BatteryDisassembly
1. Before any thing is disassembled, first turn off themain battery disconnect. An importantnote is that disconnecting the batterydisconnect switch does not kill power from a battery post or the cables betweenthe batteries. This should still bethe first step before any electrical work is done on the vehicle.
2. Begin inside the vehicle cab from the top of thebattery tunnel. Remove the center armrest pad and console. The park brakelever (if ratcheting handle type) will have to be in the engaged position sothat the handle is raised in order to remove the center pad (and tunnel coveronce the console is removed later). Disconnect the wiring harness plug from the console then the console canthen be slid back slightly, lifted up and removed. The heater tube hoses might have to beremoved from the console if the vehicle is equipped with a heater. The center aluminum tunnel cover, which is attachedby Velcro, can then be lifted off.
3. On an EXV2, the cab access area only reaches a limitedamount of the batteries, so there is another access point from the top of theflatbed (2007-newer only). Remove the panel in this areaby releasing the four quarter-turn fasteners that secure it. The batteries can all be removed throughthese access areas, but some of the following steps may have to be shuffleddepending on what is easier for each person who attempts it.
4. The battery float caps for the filling system can nowbe removed starting with the front battery. Each float (BFS) cap is attached to the fill hose so the floats willhave to be laid aside so that they will not get in the way of the rest of thedisassembly, but so that they will not get acid on anything that might besensitive to it. Remove the BFS capsfrom the front battery and replace them with the single battery caps that comeon the new batteries.
5. Next remove the caps from the next battery inline. Once the float caps for a batteryhave been removed you can now access the battery jumper cable that runsunderneath the fill system. Remove thebattery jumper cable that is accessible. While taking the cables off, make sure that the loose end is not incontact with anything that could cause arcing until the other end of the jumpercable can be removed as well. Placeanother cap from the new batteries onto the next battery.
6. Continue repeating step 6 for one battery at a time untilthe entire watering system has been removed and replaced with individualbattery caps and all the battery cable jumpers have been removed.
7. At this point, the cable from the main power disconnectto the first battery (-) post and the battery cable from the rear battery (+)post that goes to the main drive fuse as well as all other wires that areattached to the rear battery post stud can be removed. Also remove the plug for the float sensorfound in the rear battery.
8. Remove the battery hold-down system bars across the topof each pair of batteries and remove the batteries from the chassis. Lift the batteries using the hooks on theoutside of the case or support from the bottom of the battery. Do not lift the batteries by the terminalposts.
9. Oncethe old batteries are removed from the chassis, put all the individual capsback on the new batteries for installation into the chassis.
BatteryAssembly
1. Locate the battery with the stud posts that will be therear battery. Using a hole saw, drill a1 1/16” hole in the battery top centered 2 1/8” from the edge opposite theposts and 7/8” from the passenger side of the battery (the battery sits in thevehicle with the posts to the rear). Take care to keep the debris from the drilling process out of thebattery. Use light pressure on the drillso there is very little drill penetration past the plastic face that is beingremoved.
2. Pry the battery float plug from the old rear batteryand clean the silicone from around the mating surface. Using clear silicone, reapply a bead aroundthe circumference of the float plug and install into the new battery hole. Allow the silicone to set up before movingthe battery.
3. Install the batteries (with the individual caps inplace). Install the batteries one at atime and reattach the battery hold-down hooks and brackets. The hold-down hooks will have to be installedprior to the batteries or alternatively ahead of each battery. Install hooks from the inside of the batteryhold-down rails. Note that the batterywith the stud posts and the float sensor will go in the rear.
4. Assemble the battery water system and jumper cables inthe reverse order they were disassembled. Use the same method of installing one cable and one battery’s floats ata time. The cables should be attachedfrom positive post of one battery to the negative post of the next. Leave a positive post on the rear battery forthe cable from the main drive fuse and the negative post on the front batteryfor the cable from the main disconnect switch. Both of these cables will be assembled last. Notice that the jumper cables have red andblack heat shrink and should be connected to the corresponding posts of thebatteries (Red-Positive and Black-Negative). Also note that the positive and negative posts are a different size andthe cables are made accordingly. Thereis a taper on the posts and the cables should be assembled to match. Make sure that all connections are clean andtight and that all battery floats are fastened securely before proceeding.
5. Reattach the cable from the main drive fuse to thepositive (+) post on the rear battery and the cable from the main disconnectswitch to the negative (-) post on the front battery. Also, replace any wires to the positive poststud on the rear battery. Connect theappropriate wiring harness plug to the battery float sensor plug.
6. Charge the batteries completely before operating thevehicle.
7. Fill the battery water only after charging and beforeoperating the vehicle.
BatteryDisposal
Always dispose of batteries in aresponsible manner. Follow your localauthorized standards for disposal. Callyour local authorized recycling center to find out more about recyclingbatteries.