What's the "battery indicator mark"?

[Auf los!]

I want to top off my battery (a Porsche-labeled Moll Kamina) with distilled water, and the owner's manual says to fill to the battery indicator mark, but I unscrewed a cap and looked down inside the cell, and I am confused as to what and where the mark is.

Descending from the cap threads into the cell is a metal "bracket" with a bend at the end. Is that bend the indicator? I should fill up each cell until it reaches that bend at the end of this sorta bracket?

TIA!

[Steve Tinker]

That's probably the indicator mark, but as long as the plates are covered by the sulphuric acid solution, you should be OK.

[MWS]

Kudos for looking after the health of your battery (seriously, kudos), however...

In the past I have perhaps been the worst offender of trying to keep a dying battery on life support; adding water (even to sealed batteries via syringe & vent tube), top-off charging, hoarding in a corner, just in case I might need in the future, etc. I have found that for the amount of time and effort I have spent on battery worries, it's just far easier to replace and have the piece of mind that it's new. Just my two cents.

[Auf los!]

Well, since replies to this thread were a long time in coming, I resorted to the web to try to find this answer. The Moll website had nothing on maintenance, I guess they are more interested in selling me a new battery. Mind you, my battery has been acting fine, but after reading on this board about a recent battery explosion from exposed plates, I thought I would take a look inside my battery. I've been driving for 45 years, but amazingly, this is the first time I ever felt compelled to look inside a battery! My plates were not exposed, but only just.

I couldn't find any reference to these brackets I have...most of the how-to sites I looked at said to fill the battery up right to the bottom of the tubes the caps screw into. So I added enough distilled water to bring the levels to just below the brackets, just in case the brackets are the indicators. If they are not the indicators, what they heck are they?, I figure.

I'd be interested in knowing if others fill right up to the bottom of the tubes.

[jcslocum]

A metal bracket in an acid battery???

Must be the full indicator.

[MWS]

Being somewhat bored, and also very curious person, looked around a bit. The best description of the fill level for your Moll battery can be found on:
Battery tip

To sum up, the fill level should be just above the bottom of the "L".

Hope this helps.

[Auf los!]

Thank you, MWS, that is an excellent thread you found. Guess I need to add a little more so that the ends of the brackets are submerged.

I am personally not sure if the "L" brackets are metal or plastic. I wasn't about to stick my finger in there to feel them. But the plates in the battery are metal, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were metal.

My battery is on the Porsche maintainer for several weeks during the winter, and it is that charging that must be contributing to the fluid loss. There was some residue from vapor escaping around the caps. Once I've got the battery filled, I will check the levels in the Fall and in the Spring.

Thanks again. Looks like I narrowly avoided a dead battery call to AAA.

[jcslocum]

Originally Posted by Auf los!

I am personally not sure if the "L" brackets are metal or plastic. I wasn't about to stick my finger in there to feel them. But the plates in the battery are metal, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were metal.

Sticking your finger in there is't good. Sulfuric acid will give you a burn. The plates in there are a special lead plate designed to live in an acid bath and make electrickery! Cool stuff...

[lkchris]

The indicators are plastic.

If the battery is white, it could be transparent enough for you to see the water level from the side. If so, there could be a line printed there indicating the fill level.

There are (have been) water bottles available with a long neck that will contact that "L bracket." Pressing starts the water flow and it will stop at the appropriate level.

[Porsche9]

Latest addition that sits on my desk at work. Great conversation starter.