I’m sure that all of us want our automobile to start quickly, get us to our destination, and start-up on the way back. No matter cold days of winter or hot days of summer, we all expect the gratifying sound of a rapid crank followed by a smooth running engine.
However, Murphy’s Law may dictate otherwise, and you may one day encounter a dreaded feeble clicking sound or even nothing at all. Hopefully, after reading this article you will be able to avoid the stress, expense, and inconvenience of not being able to get where you want to go. A smidgen of knowledge can go a long way to help you avoid issues down the road.
I encourage you to print this article out, and even keep it with your owner’s manual. It may save you much aggravation in the future.
I will discuss safety first. You should ideally wear chemical splash goggles while working around a car battery. Batteries can potentially produce explosive hydrogen gas which can explode and release sulfuric acid. Although this is very rare, it is important to avoid any sparking around the battery and wear eye protection. Always use prudence and common sense when working around cars.
Whether you do these tasks on your own or you ask a mechanic to perform them is your choice, but by doing so you will minimize your risk of problems.
Before starting this procedure, determine if your vehicle will lose radio codes, body computer information and other computer related parameters when the battery is disconnected. This is a good time to browse your owner’s manual under battery replacement, search the internet, or contact your dealer. On some newer cars, this is not a matter of just losing your radio station presets but rather an issue that may require a tow to the dealer. To be safe purchase a device that plugs into your cigarette lighter and provides voltage while your battery is serviced. This unit is available at many auto parts suppliers. Be sure to close your vehicle doors while you use this device, you do not want to deplete its internal battery.
You should clean your battery posts and terminals at least once every year. You can purchase inexpensive tools at a store like Harbor Freight to remove the battery terminals from their posts. You also need a special battery brush. Prepare a mixture of baking soda and water to clean any acid residue on the battery. Always remove the negative terminal first. Follow this order to avoid any short circuits if the tool contacts the body frame.
Use the inner brush to clean the battery posts thoroughly, along with the cable end. If the posts are caked with a crust, you should purchase felt washers that fit around the base of the battery terminal posts. Another suggestion is to coat the terminal contact surfaces with a special battery grease that is available from any auto parts store. Replace the positive terminal first, again this is to minimize sparking.
The second part may be a bit technical, but may be worth learning. This will test the health of your charging system. Many auto parts stores will perform this test free, but you can also try it on your own. There are also special tools you can purchase to test batteries.
Purchase a simple multi-tester or multi-meter for less than ten dollars and perform the following test. With the car off, leave the headlights on for about 2-3 minutes. Set an alarm so you do not drain the battery, and turn the headlights off when it goes off. This will remove any surface charge. Set the multi-tester dial so it registers in the 20 Volt DC range. You can read the multi-tester instructions or research its use online. A multi-tester is very simple to use. Touch the red lead to the positive battery terminal, and the black one to the negative. A healthy, fully charged battery should read around 12.5-12.8 Volts. This will vary with temperature (lower temperatures mean lower voltage), but should never be below 12 Volts. Another optional suggestion is to touch the black multi-tester lead to your engine or a metal part of the vehicle. If the voltage is substantially lower you may have a bad cable connection.
The next test involves cranking the car, and being safety aware (no hanging jewelry or long hair) and measuring voltage at the battery terminals. Read the voltage on the meter as someone else cranks the vehicle. The voltage should not drop below nine or ten volts. You may want to repeat this test to get an accurate reading. If the voltage is not within spec you should consider a new battery, or have your starter professionally tested.
Finally, read the voltage as the car is running. Turn the headlights and heater fan to their maximum setting. Voltage should not be below 13.9 Volts; ideally it should be in the low 14 Volt range. If your car fails this test you should consider further testing or replacing the alternator.
Performing these simple tests will give you the peace of mind that your vehicle will start under any condition. Remember, if the tests come out at the low-end or even below those voltage ranges, you car may start perfectly now but leave you stranded in single digit temperatures. This is especially true with batteries over four years old.