Still a newbie. My BC has two 12V batteries. One is in a corner of the front center storage compartment. The other is in the right front compartment beneath the hydraulic system. They are each in a separate plastic case enclosure with their own separate hoses venting to the outside. I understood that since these are not sealed batteries, that you need to check the fluid levels and add distilled water from time to time as they "cook" off while recharging off the converter. Okay, fine. But how? Surely there is an easier, safer way.
I took out the screws and loosened the lid of the case of the battery in the center compartment but can't take it off completely because the stiff cables come through holes in the side of the lid. I can peek under the lid, but the battery caps can't be accessed because the cables are on top of them and cinched tight to the posts. So I sneak a wrench in there and undo the cables; I can then wrestle the case lid up and out of the way a bit more and get the caps off. Yep, needs about a cup of water between the six cells. Then wrestle the thing back together. Meanwhile, the loose ends of the cables are getting jostled back and forth and they are live, since they are connected to the other battery. Pffft! ****. I hate it when that happens. Got that one taken care of though. Now the other battery? Ain't happening. Getting the screws out of the case lid was nearly impossible. Half of them are on the blind back-side, against a wall and under some hoses and the battery cables as well as the shelf for the hydraulics. Managed it eventually. Couldn't get the case lid up high enough to see in the cells even if I could get the cables off and safely(?) out of the way to pop off the caps. The bottom of the hydraulic system is on top of it. Who thought this one up?
Suggestions????
I took out the screws and loosened the lid of the case of the battery in the center compartment but can't take it off completely because the stiff cables come through holes in the side of the lid. I can peek under the lid, but the battery caps can't be accessed because the cables are on top of them and cinched tight to the posts. So I sneak a wrench in there and undo the cables; I can then wrestle the case lid up and out of the way a bit more and get the caps off. Yep, needs about a cup of water between the six cells. Then wrestle the thing back together. Meanwhile, the loose ends of the cables are getting jostled back and forth and they are live, since they are connected to the other battery. Pffft! ****. I hate it when that happens. Got that one taken care of though. Now the other battery? Ain't happening. Getting the screws out of the case lid was nearly impossible. Half of them are on the blind back-side, against a wall and under some hoses and the battery cables as well as the shelf for the hydraulics. Managed it eventually. Couldn't get the case lid up high enough to see in the cells even if I could get the cables off and safely(?) out of the way to pop off the caps. The bottom of the hydraulic system is on top of it. Who thought this one up?
Suggestions????
