Chevrolet 10 Series 1968, Service Manual

Page: 428 / 713

ENGINE-ELECTRICAL 6Y-3
results in poor performance and short Battery life.
After electrolyte has been added to a "d ry charge”
Battery, it then becomes a wet charged Battery and
should be maintained in the same manner as any other
“ w et" Battery.
WET CHARGED BATTERIES
Wet charged Batteries contain fully charged elements
and are filled with electrolyte before being shipped from
the factory.
PERIODIC SERVICING
COMMON CAUSES OF FAILURE
Since the Battery is a perishable item which requires
periodic servicing, a good maintenance program will
insure the longest possible Battery life. If the Battery
tests good but fails to perform satisfactorily in service
for no apparent reason, the following are some of the
more important factors that may point to the cause of
the trouble.
1. Vehicle accessories inadvertently left on overnight
to cause a discharged condition.
2. Slow speed driving of short duration, to cause an
undercharged condition.
3. A vehicle electrical load exceeding the generator
capacity.
4. Defect in the charging system such as high resist­
ance, slipping fan belt, faulty generator or voltage
regulator.
5. Battery abuse, including failure to keep the Battery
top clean, cable clamps and posts clean and tight,
and improper addition of water to the cells.
LEVEL INDICATOR
The Battery features an electrolyte level indicator,
which is a specially designed vent plug with a trans­
parent rod extending through the center (fig. 5b). When
the electrolyte is at the proper level, the lower tip of the
rod is immersed, and the exposed top of the rod will ap­
pear very dark; when the level falls below the tip of the
rod, the top will glow.
The Indicator reveals at a glance if water is needed,
without the necessity of removing the vent plugs (fig. 6 b).
The Level Indicator is used in only one cell (second
cell cap from positive Battery post) because when the
electrolyte level is low in one cell, it is normally low
in all cells. Thus when the Indicator shows water is
needed, check the level in all six cells.
An alternate method of checking the electrolyte level
is to remove the vent plug and visually observe the
electrolyte level in the vent well. The bottom of the vent
well features a split vent which will cause the surface
of the electrolyte to appear distorted when it makes
contact. The electrolyte level is correct when the dis­
tortion first appears at the bottom of the split vent
(fig. 4b).
ELECTROLYTE LEVEL
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
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
resulting in poor performance, short life, and excessive
corrosion.
C A U TIO N : During service only water should
be added to the Battery, not electrolyte.
The liquid level in the cells should never be allowed to
drop below the top of the plates, as the portion of the
plates exposed to air may be permanently damaged with
a resulting loss in performance.
F ig . 5 b —Electrolyte at Proper Level
F ig . 6b —Electrolyte at Low Level
CHEVROLET TRUCK SERVICE MANUAL