Battery - Description

DESCRIPTION

There are two different batteries available for this vehicle. Vehicles equipped with a diesel engine utilize a spiral cell battery with recombination technology. This is a maintenance-free battery that is capable of delivering more power than a conventional battery. This additional power is required by a diesel engine during cold cranking. Vehicles equipped with a gasoline engine utilize a conventional battery. Refer to the following information for detailed differences and descriptions of these two batteries.

SPIRAL CELL BATTERY - DIESEL ENGINE





WARNING: Never exceed 14.4 volts when charging a spiral cell battery. Personal injury and/or battery damage may result.

By tightly winding layers of spiral grids and acid-permeated vitreous separators into cells, the battery has more power and service life than conventional batteries of the same size. The spiral cell battery is completely, permanently sealed. Through gas recombination, hydrogen and oxygen within the battery are captured during normal charging and reunited to form the water within the electrolyte, eliminating the need to add distilled water. Therefore, these batteries have non-removable battery vent caps.

The acid inside a spiral cell battery is bound within the vitreous separators, ending the threat of acid leaks. This feature allows the battery to be installed in any position anywhere in the vehicle.

Spiral cell technology is the process by which the cells holding the active material in the battery are wound tightly in coils instead of hanging flat, like conventional batteries. This design has a lower internal resistance and also increases the active material surface area.

Due to the maintanance-free design, distilled water cannot be added to this battery. Therefore, if more than 14.4 volts are used during the spiral cell battery charging process, water vapor can be exhausted through the pressure-sensitive battery vents and lost for good. This can permanently damage the spiral cell battery.

CONVENTIONAL BATTERY - GASOLINE ENGINE

Low-maintenance conventional batteries are used on vehicles equipped with a gasoline engine, these batteries have non-removable battery cell caps. Under normal service, the composition of this battery reduces gassing and water loss at normal charge rates.

Conventional batteries are made up of six individual cells that are connected in series. Each cell contains positive charged cell groups made of lead oxide, and negatively charged cell groups made of sponge lead. The cells are submerged in a sulfuric acid and water solution called electrolyte.

The battery is used to store electrical energy potential in a chemical form. When an electrical load is applied to the battery terminals, an electrochemical reaction occurs within the battery. This reaction causes the battery to discharge electrical current.