3
BATTERY LOAD TESTS
TESTING 12 VOLT BATTERIES:
The standard battery load test is to apply a load on the battery
equal to ½ the cold cranking amp (CCA) capacity of the battery
for 15 seconds. Both the voltage and temperature of the
battery under load determine whether a battery is good or not.
Before testing the battery be sure that:
Battery terminals are clean.
The battery does not have any physical damage.
The battery is not frozen.
FIGURE 2
+ -
12 VOLT
PROPER TEST PROCEDURE IS AS FOLLOWS:
1)
Attach red and black heavy duty leads to the positive and
negative battery posts (see figure 2). Twist or rock clamps back
and forth several times to make a good connection.
2)
The “Battery” LED should now be on. Press “Start Test” [4]
button.
3)
300 should now be displayed in the Amp display along with the
load amps LED. Adjust the value to read ½ the CCA reading of
the battery using the up and down arrows. The minimum value
is 70A.
4)
Once the proper load current is displayed press the “Start Test”
[4] button again; the tester will then start the battery test.
5)
If the battery voltage is below 12.4V prior to the test the display
will show “LO”. If the voltage is above13.0V then the unit will
apply a proportional load current to remove the surface charge
before starting the load test.
6)
The testing unit will apply a load current for 15seconds
displaying the current and the voltage while the test is running.
The load LED will be lit while this test is in progress. The load
current will vary some as it tries to keep the correct load current
with the varying battery voltage. The battery test LED will also
flash.
7)
After the test is complete, the tester will alternate in the voltage
window between the minimum voltage reading during the
battery test and the present open circuit battery voltage. If the
minimum voltage was below 9.6V then it will also flash “Bd”
The minimum acceptable voltage for a battery at the different
temperatures is as follows:
BATTERY TEMPERATURE COMPENSATION 15 SECOND LOAD
TEST
°C
21
↑
16
10
4
-1
-7
-12
-18
°F
70
↑
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
MIN.
VLT
9.6
9.5
9.4
9.3
9.1
8.9
8.7
8.5
If the CCA of the battery is not known check vehicle manufacturer's
recommendation for the proper battery CCA rating and test the
battery using that value.
Warning: NEVER TRY TESTING A FROZEN BATTERY.
TESTING 12/24 VOLT SYSTEMS:
For best results in a 12/24 volt system that has batteries connected per the diagrams below, each battery should be tested separately and the
connection between the batteries tested at the same time. Both battery tests should be run as described in the previous section.
FRAME
6044
+ -
BATTERY 2
BATTERY 1
+ -
12V
12V
FIGURE 3
BATTERY 1
12V
+ -
BATTERY 2
FIGURE 4
12V
+ -
RED
LEAD
6044
FRAME
BLACK
LEAD
PROPER TEST PROCEDURE IS AS FOLLOWS:
1)
Attach heavy duty leads to Battery 1 and run battery load test.
Evaluate the results. (See figure 3)
2)
Attach the negative heavy duty lead to the negative terminal of
Battery 2. Attach the positive heavy duty to the negative
terminal of Battery 1. (By attaching at that point and not at the
positive terminal of Battery 2, we will check the connection
between the batteries at the same time.) Attach the positive
external (differential) voltage lead to the negative terminal of
Battery 1 and the negative external (light gauge) lead to the
positive terminal of Battery 2. (See figure 4)
3)
Run the battery load test on battery 2. After the test is complete
press the down arrow button this will display the voltage that
was read across the jumper during the battery test. This value
should be less than .2V if not check the jumper and
connections to the battery. Subtract the jumper voltage from
the minimum voltage displayed for the battery test and evaluate
the results.
