indicates D6. What does this mean?

A) The date it was shipped from the factory was December 2006.
B) The date it was shipped from the factory was April 2006.
C) The battery expires in December 2002.
D) It was built the second day of the week (Tuesday).

Question 6

How is a battery drain test performed?

Question 7

Many vehicle manufacturers recommend that a special electrical connector be installed between the battery and the battery cable when testing for _______.

A) Battery drain (parasitic drain)
B) Specific gravity
C) Battery voltage
D) Battery charge rate

Question 8

Why should a battery not be fast charged?

Question 9

When load testing a battery, which battery rating is often used to determine how much load to apply to the battery?

A) CA
B) RC
C) MCA
D) CCA

Question 10

When measuring the specific gravity of the electrolyte, the maximum allowable difference between the highest and lowest hydrometer reading is _______.

A) 0.010
B) 0.020
C) 0.050
D) 0.50

Question 11

A battery high-rate discharge (load capacity) test is being performed on a 12 volt battery. Technician A says that a good battery should have a voltage reading of higher than 9.6 volts while under load at the end of the 15 sec. test. Technician B says that the battery should be discharged (loaded) to twice its CCA rating. Which technician is correct?

A) Technician A only
B) Technician B only
C) Both Technicians A and B
D) Neither Technician A nor B

Question 12

When charging a lead-acid (flooded-type) battery, _______.

A) The initial charging rate should be about 35 amperes for 30 minutes
B) The battery may not accept a charge for several hours, yet may still be a good (serviceable) battery
C) The battery temperature should not exceed 125°F (hot to the touch)
D) All of the above

Question 13

Normal battery drain (parasitic drain) in a vehicle with many computer and electronic circuits is _______.

A) 20 to 30 milliamperes
B) 2 to 3 amperes
C) 150 to 300 milliamperes
D) None of the above

Question 14

When jump starting, _______.
a. The last connection should be the positive post of the dead battery
b. The last connection should be the engine block of the dead vehicle
c. The alternator must be disconnected on both vehicles
d. Both a and c