LIGHTING 155The battery can be discharged at idleif the electrical loads are very high.This is true for all vehicles. This isbecause the generator (alternator)may not be spinning fast enough atidle to produce all the power that isneeded for very high electrical loads.A high electrical load occurs whenseveral of the following are on, suchas: headlamps, high beams, fog lamps,rear window defogger, climate controlfan at high speed, heated seats, enginecooling fans, and loads plugged intoaccessory power outlets.EPM works to prevent excessivedischarge of the battery. It does thisby balancing the generator's outputand the vehicle's electrical needs.It can increase engine idle speed togenerate more power, wheneverneeded. It can temporarily reduce thepower demands of some accessories.Normally, these actions occur in stepsor levels, without being noticeable. Inrare cases at the highest levels ofcorrective action, this action may benoticeable to the driver. If so, a DICmessage might be displayed. If abattery message is displayed, it isrecommended that the driver reducethe electrical loads as much aspossible. See Driver Information Center(DIC) 0 135.Battery Power ProtectionThe battery saver feature is designedto protect the vehicle's battery.If some interior lamps are left on andthe ignition is turned off, the batteryrundown protection systemautomatically turns the lamp off aftersome time.Exterior Lighting BatterySaverThe exterior lamps turn off about10 minutes after the ignition is turnedoff, if the parking lamps or headlampshave been manually left on. Thisprotects against draining the battery.To restart the 10-minute timer, turnthe exterior lamp control to the Oposition and then back to the ;or 2 position.To keep the lamps on for more than10 minutes, the ignition must be on orin ACC/ACCESSORY.
