How To Charge, Maintain, and Replace Your Car Battery

Generally, one should check the battery more often after three years. You should do two checks: an eye test and a load test.

When you lift the hood, all you have to do for the eye test is look at it. Look for corrosion around the cell connectors or posts that hold the battery, cracks on top or down the side of the battery, a fraying or broken cable, or strange stains. If your battery shows any of these signs, it might need to be changed soon. Also, it would help if you didn't ignore the smell of sulfuric acid.

With a handheld multimeter (or voltmeter), which you can get at almost any hardware or auto store, you can do a load test to figure out the battery's capacity and charge:

• Set the multimeter's DC volts to 20.

• Lift the hood and connect the prongs to the battery's black (negative) and red (positive) terminals.

• Press the button for "start." Wait to turn on the car.

• The reading you're looking for stays at 9.6 volts. Suppose it reaches that point and then keeps going down. If it goes to zero right away, that is also a problem.

• Start the engine and wait for the reading to reach about 12.6 volts. If it's less than 12.2 or more than 12.9 volts, your battery needs to be charged slowly, or the extra charge is removed.

• You can get rid of the extra charge if you connect your high-beam headlights.

• If your battery isn't charged enough, you can use an electric cord with a plug and two jumper cables with alligator clips to connect the negative and positive terminals. A slower charge is better for a battery's long-term health than a faster charge.

• If your car battery's ability to hold a charge keeps getting worse over time, it might be time to buy a new one.

  
  

When something is wrong with your car, it will let you know. Any sign that your vehicle needs help, like lights on the dashboard that are on or strange smells or sounds, is a sign that it does. Here are a few common signs that your battery is getting weak:

• Either it takes a long time to start the engine, or doesn't start. The battery needs more power to get the engine going.

• When the key is turned, the lights on the dashboard flicker or are less bright than usual.

• The engine turns off suddenly while the power windows are being used, or the windows move much more slowly than usual.

• Another sign may be dashboard lights that are dim when the engine is at a stop but get brighter when you rev the engine.

• If there is a lot of corrosion or oxidation on the battery terminals, this is also a big sign that the battery is getting low.

• Modern cars have a light that turns on when the car battery is getting low.

If you notice any of the things on the list, you should get a new battery before the old one leaves you stranded.

Yes, one can test a car battery if someone can't determine why its power is going down. A battery tester or a multimeter is something that almost all places that fix cars have. If the reading on the multimeter is less than 11 volts, the battery needs to be changed.

Disclaimer: CCA, or Cold Cranking Amps, are used to measure a battery's capacity or performance.

No battery can work indefinitely. Most people say you should replace your car's battery every three years, but you might need to do it sooner. The weather and how you drive can affect how long your battery lasts, and you may need a new one before the three-year mark. Check the manufacturer's suggested service intervals to ensure you replace your battery at the right time.

Imagine that you are parked and waiting in line for your kids to come out of school. When you lose all power, you listen to the radio because you can't idle. The battery is out of juice.

It could be waiting in line for a ferry, leaving the lights on, or leaving a charger plugged into an outlet. How long will your car's battery last if you don't start the engine to charge it?

The answer depends on several things:

• How old and good is your battery

• Style and design of your battery, as well as its reserve power

• How much power do your accessories need

A regular radio could play all day, and your battery would still have enough power to start the engine. This is also true for most charging accessories inside. A radio with a louder sound or a new car with a big infotainment screen might only have an hour or two of power left.

If you leave the lights on, how long your battery lasts depends greatly on whether it's your headlights or interior lights and whether they're regular halogen headlights or LED lights. It can be as short as 30 minutes or as long as several hours or even days if the interior light is left on.

If your battery dies after less than an hour of listening to the radio or if a light left on kills it quickly, it probably can't hold a full charge anymore and needs to be replaced.

Even if your car battery isn't old, has no corrosion, and is connected and fastened securely, it may still die on you from time to time. Several things could be going on here. Maybe you turned off the car's engine but left the lights or stereo on for too long. Or the car may have been sitting still for too long.

• You can do a few things to get your car going again if a broken alternator doesn't cause your battery problem. The first is to use booster cables to start the vehicle. You'll need extension cords. You'll also need a friend or a kind stranger to let you use their car to charge yours.

• Make sure to park the car that works close enough to the one that doesn't work so the cables can reach.

• Connect the red, or positive, cable to the positive terminal on the dead battery, and then do the same thing with the positive terminal on the working battery.

• Connect the black, or negative, cable to the negative terminal on the working car's battery and clamp the other end to an unpainted metal surface, like the metal strut that holds the hood open or another exposed strut under the hood.

• Start the car's engine that works and let it go for a few minutes. Then try to start your vehicle again.

• If the engine starts, keep it running or drive around for about 15 minutes to let the alternator charge it.

• If your battery keeps dying and your alternator is working fine, you may need to replace your battery.

  
  

When you should use a charger:

• If you left the lights on in your car overnight, all you need to do is charge the battery, which should work as usual.

• You should charge the battery if you have left your headlights or radio on for a long time without starting the car.

• The battery may be dead if your car has been sitting for a long time. If this is the case, all you need to do is charge it.

When you shouldn't use a charger:

• If your car doesn't start suddenly, it could be because the battery is old or because there is a bigger problem with the vehicle.

• If your car's alternator or charging system is broken, you should fix these problems before charging the battery.

When to use jumper cables:

• If you are away from home and don't have a portable power source, jumper cables may give you a quick start so you can get off the road and fix your car.

If you shouldn't use jumper cables:

• If your car has a system that uses electricity to start, don't use jumper cables.

• If you're unsure how to use jumper cables, check the owner's manual for your car.

  
  

A dead battery can be brought back to life in more ways than just by getting a jump from another car. When you don't have booster cables or another car to get power from, a battery charger is a valuable thing to have on hand.

Jumper cables connect to your battery in the same way a car charger connects to your battery. Connect the black clamp to the negative terminal and the red clamp to the positive terminal. Plug the charger into an electrical outlet. Chargers can also keep their charge so that you can use them on the go.

Step 1: Raise your car's hood and remove the cover from the battery terminals.

Step 2: Connect the red clamp to the positive end of the battery and the black clamp to the negative end. Plug your charger in and turn it on after you've connected to the terminals. 

Step 3: When your battery is fully charged, take the black clamp off the charger first, then the red clamp.

If you don't have jumper cables or a battery charger, a couple of willing friends can help you push-start your car. If your friends can push the car faster than 8 km/h while driving, the engine is more likely to start when you press the clutch and turn the key.

After you've decided that your car battery needs to be replaced, you can do it yourself by taking the following steps:

• Ensure the car is turned off and the parking brake is on.

• Please take a picture of the battery compartment with your phone before you open it. A picture will help you remember putting the new battery back in.

• First, you need to disconnect the black (negative) cable. Then, take the red cable out.

• Use a wrench to take off the battery restraint, sometimes a bar on top or a clip on the bottom.

• Please take out the battery and lift it straight without tilting it.

• Installing the new battery is the same as taking out the old one.

• Bring the old lead-acid battery to a store that sells new car batteries, like Canadian Tire, Costco, Walmart, or another auto parts store, to get rid of it correctly. Used car batteries aren't picked up by the city to be recycled.

  
  

When you buy a car battery, it's usually charged to about 90% of its capacity, which is enough to start your car. A car battery doesn't have to be charged before its first use. But the alternator won't charge your battery when you're driving normally. It keeps the battery charged enough, but if you have the time, fully charging a new battery will ensure it lasts as long as possible.

Prices for car batteries range from less than $100 to more than $400. When you get one, be sure to have your car's make, model, engine, and battery size on hand.

So there you have it. We hope this article helps you with any queries regarding car battery maintenance. Be sure to wear personal protective equipment, before handling the battery. Prevention is better than cure.