Sears 200.71221 - Manual (Page 7)

Using Your Battery Charger
For best results from your battery charger, learn to use it properly. This section tells how to set the controls and
how to charge a battery in or out of the vehicle.
Setting the Controls
SELECTOR SWITCHES:
A 2-way switch is used to select the 2-AMP or the
10-AMP charge rate.
AMMETER:
The ammeter indicates the measured amount of
current the charger is supplying to the battery. When
normal charging starts, the ammeter reading will be
high, with the needle near the selected charge rate.
The battery is fully charged when the ammeter needle
falls to around slightly less than half the selected
charge rate. At the 10 amp rate, the needle will fall to
about 4 or 5 amps; at the 2 amp rate, the needle will
fall to about % or 1 amp.
The percent of charge scale is intended as a visual aid
to simplify reading the state of charge of the battery.
The meter is scaled for use with the 10 amp charge
rate. For the 2 amp charge rate, use the red triangle as
your reference. When charging for 2 amps, the needle
will begin close to the “R” on RATE and will drop to 0
when finished.
The percent of charge is based on current drawn by
the battery. For this reason, accuracy will vary with the
size and battery type.
A
10 AMP
A
2 AMP
DC AMPS
CHARGE % 100 75 50 25 0
0 2 8 10 12
Charging Your Battery
Charging a battery in the vehicle:
1. Arrange the power cord and charging leads
carefully to avoid damage that could be caused by
the hood, door, or moving engine parts.
2. Keep clear of fan blades, belts, pulleys, and other
parts that can cause injury.
3. Check the polarity of the battery posts as indicated
on the battery case; POSITIVE (POS, P, or +) and
NEGATIVE (NEG. N or -). NOTE; The positive
post on top-post batteries is usually larger than the
negative post.
4. Identify which battery post is ground or connected
to the chassis. THE NEGATIVE POST IS NOR­
MALLY THE ONE THAT IS GROUNDED.
5. To charge a negative grounded post system:
Connect the red (POSITIVE) battery charger
clamp to the ungrounded POSITIVE (POS, P, +)
post of the battery. Then connect the black
(NEGATIVE) clamp to a heavy, unpainted metal
part of the chassis or engine block, away from the
battery. Do not connect clamp to carburetor, fuel
lines, or sheet metal parts.
To charge a positive grounded post system:
Connect the black (NEGATIVE) battery charger
clamp to the NEGATIVE (NEG, N, -) ungrounded
post of the battery: Then connect the red (POSI­
TIVE) clamp to a heavy, unpainted metal part of
the chassis or engine block. Do not connect clamp
to carburetor, fuel lines, or sheet metal parts.
IMPORTANT: Wear safety glasses and face away
from the battery while making connections.