Table of Contents

DieHard Three-Year Full Warranty

When operated and maintained according to all supplied instructions, if this DieHard product fails due to a defect in material or workman- ship within three years from the date of purchase, return it to any Sears store or other DieHard outlet in the United States for free replacement.

This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.

Sears, Roebuck and Co., Hoffman Estates, IL 60179

For customer assistance or replacement parts, call toll-free from 7 am to 4:30 pm CT Monday through Friday: 1-800-SEARS-64 (1-800-732-7764)

IMPORTANT: read and save this safety and instruction manual.

1.IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

1.1SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS - The DieHard model 71240 Manual Bat- tery Charger, offers a wide range of features to accommodate the needs for home or light commercial use. This manual will show you how to use your charger safely and effectively. Please read and follow these instruc- tions and precautions carefully as this manual contains important safety and operating instructions.

1.2WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of Cali- fornia to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.

1.3Do not expose charger to rain or snow.

1.4Use of an attachment not recommended or sold by the battery charger manufacturer may result in a risk of fire, electric shock or injury to persons.

1.5To reduce the risk of damage to electric plug or cord, pull by the plug rather than the cord when disconnecting the charger.

1.6An extension cord should not be used unless absolutely necessary. Use of an improper extension cord could result in a risk of fire and electric shock.

If an extension cord must be used, make sure:

???That the pins on the plug of the extension cord are the same number, size and shape as those of the plug on the charger.

???That the extension cord is properly wired and in good electrical condition and;

???That the wire size is large enough for the AC ampere rating of the charger as specified in Table 8.3.

1.7Do not operate the charger with a damaged cord or plug; take it to a quali- fied serviceman. (Call customer service at: 800-SEARS-64).

1.8Do not operate the charger if it has received a sharp blow, been dropped or otherwise damaged in any way; take it to a qualified serviceman. (Call customer service at: 800-SEARS-64).

1.9Do not disassemble the charger; take it to a qualified serviceman when service or repair is required. Incorrect reassembly may result in a risk of electric shock or fire. (Call customer service at: 800-SEARS-64).

1.10To reduce the risk of electric shock, unplug the charger from the outlet before attempting any maintenance or cleaning. Turning off the controls will not reduce this risk.

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WARNING ??? RISK OF EXPLOSIVE GASES.

WORKING IN THE VICINITY OF A LEAD-ACID BATTERY IS DANGER-

OUS. BATTERIES GENERATE EXPLOSIVE GASES DURING NOR-

MAL BATTERY OPERATION. FOR THIS REASON, IT IS OF UTMOST

IMPORTANCE THAT YOU FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS EACH TIME

YOU USE THE CHARGER.

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF BATTERY EXPLOSION, FOLLOW THESE

INSTRUCTIONS AND THOSE PUBLISHED BY THE BATTERY MANU-

FACTURER AND THE MANUFACTURER OF ANY EQUIPMENT YOU

INTEND TO USE IN THE VICINITY OF THE BATTERY. REVIEW THE

CAUTIONARY MARKINGS ON THESE PRODUCTS AND ON THE

ENGINE.

2.PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS

2.1Consider having someone close enough by to come to your aid when you work near a lead-acid battery.

2.2Have plenty of fresh water and soap nearby in case battery acid contacts your skin, clothing or eyes.

2.3Wear complete eye protection and clothing protection. Avoid touching your eyes while working near the battery.

2.4If battery acid contacts your skin or clothing, wash immediately with soap and water. If acid enters your eye, immediately flood the eye with cold run- ning water for at least 10 minutes and get medical attention immediately.

2.5NEVER smoke or allow a spark or flame in the vicinity of a battery or engine.

2.6Be extra cautious to reduce the risk of dropping a metal tool onto the bat- tery. It might spark or short-circuit the battery or other electrical part that may cause an explosion.

2.7Remove personal metal items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces and watches when working with a lead-acid battery. A lead-acid battery can produce a short-circuit current high enough to weld a ring or the like to metal, causing a severe burn.

2.8Use this charger for charging a LEAD-ACID battery only. It is not intended to supply power to a low voltage electrical system other than in a starter- motor application. Do not use this battery charger for charging dry-cell batteries that are commonly used with home appliances. These batteries may burst and cause injury to persons and damage to property.

2.9NEVER charge a frozen battery.

2.10WARNING: Pursuant to California Proposition 65, this product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth de- fects or other reproductive harm.

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6.FOLLOW THESE STEPS WHEN BATTERY IS INSTALLED IN ve- hicle

A SPARK NEAR BATTERY MAY CAUSE BATTERY EXPLOSION. TO

REDUCE RISK OF A SPARK NEAR BATTERY:

NEGATIVE GROUNDED SYSTEM

6.1Position the AC and DC cables to reduce the risk of damage by the hood, door, or moving engine parts.

6.2Stay clear of fan blades, belts, pulleys and other parts that can cause injury.

6.3Check the polarity of the battery posts. The POSITIVE (POS, P, +) battery post usually has a larger diameter than the NEGATIVE (NEG, N, -) post.

6.4Determine which post of the battery is grounded (connected) to the chas- sis. If the negative post is grounded to the chassis (as in most vehicles), see step 6.5. If the positive post is grounded to the chassis, see step 6.6.

6.5For a negative-grounded vehicle, connect the POSITIVE (RED) clip from the battery charger to the POSITIVE (POS, P, +) ungrounded post of the battery. Connect the NEGATIVE (BLACK) clip to the vehicle chassis or engine block away from the battery. Do not connect the clip to the carbure- tor, fuel lines or sheet-metal body parts. Connect to a heavy gauge metal part of the frame or engine block.

6.6For a positive-grounded vehicle, connect the NEGATIVE (BLACK) clip from the battery charger to the NEGATIVE (NEG, N, -) ungrounded post of the battery. Connect the POSITIVE (RED) clip to the vehicle chassis or engine block away from the battery. Do not connect the clip to the carbure- tor, fuel lines or sheet-metal body parts. Connect to a heavy gauge metal part of the frame or engine block.

6.7When disconnecting the charger, turn all switches to off, disconnect the AC cord, remove the clip from the vehicle chassis, and then remove the clip from the battery terminal.

6.8See OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS for length of charge information.

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9.product features

3

1. Volt Selector Switch

2. Ammeter

3. Clamps

4. Timer

In case of charger malfunction, DO NOT attempt to repair charger yourself. To arrange for charger repair, or information about custom- er replaceable parts, call 1-800-SEARS-65 (1-800-732-7764).

10.assembly instructions

It is important to fully assemble your charger before use. Follow these instructions for assembly:

To attach the axle assembly:

10.1Remove charger from packing materials and place upside down on a flat surface. Attach mounting foot and secure with the four, 1/4-20 thread cut- ting screws.

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11.operating instructions

11.1Follow steps in section 6 or 7 for hookup and disconnect instructions, and precautions.

SETTING THE CONTROLS

All controls for your charger are located on the front of the unit. Follow these instructions to obtain the accurate charge level for your battery.

11.2TIMER: The main function of the timer is to prevent over charging while al- lowing the battery time to obtain a satisfactory charge. To properly set the timer, you must know the size of the battery in ampere hours or reserve capacity in minutes, and the state of charge. Often, the state of charge

is not known, which is why the timer is limited to 2.25 hours. With the aid of a battery load tester, the state of charge can be obtained within a few seconds. For example, the average size automotive battery at a 50% state of charge, will require 1 to 1.5 hours of charging at the 50 amp rate to reach the full charge state. For the same battery with the timer set to its maximum of 2.25 hours, over charging will occur, but is unlikely to cause harm to the battery. When the charge state is unknown, start out with a timer setting of 1 hour or less.

11.3HOLD: This function allows continuous operation. Use when charging for more than 2.25 hours (usually when the 2 amp charge rate is selected).

Stop charging when the battery is fully charged.

11.4Rotary switch: Use the rotary switch to select the charge rate or engine start setting required.

11.5Ammeter: Indicates the amount of current measured in amperes that is being drawn by the battery. For example, in the 50 amp charge rate, a typical discharged battery will initially draw approximately 50 amps. As the battery continues to charge, current will taper to 15 to 20 amps at full charge. The Start area of the meter indicates a high rate of current be- ing drawn from the charger. When cranking an engine, the starter motor draws upwards to 250-300 amps. The meter needle will be at the extreme right side of the start area. Sometimes, for the first few minutes of its charge, the battery will draw more than 50 amps; in this case, the needle may be within, but not all the way over, to the right side of the start area. The 2 amp charge rate may not indicate activity on the meter. The meter does not have the resolution to display this low rate.

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12.2 The Hydrometer or Electronic Method

To find the time needed to fully charge your battery, determine the bat- tery???s charge level with a hydrometer or electronic Percent-of-Charge Tester. The following table will help you convert hydrometer readings to percent of charge values.

When you know the percent of charge and the Amp Hour (AH) rating of your battery, you can calculate the approximate time needed to bring your battery to a full charge.

To convert Reserve Capacity to Amp Hours, divide Reserve Capacity by

2, and add 16:

Amp Hours = Reserve Capacity + 16

2

NOTE: The Reserve Capacity can be obtained from the battery specifica- tion sheet or the owner???s manual.

To calculate time needed for a charge:

???Find the percent of charge needed. (A battery at 50 percent charge that will be charged to 100 percent needs another 50 percent (.50)).

???Multiply the Amp Hour rating by the charge needed (.50) and divide by the charger setting (2 or 10 amps).

???Multiply the result by 1.25 and you???ll have the approximate time needed, in hours, to bring the battery to full charge.

???Add one additional hour for a deep-cycle battery.

100 x .50 = 1.25 x 1.25 = 1.5625

50

You will need to charge your 100-Ampere Hour Battery for approximately 1 1/2 hours at the 50-Amp charge rate using the above example.

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16.troubleshooting

If the above solutions do not eliminate the problem call toll-free from anywhere in the U.S.A.

1-800-SEARS-64 (1-800-732-7764)

7 AM to 4:30 PM Central Time Monday through Friday

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