Learning to be your own handyman can save you a lot of money and trouble, especially on minor repairs or maintenance which does not require much expertise. Checking and changing a car battery can be considered a beginner level car maintenance item as it can be easily done and requires only a handful of tools and materials to carry out. However, since car batteries are very acidic and dangerous, you should get someone to help you out during the first few times before trying them out on your own. Here’s where you can replace your car battery singapore.

What you need

Always keep some basic tools in your car, such as a set of wrenches, a post cleaner or side terminal, a hydrometer, and a cable puller which you can easily find in any car parts store. Keep them handy around you in case you need it in an emergency to check any part of your car.

Step 1: Let’s get started

Clean the cables of your car which would usually contain a lot of corrosion from the battery. You would want to clean the top of the battery first, followed by those around the cables. You can perform the cleaning easily using a mix that contains a tablespoon of baking soda mixed in a cup of water and cleaning with a non-metallic brush. After doing so, flush the area with cool water.

Now, we move on to the deeper sections of the battery. Disconnect the negative cable from the battery, then start to loosen the battery cable clamp bolts and twist them. It should easily be removed now. If it is stuck, use a cable puller and do not ever pry the battery post because you can harm the battery. Once the cables are removed, you can use a post cleaner to clean the area around the battery.

Step 2: Electrolyte check

To check if your car needs more water, you need to pry open the battery cell by removing the cover of the battery cells. The mixture of liquid (containing acid and water) should be about half an inch of the fill hole. If the water level is too low, add clean distilled water into the wells, but be careful not to overfill them. Once you have filled the cells to the appropriate levels, let the mixture sit and mix for some hours before you start the next inspection. Next, look around the cells to check for any cracks of the cells which can cause acidic leaks. If you find one, you need to replace the battery.

Step 3: Battery charge and condition

From the previous step, you would have the electrolytes at an appropriate level. Now, you need to check the electrolyte concentration with a hydrometer. Squeeze the ball from the hydrometer to suck up some solution from the cell and hold the tester level and record the reading. Once it's done, you can release the solution back. To check if you have an appropriate battery reading, first check the temperature of the battery. If the battery is higher than 80 degrees F, add 0.04 to the reading for every 10 degrees above, and subtract 0.04 for every 10 degrees below 80 degrees F. If the cell reading differs from each other by more than 0.05 degrees, you should replace the battery. In general, a battery that is charged fully should have a reading of about 1.265 or higher. If your reading is too low and is the same across all the cells, you should replace it.

Step 4: Before replacing your car battery

Before you attempt to change your car battery, you should remove the negative cable using a hold-down clamp, then move on to the positive cable. Remember to wear some protection equipment such as rubber gloves and goggles to protect yourself from the high acidity of the battery.

Step 5: Replacing the battery

The battery is really heavy, so use a heavy-duty strap to remove the old battery and place it in a safe area. Be careful not to drop because it can be very acidic.

Step 6: Reconnecting the cables

Place the new battery in the holder and using the same hold-down clamp, connect the positive cable first instead, then move on to the negative. As a protectant, spread some petroleum jelly onto the terminal to slow the corrosion.

Helpful tips

Pay attention to any changes in your headlights. If your headlights seem to be dimmer than usual, your battery could have some problems so you should do some checks

When you don't use your car often enough, the battery can lose their charge and the next time you use it (weeks or months later), your battery could be dead. To maintain a healthy battery life, you should keep it charged every six weeks. But still, it is not wise to keep it charged for long periods of time. If you face this issue, you can consider getting a battery maintainer which allows you to keep your battery charging for long periods of time - weeks to months! These gadgets help you to prevent overcharging of your batteries by sensing the battery levels and adjusting its charge to give the most optimal charging rate. These can also be easily found at car parts stores.

Conclusion

Now that you have learned how to check your own car battery, you can save the trouble of driving up to a car workshop to get them done!