One of the most frustrating things that I have ever had to deal with was my car battery simply not starting up. Usually, the problem can be traced to an interior light that was accidentally left on but other times it was simply due to poor maintenance. Most people do not realize that car batteries actually have a limited life to them which means that they will ultimately need to be replaced at some point.
If you find that your battery is constantly giving up on you, then you definitely need to do regular car battery maintenance. In fact, the following steps alone will greatly help to extend the life battery instead of always having to rely on jumper cables.
Things to take into consideration
The benefit of extending your car battery should be pretty obvious as it means that you will not have to replace it as often. Depending on what type of car you drive, whether you have a Porsche 911 or a Chevrolet, battery prices can vary but they can easily cost well over a hundred dollars. The entire car battery maintenance process requires that you use rubber gloves and safety glasses.
The reason is because you will be doing a bit of cleaning and checking the lead acid battery and the electrolyte levels. As you will be dealing with sulphuric acid, you definitely do not want to be putting yourself in harm so make sure to always wear some type of protective wear.
Tools that you should include in your car include safety glasses, rubber gloves, adjustable wrenches, brass wire brush and some emery paper.
Now the fun begins with car battery maintenance
The first thing you need to do is pop open the hood of your vehicle. Then locate where the battery is and remove the cable clamps that meet the terminals of the battery itself. For this, you may need to use an adjustable wrench to remove the clamps. If you are not sure which size to use then you can always refer to the driver manual for further instruction.
Then carefully remove the battery. If you notice acid on the terminals then this is a sure sign that it has not been cleaned in a while. Proceed to wash and clean the surface of the battery with a combination of baking soda and water. If you notice there is rust from the clamps you can remove it using a mesh wire brush and some emery paper which you can buy at an automotive store.
Once this process is finished, you can start to put the battery back in your car. Simply reverse the process and ensure that the terminal clamps are firmly tightened. The next step is to examine the electrolyte levels which can be found below the splash outlet. If the level is low, then replace it or add with distilled water. This prevents the battery plate from drying out.
How to clean your car battery
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJwVwvEHh3Q
Additional battery maintenance tips
Ideally, you should perform this process at least once a month and doing so will really help to extend the battery life. The reason why some batteries simply die may be due to the car not being driven for a long time or poor maintenance. To prevent the latter from happening, all you would really need to do is ensure you drive your car on a regular basis.
This may not always be possible in which case what you can do is make use of something like a battery maintainer which ensures that there is still juice left. Another thing you can do to is simply disconnect the entire battery and set it up to a car battery charger for regular maintenance. Of course, do not expect these steps to extend the battery life longer than it is designed for.
Typically most batteries have a life span of three years in which case it will need to be replaced at a later date. If you find that your car is struggling to start up then you may want to get your car battery checked up at a local automotive shop to see when it is time to change it for a new one. As long as you follow the above tips, then you will greatly extend the battery life.
Another thing to keep in mind too is that you also need to keep your car regularly maintained as well as this is what the battery ultimately depends on.
