Use Of 6V4930 Battery Load Tester{0647} Caterpillar

The 6V4930 Battery Load Tester can be used to load test 6, 8 and 12 Volt heavy equipment and automotive batteries. It has two heavy-duty load cables which can be easily fastened to the battery terminals. A load adjustment knob on the front panel permits the current being drawn from the battery to be adjusted up to a maximum of 700 amperes. A front panel mounted thermometer shows when the safe operating temperature limit of the unit has been reached. The Battery Loader Tester is a portable unit in a metal case and will work well under field conditions and high temperatures.

The 6V4910 Digital Clamp-On Ammeter (or equivalent) is used with the load tester to monitor the current being drawn from the battery under test. The Caterpillar 6V3030 Digital Multimeter (or equivalent) is also used to monitor the voltage of the test battery. When used together, these three service tools are the replacement for the 5P300 Electrical Tester, which is no longer available.

Optional Items For Use With The Battery Load Tester

Specifications

Load Test: 6, 8 and 12 Volt batteries.

Load Current Range 0 to 700 Amperes

Duty Cycle: Fifteen seconds maximum with "Load On". Five minutes minimum with "Load Off".

Load Leads: 1.5 meters (five feet) long.

Operating Temp. Range: 0°C to 50°C (32°F to 122°F)

Maximum Load Tester Temperature: 130°C (266°F) on front panel mounted thermometer.

Connections And Controls

(1) Thermometer: Monitors the temperature increase within the unit to show the maximum temperature permissible [130°C (266°F)]. Allow five minutes after each test before reading, so thermometer can stabilize.

(2) Load Control Knob: Adjusts the current being drawn from the battery under test to a maximum of 700 Amperes.

(3) Test Leads: Connect the Load Tester to the battery being tested with battery clips on ends of cables.

(4) Cable Holders: Used to hold the cables when they are not being used.

Operation Instructions

IMPORTANT: The following WARNING AND NOTICES must be followed to prevent personal injury and/or possible damage to the instrument.

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Arcing can cause a battery explosion resulting in personal injury. Follow the instructions below carefully.

Do not connect the Load Test Cables to the battery with the Load Adjustment knob turned on. Turn the Load Adjustment knob counterclockwise to the OFF position before the Load Test Cables are connected to the battery. Never disconnect, shake, or twist the Load Test Cables during the load test; this also may cause arcing. Stand clear while testing the battery, and wear proper safety gear, including face protection. Check manufacturer's warnings and cautions for proper battery care and use.

To load test a battery, use the following procedure to test a fully charged battery.

(1) On 6V4930 Battery Load Tester (1), turn LOAD control knob (2) counterclockwise as far as it will go to the OFF position.

(2) Prepare the 6V7070 Digital Multimeter (3) (or equivalent) to read the test battery voltage by connecting test leads (4) with clips to the COM and V-Ohms connectors. Set the range switch to the 20VDC position. See Special Instruction Form SEHS7734 for more information on operation of the multimeter.

To prepare the 8T0900 AC/DC Clamp-on Ammeter (5) (or equivalent) for use, slide the AC-DC Mode switch on the handle to DC. Depress the power trigger switch and lock it on. Adjust the DC zero. Adjust for a reading of 000 on the digital readout. See Special Instruction Form SEHS8420 for more information on operation of the Ammeter.

(4) Connect the battery clip on one of the LOAD LEADS (6) to either terminal of the battery. Open the Ammeter jaws and put the Ammeter on the cable to measure current so the arrow on it points toward the negative battery terminal or points away from the positive battery terminal, depending on which terminal the load lead is connected to. Place the Ammeter so the digital readout can be seen while performing the test.

Connect multimeter test leads (4) to the battery terminal (red to positive, black to negative). Also connect the remaining LOAD lead battery clip (7) to the other battery terminal.

(6) Turn LOAD control knob (2) clockwise until the Ammeter reads the value of TEST LOAD AMPS shown in the following chart for the battery being tested. Keep the knob adjusted to the proper current value for 15 seconds, then read the battery voltage on the multimeter and record the voltage.

(7) After reading the voltage, turn the LOAD control knob counterclockwise to OFF, then disconnect the leads.

Battery Test Charts (See SMHS8561)

NOTE: To determine the 15 second test load Amps for batteries listed in SMHS8561, divide the cold cranking Ampere rating of the battery by 2.

(8) Refer to the voltage recorded in Step 6. It should be more than 9.0 Volts for a 12 Volt battery, more than 6.0 Volts for an 8 Volt battery, and more than 4.5 Volts for a 6 Volt battery. If the voltage is not high enough and the battery was fully charged at the beginning of the test, the battery is probably bad. See Special Instruction Form SMHS7633, Battery Test Procedure, to perform a complete battery test on batteries which have low voltage.

NOTE: Wait five minutes before another 15 second battery test is made. Before the next test is started, read thermometer (8) on the front panel. If it reads more than 130°C (266°F), do not start the next test until the reading is below 130°C (266°F). Normally, approximately five 15 second tests can be made before 130°C (266°F) is reached.

Repair Of The 6V4930 Battery Load Tester

Principle of Operation

(1) The Battery Load Tester schematic diagram is shown below: As can be seen, the main component is the carbon pile.

Schematic Diagram

(2) The carbon pile acts as a very low resistance, high wattage, variable resistor, connected to the load leads. It is made of a series of carbon discs stacked with their flat faces together. An insulated frame holds the carbon discs together and connects the load leads to the discs. When the load knob is rotated in a clockwise direction, it forces the end plate of the frame against the carbon discs, squeezing them tighter together. This causes them to have lower resistance and causes more current to flow through the load leads.

Maintenance

Maintenance of the battery load tester consists mainly of removing the front panel and the load bank and inspecting for damage and loose connections. Disassemble the unit as shown below.

(1) Remove four nuts (1) on the rear of the case. Remove four screws (2) on the front panel lip.

(2) Slide the front panel out away from the case. The carbon pile will remain attached as shown.

(3) Examine carbon pile (3) for damage, such as broken discs. Also check to make sure the bolts on the load leads (4) are tight and the connections are not corroded. If these connections are loose, or if the connection is corroded, excessive heat will be generated at this point when high currents are drawn. Also, a bad connection at this point will lower the maximum current the tester will draw from the battery.

(4) Check load leads (5) and battery clips (6) for damaged insulation and/or loose connections at the battery clips. Replace if necessary.

Replacement Parts

Replacement parts which do not have a Caterpillar part number are available from the Sun Electric Corp. service center given below.

Warranty

The Battery Load Tester can be returned to the manufacturer for service. A letter should accompany the returned unit, stating the problem and the date of purchase from Caterpillar. Testers less than one year old will be repaired under warranty, except for abuse. Cost of out-of-warranty repairs will be charged to the owner. The repair center for the 6V4930 Battery Load Tester is as follows: