Crown Battery 18-85-21

Warning: This inspection requires trained personnel with PPE!

Is the battery still in the vehicle?

If the battery is still in the vehicle, turn off the power switch and unplug the battery from the vehicle

Allow the battery to remain on open circuit (do not charge or discharge) for 30 minutes or longer

Fill in the Crown Battery Inspection Report. Include battery type, serial number, etc.

Read and record the specific gravity and open circuit voltage for all cells of the battery

Read and record the pilot cell temperature

Record the temperature-corrected specific gravity readings. Use a temperature correction thermometer. Use the pilot cell temperature for the temperature correction of all the cells.

It is not necessary to read the temperature of every cell unless the temperature difference between center cells and outside cells of the battery is 12°F or more

- Lead Acid Motive Power Batteries can become unbalanced or sulfated if they are not recharged or equalize charged on a regular basis

Likewise over-discharging or unbalanced discharge can cause low uneven cell voltages. The treatment for restoring the battery to its full potential involves charging and discharging the battery in a very tightly controlled manor

This is a last resort remedy in order to salvage a battery that's been allowed to get into this condition. This may or may not be successful, as sulfate is extremely hard to remove from the cell plates and if let in this condition, may not be reversible

A. Charge the battery as normal to a fully charged condition.

B. Record all individual cell voltages and specific gravities. These readings will be used later to measure how successtul the treatment was.

C. Starting with a cool (less than 80°F) fully charged battery, charge the battery at 2.5 amps per 100 amps of battery capacity. A 24-85FC-21 has a capacity of 850 A.H. Therefore the charge rate would be 21 amps. Charge the battery for at least 24 hours. Stop the charge, if the battery temperature goes to 120°F or higher.

A. Let the battery cool back down to about 80°F

Warning: This procedure requires trained personnel!

If battery is not in the truck, install it before proceeding

Enter the current battery charge in amperes

If the charger is rated higher than the connector on the battery, proceed with the following modifications

After modifications, adjust the charger settings

Enter the new battery charge in amperes

Warning: This procedure requires trained personnel with PPE!

Check for any breaks in the coating of the steel tray

Check for any sulfuric acid spill on the battery

Check for any signs of tray corrosion

Check for any accumulation of dampness or acid

Check the electrolyte level of two or three cells each time the battery is changed

Add water to all of the batteries assigned to each charging area on a regular time schedule

Battery fully or partially discharged during normal operation?

Enter the battery's 8-hour charging cycle

Enter the finish charge rate (3‐6 amperes per 100‐ampere hours of the battery’s 6‐hour capacity rating)

Enter the on-charge cell voltages (2.50 to 2.70 volts per cell)

Enter the finish rate (3.5 amperes per 100 hours of the battery's 6-hour rated capacity)

Determining if a Battery is Properly Charged