We don’t think you need to go to a professional to change your car battery. It’s easy enough to replace your car battery by yourself. There are lots of sources on the web on how to change car battery. Have confidence and do it yourself in the garage and save you money.
Before starting to replace, make sure you choose the right battery for your car.
Recurrent signs of a dying car battery:
- Car won’t turn on (even when jump started)
- Grainy residue building up on the terminals of the battery
- Dashboard with a lit battery warning and check engine warning
How To Change Car Battery – Step By Step Guidelines
If the above signs seem familiar, here are 5 easy steps to change your car battery all by yourself.
Safety requirements:
- Take the car to a secure place i.e. a garage
- Ensure the car is placed on a level surface
- Make sure the vehicle is turned off.
- Remove metal accessories if you’re wearing any to prevent electric shocks
- Wear your safety gear (rubber gloves, goggles) before you begin
Equipment:
- Goggles
- Disposable Rubber gloves
- Wrench / socket wrench
- Replacement battery (make sure to get the correct one)
- Toothbrush
- Lithium grease
- Wet cloth
Related Search – How To Install Car Battery: 10 Important Steps To Follow
Locate car battery
Not every car stacks its battery in the same place. Some vehicles have the battery in the engine bay under the hood; some may have it in the boot or underneath one of the back seats.
- Step 1: Identify the battery terminals
Once you’ve found the battery, identify the positive and negative terminals of the battery. Detach the wire from the negative terminal first and then from the positive terminal to avoid any electrical shorts. You can use a wrench to do this but make sure it doesn’t touch the terminals.
Warning: Ensure that the two cables that you have disconnected do not touch each other at any cost.
- Step 2: Remove the old battery
Examine the area around the battery to see if any clamps are holding it in place; if so, unhook them and release the battery; use a socket wrench if necessary.
Car batteries can be pretty heavy, so ask a friend or someone around you to give you a hand while unloading the battery.
Warning: Keep the battery straight to prevent battery acid leakage, which is highly corrosive.
- Step 3: Clean battery terminals
This is a crucial step. Before you insert the new battery, you must clean the battery terminals and remove any signs of corrosion, i.e., powdery residue. Use the toothbrush to dislodge the particles, then use the wet cloth to wipe the area. Then pray a little bit of lithium grease on each battery terminal to prevent rust.
- Step 4: Insert the new battery
Keeping the positive and negative sides in the correct position, lower your new battery slowly into the same space where you removed the old battery from.
Now you have to reverse the process you removed the old battery. Reconnect the clamps or whichever connector was used to keep the battery in place.
Try moving the battery after reconnecting to see if the battery shakes or moves around.
- Step 5: Reconnect battery terminals
Reconnect the positive cable first; tighten the clamp over the positive terminal with the help of your wrench. Repeat this procedure for the negative cable.
Now, Power up your car; if it goes smoothly, you have installed your new battery perfectly, and you’re ready to go!
Safety first, So make sure you will use all safety equipment and read the car manual first before you start to change the car battery.
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