Chrysler Town, Dodge Caravan. Manual - part 89
between the disconnected battery negative cable ter-
minal clamp and the battery negative terminal post.
Make sure that the doors remain closed so that the
illuminated entry system is not activated. The multi-
meter amperage reading may remain high for up to
three minutes, or may not give any reading at all
while set in the highest amperage scale, depending
upon the electrical equipment in the vehicle. The
multi-meter leads must be securely clamped to the
battery negative cable terminal clamp and the bat-
tery negative terminal post. If continuity between the
battery negative terminal post and the negative cable
terminal clamp is lost during any part of the IOD
test, the electronic timer function will be activated
and all of the tests will have to be repeated.
(4) After about three minutes, the high-amperage
IOD reading on the multi-meter should become very
low or nonexistent, depending upon the electrical
equipment in the vehicle. If the amperage reading
remains high, remove and replace each fuse or circuit
breaker in the Integrated Power Module (IPM), one
at a time until the amperage reading becomes very
low, or nonexistent. Refer to the appropriate wiring
information in this service manual for complete Inte-
grated Power Module fuse, circuit breaker, and cir-
cuit identification. This will isolate each circuit and
identify the circuit that is the source of the high-am-
perage IOD. If the amperage reading remains high
after removing and replacing each fuse and circuit
breaker, disconnect the wire harness from the gener-
ator. If the amperage reading now becomes very low
or nonexistent, refer to Charging System for the
proper charging system diagnosis and testing proce-
dures. After the high-amperage IOD has been cor-
rected, switch the multi-meter to progressively lower
amperage scales and, if necessary, repeat the fuse
and circuit breaker remove-and-replace process to
identify and correct all sources of excessive IOD. It is
now safe to select the lowest milliampere scale of the
multi-meter to check the low-amperage IOD.
CAUTION: Do not open any doors, or turn on any
electrical accessories with the lowest milliampere
scale selected, or the multi-meter may be damaged.
(5) Allow twenty minutes for the IOD to stabilize
and observe the multi-meter reading. The low-amper-
age IOD should not exceed twenty-five milliamperes
(0.025 ampere). If the current draw exceeds twenty-
five milliamperes, isolate each circuit using the fuse
and circuit breaker remove-and-replace process in
Step 4. The multi-meter reading will drop to within
the acceptable limit when the source of the excessive
current draw is disconnected. Repair this circuit as
required; whether a wiring short, incorrect switch
adjustment, or a component failure is at fault.
STANDARD PROCEDURE - CHECKING BATTERY
ELECTROLYTE LEVEL
The following procedure can be used to check the
electrolyte level in a low-maintenance lead-acid bat-
tery.
(1) Unscrew and remove the battery cell caps with
a flat-bladed screw driver (Fig. 10).
WARNING: NEVER PUT YOUR FACE NEAR A GAS-
SING, HOT OR SWELLED BATTERY. SERIOUS PER-
SONAL INJURY MAY RESULT.
(2) Wearing safety glasses, look through the bat-
tery cell cap holes to determine the level of the elec-
trolyte in the battery. The electrolyte should be above
the hooks inside the battery cells (Fig. 11).
(3) Add only distilled water until the electrolyte
is above the hooks inside the battery cells (Fig. 11).
Fig. 10 BATTERY CELL CAP REMOVAL/
INSTALLATION - LOW-MAINTENANCE BATTERY
ONLY
1 - BATTERY CELL CAP
2 - BATTERY CASE
8F - 14
BATTERY SYSTEM
RS
BATTERY (Continued)