How to Replace Your Dead Car Battery
How to Replace Your Dead Car Battery
How to Replace Your Dead Car Battery
Knowing how to remove and install your cars battery is a very useful piece of knowledge. If you have to have your car, with its dead battery, towed to a mechanic to have the job done, it could be very costly. The life of a car battery depends on many different factors like the climate that you live in, how often you drive and your actual driving habits. But one simple fact remains; you never know when it will go dead. Hopefully, when your battery starts to die, you can just jump start it. But eventually, the day will come when it won't jump anymore. So let's talk about how to save yourself some money by replacing your battery by yourself.
In order to successfully complete this project, you're going to need:
A new battery
A box wrench set
A screwdriver
A Utility knife
Sandpaper
Gloves
Goggles
A work light
Once you've amassed all of those materials, we can get to work. Make sure that your car is off and you apply the parking brake. This is a good idea anytime you plan on doing work on your vehicle; you don't want it drifting away in the middle of a project.
Now, locate your battery. They're usually found in one of the back corners underneath the hood, more often than not on the passenger side. Once you've found it, remove the cover and set it aside. If you're working in your garage or at night, you'll need the work light to make things easier on yourself.
Now, most batteries are held in place by a security bar or strap. These keep the battery from bouncing and flying off the metal tray that it sits on. The bar, or strap, will be held firmly against the battery by two metal bolts at each end of the battery. These bolts are held in place by nuts screwed onto the tops of the bolts. With your gloves on, use a wrench to remove these so that you can swing the bar away from the battery. Make sure that you don't touch both electrical terminals or you may receive a shock, even if the battery isn't strong enough to start your car. It's fine to touch them one at a time, but completing the current between them is a safety hazard.
Now, with a wrench, loosen the bolts that keep the cables secured to the battery. There's no real need to completely detach the bolts from the cable; just loosen then enough to slide them off of the terminals. If they don't come smoothly off, use the end of your screwdriver as a lever and pry them up.
Once the cables are off of the old battery, simply lift it off the tray and set it aside. Be careful not to spill any of the liquid inside of the battery, as it can be harmful to your skin. Before installing your new battery, check the terminal cables for rust or other erosion. If you find them dirty or rusty at all, use the sandpaper to remove anything that might impede the electrical path. They'll never be completely clean, so don't spend a lot of time trying to polish them. Just make sure that there is some exposed metal directly on the inside components that will attach to the battery terminals.
Lift your new battery into position and set it on the tray in the same fashion as the old one. If the terminals were facing the left when you took out the old one, make sure they are doing the same when you install the new one. Fit the ends of the terminal cables over the battery terminals, one at a time. Make sure that you are attaching the negative cable to the negative terminal and likewise with the positive cable. Use the handle of your screwdriver to lightly hammer them into place if they are a little too snug. Once they're in place, tighten the bolts on the terminal cables to make sure that they are completely fastened.
At this point, go ahead and test your ignition. If the engine won't turn over, it's time to do a little more troubleshooting. However, if the radio turns on but the engine doesn't, your battery's fine and you need to look into your starter for malfunctions.
Now that you're certain your battery is good, replace the security bar or strap. Simply swing it back into place and fit the nuts back onto the bolt heads and tighten. After the bar is secured, replace the battery cover. This will keep your engine from accumulating dirt between the terminal cables and the terminals. Dirt can impede the flow of electricity out of the battery and shorten its lifespan.
If you find yourself in a position on the side of the road where you don't have a new battery, call a tow truck. Most tow service companies can bring you a new battery and install it for you. If not, then you'll at least have a ride to the nearest auto part shop to buy yourself a new one. And now you can install it yourself and save a few bucks.
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