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Have you ever noticed what helps your car start up instantly as soon as you hit the start/stop switch, or, the ignition gets turned-on right away after the insertion of the car keys. It’s the ‘car battery’ that makes things look so simple and keeps the car up and always running. Here the required electrical energy is stored in the battery. In general, if maintained well, the car batteries have a maximum lifespan of about 5-7 years. Proper and timely maintenance of your car battery not only enhances its life and performance but also helps you avoid costly service or tow charge, alongside will free you from bothering about the battery being dead at any point of time, which may keep you stranded for hours. Regular checking, cleaning and charging (as and when required) can assist you to maintain car batteries for a longer period.
So just follow the below-mentioned simple yet very useful car battery maintenance tips to keep your car batteries last long without trouble.
Step 1: Find the location of the battery
Normally, car batteries come with a heavy-duty plastic case with two terminals that link the positive and negative (ground) wires to the car. As the two terminals are made of brass/lead they may appear like two thimbles. Depending upon different makes, the terminals duo may consist of two threaded screws or just two threaded holes on the battery frontage. To make things easier for yourself, you can click a photograph of the battery prior to removing the cables, which will assure you not getting the positive and negative cables overturned.
Step 2: Examine the battery’s water level
For a non-maintenance-free wet-cell battery it is recommended to check the water level every 2-3 months. Most probably, the battery will be a wet-cell battery or an absorbed glass matt (AGM) battery. If it’s an AGM battery, don’t try to unscrew or open the battery, as it contains hazardous gas. Here you can’t do much about it and it’s better to get the water level checked by a certified expert, although modern maintenance-free battery batteries hardly need water. Moreover, for non-maintenance-free wet-cell batteries, it is advised to examine its water level after every couple of months. Make sure that the water touches the bottom of the battery’s refill hole.
– Remove the fill caps given on the battery carefully to closely inspect the water level. Some batteries don’t have fill caps as they are formulated in such a way that they don’t need any water.
– Use only distilled water to refill the battery if you sense that the fluid level is low. With the help of the funnel pour the water into the cell. Make sure you don’t overfill. Patiently wait for the fluid to reach the base of the refill hole. Avoid overfilling into the holes.
Step 3: Clean the battery terminals
– To clean the battery terminals (recommended every 6-8 months) you will need a wire brush and a mixture of baking soda and distilled water. First, remove the connectors from the battery terminal by moving them from side-to-side and then slowly drawing them up.
– Now rub the wire brush into a paste (mixture) and gently rub the terminal till you observe some amount of shine and get rid of dried acid particles or marks.
– Make sure you never use a rubber mallet to put terminals on a battery. Use the terminal spreaders to enlarge the terminal connectors opening to fit over the battery terminals.
Step 4: Coating the battery
In order to provide resistance from high temperatures, you will need to coat the battery with grease. Besides this, applying grease will also shield the battery from corrosion and rust.
Step 5: Inspection of cell voltage
Every time you get the oil changed for your car, ensure that you get the cell voltage checked. Ask your mechanic to get the cell voltage tested with his reliable testing equipment. On an average, a fully charged battery will display a charge ranging from 12.5 to 12.6 volts.
In addition, it’s suggested to take your car to an automobile spares store for testing your car’s battery testing amid the visits to your regular mechanic. The automobile spare dealer can get the voltage examined for you and can even charge it for you. Keep in mind that a battery displaying a voltage of under 12.5 volts should never be tested until fully-charged. If the battery is not fully charged, at times, battery tester might display “bad battery” even if the battery is totally alright.
Step 6: Check the battery insulator
If your car has a battery insulator you can check it. In order to prevent the battery from high temperatures, several cars come equipped with insulators that help dry out its fluids quickly. Hence, inspect the insulator for damage and ensure it is placed rightly.
Step 7: Regular tune-ups
Last but not the least, we recommend you to take your car to your mechanic at regular intervals for servicing and tune-ups. On the whole, one of the best ways to keep up your car and its battery up and going it should be tested after every 4000-5000 kilometres or 3 months, whichever is earlier.
Car Maintenance Services
Good information
Thanks John, stay tuned for more such posts!
I don’t know hardly anything about my car, so this is great to know. I had no idea that car batteries even had a water level. I don’t know if mine is an AGM or a different kind, but I will still have a pro check it out.
I liked that you had mentioned that it can be important to clean the terminals of the battery to make sure there is a clean connection. My wife’s car hasn’t been starting very well and it doesn’t seem like the battery is holding a charge. We’ll have to try cleaning the terminals, but we might just need to look into getting a professional battery service done on it.