Associated 6044 User Manual

BEST 6044

BATTERY TESTER

ASSOCIATED

OPERATOR AND SAFETY MANUAL

The BEST 6044 is designed to test electrical systems on 12, 12/24, and 24 volt vehicles. It can test and evaluate starters, batteries, alternators, regulators, wiring connections, and other electrical equipment in the low voltage circuits in the vehicle. Before operating this unit, thoroughly familiarize yourself with the safety instructions included in this booklet and in the service manual.

BATTERY ELE CTRICAL SYSTEM TESTER

External Voltage

MODEL 6044

Amp Probe

TEST SELECTION

MIN.

FAULT

VOLTS

ASSOCIATED

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Features.......................................................................... 1

Safety instructions........................................................... 2

Battery Load Tests.......................................................... 3

Starter Tests ................................................................... 5

Charging System Tests................................................... 5

Troubleshooting Hints ..................................................... 7

Assembly Instructions ..................................................... 8

FEATURES OF THE BEST 6044 INCLUDE:

 Large, easy to read, LED digital AMPS and

VOLTS meters. The VOLTS meter reads voltages to ±40 volts DC when reading the differential voltage and up to 40.0 volts DC for the battery voltage. The AMPS meter reads DC currents up to 999 amps.

 The input impedance of the differential voltage is 2

megohms for accurate testing of solid state circuits.

 The load is rated 500 amps on 12 volt batteries for

load testing batteries up to 1000 CCA capacity.

 Fixed loads designed to insure longer life.  Amp probe zero button allows for maximum

accuracy in AMPS reading.

 LOAD ON light indicates the load is actuated and

serves as a reminder to not disconnect leads while load is on.

 AMPS meter reads both + and - amps for easy

diagnosis of leakage current problems.

 Unit monitors the voltage ripple letting you know

when alternator output diodes have failed.

 The electronic circuits are protected against

reverse voltages caused by connecting leads incorrectly.

BATTERY

LOADONMAX.

AMPS

ALTERNATOR

LOAD AMPS

LOAD

SETTING

DOWN

STARTER

START TEST

RESET

 The electronic circuit board has a protective

coating to prevent damage and meter inaccuracy due to moisture and dirt.

 Heavy duty leads are single extended so that they

may be used for testing at points up to 15 feet apart.

 The clamps on the heavy duty lead are vinyl

dipped and have a flexi-spring stain relief to prevent cable damage. Solid copper jaws provide better electrical conduction and are field replaceable.

 Heavy duty leads have internal tracer lead wires

for voltage reading the battery voltage. These leads should not be attached to any voltage source that could rise above 45 VDC.

 The light gauge voltage sensing leads (red and

black) have small test clips to allow testing at points where the heavy duty leads can not reach. Use the leads when the unit is set for the external voltage (differential voltage) reading. The leads can test points in a vehicle up to 15 feet apart and read voltages up to 40 VDC.

 The inductive AMP PICKUP has 10 foot long lead

to allow for testing in hard to reach areas.

 All leads are long enough to test trucks, "high-rise"

four wheel drive, or off road vehicles.

 The optional cart has a long wheel-base for

greater stability when moved over rough surfaces or cracked floors.

 Optional printer: prints a report of all the results of

any test performed by the 6044.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS. The safety information contained herein should be reviewed every time the unit is used.

BATTERY SAFETY:

ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION WHEN WORKING NEAR A BATTERY.

CAUTION: The electrolyte in automotive batteries is

sulfuric acid, which is capable of causing severe damage to skin, eyes, and clothing. When contact with battery acid occurs, proceed as follows:

1) Eyes: Force open and flood with cool running water at least for 10 minutes, then see a doctor. Never use eyes drops or other medication before seeing a doctor.

2) Skin: Remove contaminated clothing and flood skin for at least 10 minutes with clear, cool water.

While batteries are being charged or tested, an explosive gas mixture forms inside each cell. Some of this gas escapes through the vent holes in the filler caps and may remain around the battery in an explosive condition. Sparks or flames igniting this gas mixture will burn back through the vent hole and explode inside the battery cell. Such an explosion is dangerous not only because of its own force, but also because of the acid electrolyte which could spray onto anything in the vicinity.

TO PREVENT EXPLOSIONS:

1) Use well ventilated areas for charging and testing batteries.

2) Allow no smoking, sparks or open flames near batteries being charged, tested or batteries recently charged or tested.

3) Do not break live electrical circuits at the terminals of batteries because a spark may occur at that point causing an explosion. Always turn battery chargers or tester OFF before connecting or disconnecting the clamps from the battery terminals.

PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS:

1) Wear complete protection and avoid touching eyes while working near battery.

2) NEVER smoke or allow a spark or flame in the vicinity of battery or engine.

3) Be extra cautious to reduce risk of dropping a metal tool onto a battery. The tool may spark or short-circuit the battery or other electrical parts which may cause an explosion.

4) Remove personal metal items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, and watches when working with a lead-acid battery. A lead-acid battery can produce a short-circuit current high enough to instantly weld a ring or the like to metal, and cause severe burn.

5) Spilled acid: Neutralize with a solution of baking soda ( 1 pound per gallon of cold water ) or household ammonia (1 pint per gallon of cold water)

VEHICLE SAFETY:

1) Keep your body, clothing, and test leads away from all moving parts of the vehicle. Remember, electric fans may start at any time.

2) Avoid hot engine parts.

3) Engine exhaust contains deadly carbon monoxide gas. Run engine only in a well ventilated area with exhaust gases ventilated outdoors.

4) When running engine tests, be sure that the vehicle is in "park" or "neutral" and the parking brake is on when starting the vehicle. Block wheels to prevent vehicle movement.

5) Do not connect any test lead to carburetor, fuel lines, or sheet metal parts of frame.

TESTER PRECAUTIONS AND NOTES:

1) Only very minor arcing should occur when connecting the tester to a battery. If any thing more than this occurs disconnect unit and have qualified service personnel examine the unit.

2) Never block ventilating holes on the sides, front, back, or the bottom of the unit. This could lead to excessive heat on the cabinet.

3) Some smoke or odor may occur on the first use on the tester or if it has not been used for a long period of time, this is normal.

4) Never use the load more than twice in a 5 minute period. If the unit becomes over heated it will display “Hot” until it has cooled. For maximum life, always let the unit cool before running a second load test.

5) For the ammeter to read +amps, attach current probe so arrow on probe points in direction of current flow (from positive to negative). For negative values the last decimal point will light.

6) Residual magnetism in the Amp Probe may cause it to read incorrectly. Therefore, the Amp Probe should be zeroed before each use. This can be done with the blue button on the amp probe.

7) In the booklet, the word "positive" refers to the red clamp or lead. The word "negative" refers to the black clamp or lead.

8) "Positive" when referring to a battery terminal will mean the one marked Pos, P,(+).

9) "Negative" when referring to a battery terminal will mean the one marked Neg, N,( -).

POS (+) NEG (-)

+ -+ -

BATTERY 1

BATTERY 2

FIGURE 1

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.

+ -

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.

FIGURE 2

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.

6044

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

°C 21↑ 16 10 4

°F 70↑ 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

MIN

.VL

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.

LEAD

9.6 9.5 9.4 9.3 9.1 8.9 8.7 8.5

RED

BLACK LEAD

TEST

-1 -7 -12 -18

6044

+ -

12V12V

BATTERY 2BATTER Y 1

FRAME

FIGURE 3

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

+ -

12V

BATTER Y 1

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 0.2V 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.

+ -

12V

BATTER Y 2

FRAME

FIGURE 4

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