to download CV, PSV, LCV, Agricultural & Plant Catalogue - Yuasa

AGM Explained continuedSilver StatementIn addition, the valve must safely release any excesspressure that may be produced during overcharging(e.g. alternator rectifier fault), otherwise the cell would beirreversibly damaged. The excessive pressure that thevalve is releasing is both hydrogen and oxygen which cannot recombined within the battery so breaks the cycle,net result is that battery would eventually dry out.It must be noted that an AGM battery must never beopened once it leaves the factory, as sulphation couldoccur on the plates leading to an irreversible loss inperformance.Gel batteries are more critical to correct charging asovercharge can lead to the gel being irreversibly damaged,AGM are not subject to this failure mode and hence aremore suitable for automotive use.Q. Can I store my AGM battery in my garage during thewinter or will it freeze?A. As with flooded batteries, providing the batteries are keptin a charged state, batteries can be stored without anyfears of freezing.Q. Can I store my AGM battery on the garage floor?A. Many people have the impression that when batteries siton concrete the energy “leaks out”, the truth is that you canlet any modern battery sit on concrete without fear of harmor accelerated self discharge.This myth stems from the days of the old wooden/glasscase batteries, where damp floors led to water soaking upinto outer wooden cases causing swelling of the wood. Infact with modern batteries in hard plastic cases, concreteis generally an excellent surface on which to store a battery.The key issue is that the floor should not have any sharpobjects which may damage the battery casing; there areno electrochemical reasons.Q. Do AGM batteries have a memory?A. No, this is only a function of Nickel Alkaline Battery systemsuch as Nickel cadmium.Information regarding the use of SilverCalcium BatteriesFord introduced silver calcium batteries worldwide for theirvehicles in 1997 together with a smart charging system. Theytold their dealers that these batteries must be replaced onlywith other silver-calcium batteries as the life of normal leadantimony batteries would be drastically reduced if these wereused for replacement. This of course, implies that Yuasabatteries must not be used.• Yuasa calcium and calcium/calcium batteries can beused on all Ford vehicles giving a life that is at least asgood as recommended Ford replacement batteries inthe UK market.• Yuasa automotive batteries are equally suitable for Fordvehicles made before 1997 and in addition use theoriginal design of battery termination as originally fitted,without using terminal adapters.• Calcium and Calcium/Calcium batteries are used by allmajor vehicle manufacturers as they are maintenancefree under normal operating conditions. In additionwithin the UK, no extremes of climatic temperature areexperienced and water loss is not an issue for any Yuasabattery. Yuasa has had many years of supplying thesebatteries to the aftermarket since the introduction ofFord silver calcium batteries back in 1997.• Grids are still made of Lead. Typically less than 0.1% ofcalcium is needed to give strength (note calcium isadded to the grid alloy in both calcium and hybridbatteries). Some customers think that calcium batteriesare completely different to lead acid batteries, but theyjust represent another generation of the lead acidbattery.Ford gave the following reasons for using only silver calciumbatteries in their recent cars, but Yuasa automotive batterieswith their modern technology more than meet thespecification.• Charge Voltage tolerance increased from 14.4V to 14.8V• Yuasa calcium and calcium/calcium offer the sametolerance to this increase in charging voltagewithin the UK market• Cold cranking power increased by approximately 10%• Yuasa batteries generally give better startingperformance than the batteries fitted by the vehiclemanufacturersAverage battery life has increased to about 6 yearsin the UK Market due to a combination of battery technologyand improved car electrical systems.In summary, you can fit a Yuasa battery to any Ford car(i.e. recommended catalogue model fitment) with thecomplete assurance that it will give first time starting andtrouble free motoring.This bulletin should help you to reply to customers who areconcerned about using a Yuasa battery to replace a Fordsilver-calcium battery.If you need any further information please contact us.InformationYUASA - The world's leading battery manufacturer529