Current Draw Test
Batteries that have a light yellow visual indicator do not have to be tested or charged. Do not give a jump start.
There is a risk of explosion during testing, charging or jump starting.
These batteries must be replaced.
Make sure the correct charging mode is set on the charger so the current draw test is not inaccurate.
Battery Charger VAS5095A. Refer to CHARGING THE BATTERY WITH Battery Charger .
Battery Charger VAS5900. Refer to Battery Charger .
Battery Charger VAS5900A. Refer to Battery Charger .
Battery Charger VAS5903. Refer to Battery Charger .
Battery Charger VAS5908. Refer to Battery Charger .
In order to receive an indication as quickly as possible of the battery condition of discharged batteries, a conclusion can be made during the charging process using the battery current draw as to whether the battery should be replaced or charged completely.
In the case of the Battery Tester: VAS6161 , the current draw test must always be conducted when the test result "conduct current draw test" appears in the display.
Always Perform a Current Draw Test When
- the test result from the Battery Tester: VAS6161 shows the following:
1 - Perform a current draw test
By checking a battery's current draw capacity during the charging procedure, it can be determined in a short time whether a partially discharged or severely discharged battery (refer to SEVERELY DISCHARGED BATTERIES ) can become operable again by further charging.
Test Prerequisites
- When charging a battery, the battery temperature must be at least greater than or equal to +10 °C (50 °F).
- The charger must be able to deliver at least 30 A charging current, for example as on the VAS5095A, VAS5900, VAS5903.
- When charging using the Battery Charger: VAS5095A , the battery current draw must be measured with a current probe, for example, Test Instrument Set - Current Clamp - 100A VAS 6356/4A. The Battery Charger: VAS5900 and the Battery Charger: VAS5903 indicate the current draw on the device. The Battery Charger: VAS5900 automatically performs the menu- guided current draw test.
-- Connect the battery to the battery charger and start the charging process.
-- Measure the battery charge current after five minutes.
Test Result:
When current draw A is greater than 10% of nominal capacity Ah (for example greater than 6.1 A at 61 Ah battery), fully charge the battery and retest.
On the Eos with two 6V AGM batteries, the charge current must only be greater than 5% of the battery nominal capacity in ampere. As an example for Eos: the 50 Ah battery must have a charge current greater than 2.5 A after charging for five minutes.
-- Charge the battery completely when the charge current is greater than 10 % of the nominal capacity (note exception for Eos in the note above).
-- After resting the battery for two hours, perform a battery test. Refer to BATTERY TEST, PERFORMING USING Battery Tester .
If the charge current is less than 10% of the nominal capacity (two 6 V batteries in the Eos 5%) five minutes after starting the test (that is, for a 50 Ah battery less than 5A), then replace the battery. Fill out the battery check sheet for warranty and goodwill cases.