Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-24
Barney 0|df91e!d says:
CARE OF The BATTERY


There are two important things to
watch in caring for a battery--the
electrolyte level in the cells and the
cable connections. Remove the cap
from each cell, look inside and If the
level of the solution is about one-half
inch. over the plate tops, nothing need
be done. If the plate tops extend out
of the solution level, add distilled wa
ter-but not too much. If you go
much above the correct level some So
luton will work to the outside or the
battery and start corrosIon where IL
deposits. 1t rots the wood n starts
chemical action on copper wire. II
does seem such a simple thing to q
distilled water to the cells, still the
average car owner Is neglecttul OF
careless and because of it the battery
life is reduced by many months. Inc
other important parts TO Watch are the
cable connections. Those must be
clean and tight so that there is no m
pedjment to current flow. One ter
minal has a tendency to corrode q
if a sufficient amount of this corroded
material covers the terminal no cur
rent at all will flow.
If you see a greenish or a white de-
post on one terminal, dlSconneet the
terminal and remove the deposit with
n pen knife. Sometimes this deposit is
so hard the knife must be fairly sharp
to make an impression. The termlnal
and connector cleaned, spread a little
grease or vaseline over the surfaces
and return to position, Tightening wen.
Sometimes the connector is not all the
way down on the battery post and this
brings about interruption of current
flow or no flow. You may have to tap
IL .1--ooTo, nth N onomnr hIIf the
tapping should be very light. If there
is ~looseness after you have frightened
as much as the nut permits, you must
use a shin between the connector and
post. A shin for this place is simply
a piece of sheet lead, or tea lead Will
do if you cannot get a small piece OF
the sheet. Wrap the lead around the
post to take up space causing the
looseness.
Cells Should Be Same
The condition of the battery may be
easily determined by means of a n.y.
drometer, an instrument which meas
ures the specific gravity of the sui
phuric acid solution used. Anyone can
use a hydrometer, as it is nothing more
than q syringe with a calibrated float
inside of it. When solution is drawn
from a cell into the hydrometer the
float rises and when it is at reat the
figure in a level with the solution level
indicates the gravity of the liquid. For
a fully charged battery the reading
should be between 1880 and 1900 fused
for convenience instead of 1.2S and
1907. There should be but slight va
ration between cells. If n cell is
as much as 40 or 80 points below an
other, have battery service station
make an examination.
Pure water has a specific gravity of
90, so that as the solution gravity
approaches this, the battery approaches
complete discharge. This condition is
reached when the hydrometer readings
show 1850. A gravity of 1920 or even
1925 indicates a very low state of
charge. The hydrometer Is a good in
strument for the wne to have, but
il he does not know what to do, when
he does discover trouble, then he had
better make a habit of going to a bat
terry service station once every two
weeks. At most garages in small town
or at service stations in cities they
will test a battery free of cost. The
car owner can do a great deal to
lengthen battery life if he will be care
full to see that the battery always is
supplied with water one-half inch
above the plate tops, that the ter
mfnals are clean and tlgnt ana the pat
terry we'll supported. A battery that
can bounce in its support is likely to
develop cracked jars and that calls for
dismantling of the battery.
Battery Works All the limo
Whether you take care of the bat
terry yourself or not, it Is a good plan
to get an outside charge once every
three months, especially so if you do
not operate your car regularly. A bat
terry is working whether you run your
car or not and when it lies idle the
work results in plate sulphation.
This condition is a natural one, but by
charging, the sulphation is reduced. 1t
is sulphate deposit on the plates which
reduces the capacity of the battery to
deliver current. A completely dis
charged battery has one set of plates
all covered with sulphate. A fully
charged battery has clean, uncoated
plates.
When you drive your car, using the
starter and lamps as necessary. the
battery supplies the current for these,
and in giving this current it deposits
lead sulphate on one set of plates.
This is automatically removed by