How to Change a Dead Vehicle Battery
battery April 13th, 2010
As you walk back to your car after a night out, you realize to your horror that you left the headlights on. As expected, the battery is dead and the car wonât start. The best thing to do is to flag down a car and ask for a jump to quickly jolt the battery back to life.Â
You should always keep a set of jumper cables in the trunk so you can get a jump if you need it because you never know when the battery will fail; but if tinkering under the hood isnât your style, there are several products on the market designed to make the process easier. There are jumper cables that connect one car to another through the cigarette lighters, eliminating direct contact with the car batteries. There are also car starters that plug into the cigarette lighter and jump start the battery at the push of a button; these products are convenient because they donât require that you rely on the kindness of strangers or that you leave the comfort of your car to jump start the battery.Â
Aside from leaving the headlights on for prolonged periods of time, a car battery may fail because it needs to be replaced or because there is a charging problem due to a faulty alternator. Itâs a good idea to invest in a multimeter, an instrument that makes various electrical measurements, so you can check the electricity circulating through the battery and its surrounding components. This will prevent you from replacing the battery prematurely or unnecessarily if the problem is not the battery.Â
A multimeter can be analog or digital and is usually a rectangular box with two leads coming out of it; the positive lead is red and the negative lead is black. With a mutimeter, you can test the voltage of a car battery by setting the device to the volt scale and placing the positive lead onto the positive battery terminal and the negative lead onto the negative battery terminal. If you get a very low reading, you should think about replacing the battery. You can also test the fuses by disconnecting the battery terminal, setting the device to the ohm scale and placing both leads on the fuse legs. This is done to see if thereâs electron flow within the fuse, which would indicate itâs working properly. And finally, you can make sure the alternator, which is part of the carâs battery charging system, is working properly by comparing the voltage in the battery when the car is off to when the car is on. If when the car is on, the voltage is higher, the alternator is working properly. Check the car manual for information about the car battery and the surrounding components.Â
If you need to change the car battery, the first step is to purchase a new one. Buy the same kind of battery you currently have in your car or check the car manual for battery specifications.Â
Follow these 10 steps to easily replace your car battery:Â
1- Locate the battery under the hood. Â
2- Disconnect the cable terminals from the battery terminals starting with the negative side. Pay close attention to the position of the battery terminalsÂ
3- Remove the battery bracket.Â
4- Clean the inside of each cable terminal with a wire brush.Â
5- Place the new battery into the slot with the battery terminals in the same position as the old battery Â
6- Replace the battery bracket Â
7- Connect the cable terminals to the battery terminals; make sure they are tightly secured. Â
8- Start the engine to test the battery. Â
9- Dispose of the old battery in accordance with local laws or drop it off at a local auto parts store or recycling center. Â
For an illustrated step by step guide to replacing your car battery, please visit: http://www.ehow.com/video_512_replace-car-battery.html
Levi Quinn
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/how-to-change-a-dead-vehicle-battery-743039.html
April 13th, 2010 at 7:17 am
I need help with my 2000 Nissan Xterra…I thought it was a dead battery…?
So, I went to start my vehicle and the headlights wouldn’t work, there was no ignition or engine trying to turn over, just dim panel lights and the rear wiper blade motor sounded weak and wouldn’t move. I took the battery to auto zone and it was dead. So I changed the battery out on my nissan and there was no charge…all the grounds are okay it seems and the terminals are fine. I checked all the fuses and they are fine…I don’t know what to do next…anyone out there know anything that could possibly help me pin point the problem? Please help…
I don’t know if it would be the alternator because even with a new battery….the engine should start regardless if the alternator is bad…the alternator just replaces battery charge…an an already charged battery is good to go.
April 13th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
you more than likely need to replace the alternator.
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April 13th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
check charging system.
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April 13th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
You could have lots of different problems, like one car I know of had the starter cable too close to the exhaust, and every time it accelerated and rocked the engine, the sparks would fly.
You did not describe how the old battery went dead; whether it was slow or sudden. So I have to assume it was sudden.
As sudden as the fact the new battery does not seem to work either.
But that does not make sense, you say, "there was no charge"?
Did you mean there was no change from the way the old battery failed to start and was so weak it barely lit the panel lights, or did you mean the car now starts but is not charging?
If indeed the panel lights are dim, even with a new or different battery that has a good charge, then you have a major break in the circuit that barely allows any current across. And if the terminals are clean, then the only thing left would be the body ground. You should take it off, clean it, and grease it. Since you had panel lights before, you should still have that now, and the only thing that could then prevent a new battery from working would be a major drain. A short would draw enough to prevent anything else from getting enough current. The way to tell is to leave 1 battery terminal off, and put a test light between the terminal and batter post. If there is a short somewhere, it will light the test lamp. Then all you have to do is disconnect things, pull fuses, etc., until it stops. Then you will know what it is that is drawing down the current.
But then after you fix that, you should also make sure the alternator is charging the new battery.
A voltmeter across the battery, should increase from 12.5 to 13.5 when the engine is revved up.
If you don’t have a voltmeter, you should at least see the headlights get slightly brighter.
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