Stop Starting Trouble: Maintenance Mike says, Here's how
Army vehicle-maintenance sheet: a grinning soldier in a garrison cap, 'Maintenance Mike', holds a battery hydrometer over a battery, beside a numbered list of ten battery checks and a 'DO IT NOW!' line. The friendly named figure speaking in the first person is a plain-folks device; most of the sheet is instruction.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1944
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- U.S. Army, Army Conservation Project
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Own forces
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- War and the military, Science and technology
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
U.S. Army. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1819 (NAID 515499).
Text on the object
STOP Starting TROUBLE Maintenance Mike says: HERE'S HOW... 1 Check your battery at least once a week. 2 Test battery voltage or specific gravity. 3 Check electrolyte and replenish if needed. 4 Inspect battery case for cracks or leaks. 5 Check battery carrier for dirt or corrosion. 6 Inspect cable connections and mounting clamps. 7 Clean battery, vent caps, clamps, and terminals. 8 Protect the connections against corrosion. 9 Watch ammeter-be sure generator is charging. 10 Be careful not to run battery down with starter. Get a copy of this new War Department Technical Bulletin-TB ORD 67-on Stor- age Batteries. Learn how they are made- how they work-how to maintain them. [picture of bulletin cover: WAR DEPARTMENT TECHNICAL BULLETIN, TB ORD 67, STORAGE BATTERIES; body text illegible] DO IT NOW! [seal: U.S. ARMY SAVE CONSERVATION PROGRAM] [imprint:] Army Conservation Project No. 106-O-15 [imprint:] U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1944-O-594367 [show-through, illegible: reversed text behind the headline]
