Battery Maintenance

Revision as of 21:58, 17 December 2012; view current revision
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A car Battery needs regular TLC. Once a year, wipe the battery off and carefully clean the battery cables.

Cable Cleaning

The battery cable connections should be cleaned once a year. Clean the battery terminals AND the inside of the battery cables down to bare metal. Coat the shiny metal with a thing coat of grease or battery terminal spray. I use clean motor oil.

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The number "my car won't start" problem -- with new cars or old -- is the battery cable connections.

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Note: If the positive battery cable is overly corroded, replace it. Reasons to replace it include:

• Corroded bolt, so cable can't be tightened
• Green corroded wires (white corroded can often be cleaned up with a wire brush)

Cleaning Process:

1. Remove the negative battery cable first so that any accidental touch of the wrench will not cause a spark
2. Remove the positive battery cable
3. Wipe the battery down with a damp cloth. In a glass, mix a bit of Baking Soda with water. This is a base solution which will nuetralize any acid film on the battery. Carefully wipe the top of the battery clean. Dry with a paper towel.
4. Dip the battery cable terminals ends in the glass to nuetralize acid deposits
5. Use a battery brush to make the battery posts shiny. Alternatively, you can scrape the posts with a flat screwdrive until shiny bare metal is showing all around.
6. Use the battery brush on the inside of the cable ends. Or scrape with a knife.
7. Coat the bare metal with battery-spray (alternatively, you can use a thin coating of grease or clean oil). This helps protect against corrosion.
8. Replace positive cable and tighten to specification (not too tight!)
9. Replace positive cable and tighten to specification
10. Test for proper car operation, including starting the engine
11. Reset the radio presets