How to Install a Car Battery

An automotive battery or a car battery is a kind of rechargeable battery that supplies the automobile with electric energy. It provides electric energy to the starter motor, the lights and the ignition system and therefore, it is often referred to as SLI battery wherein SLI stands for starting, lighting, ignition. The battery used in an electric vehicle is also a rechargeable battery but it is called a traction battery and is different from an SLI battery. Now if you are wondering why should you know how to install a car battery if it is already a part of your vehicle and if its rechargeable it doesn't really make sense in wasting time in knowing about battery installation, right? That mostly occurs to many of us however, we tend to miss out on a fact that even car batteries have a life expectancy so to say and if the battery dies, you sure need to know to install a car battery safely, right? Well that's precisely why we are going to help you out with the procedure of installation here, it could be handy if you are driving around and are stuck in a place where you don't find any help with your battery replacement.

Car Battery Installation

Before you start off with it please ensure that you have tested the battery and are sure that it needs a replacement or else you would simply waste your time and money on buying and fixing up a new battery. Learning more about testing techniques would help you know how to test a car battery if you are not too certain of it. If the next question in your mind is how long does it take to install a battery then it doesn't take that long and although it may seem like a long procedure it may not be as bad as you thought, instead, to your surprise, it could turn out to be an enjoyable experience. So let's start, shall we?

First of all the things you would need to install a car battery safely includes a new battery, an adjustable wrench or a spanner, a pair of safety goggles, disposable gloves, a battery brush, water and baking soda.

• Turn off the engine and put on the parking brakes. Please do not smoke or allow anyone wandering around smoking near your work area.
• Open the hood and use the prop rod to keep it open.
• Now locate the car battery with two cables attached to it.
• Next comes locating the positive and negative terminals of the car battery wherein the positive terminal is denoted with a (+) sign and the negative terminal is denoted with a (-)sign.
• Disconnecting the negative terminal socket before the positive one is important as doing otherwise may cause short circuit. So by using the wrench, loosen the clamp of the negative cable.
• Once that is done, disconnect the positive terminal as well.
• Unfasten the battery holder and remove the bolts, nuts and clamps holding the battery.
• Now comes removing the battery which needs to be done very carefully as it is quite heavy. You might want to consider getting help if you think it's too heavy for you to lift.
• After the removal of the old battery, use the water and baking soda solution to clean the battery tray and also the terminal clamps.
• Let it dry and then install a new battery. For this, place the new one from where you removed the old one and make sure that the positive and the negative terminals are on their respective sides.
• Use the nuts, bolts and clamps that were removed earlier to fix the new battery.
• Using a wrench again, tighten the clamps to fix the positive terminal first and then the negative terminal.
• Close the hood and start the car to check if it's working fine.

I hope this article has helped you with substantial information on installing a car battery. Also please do not dispose off your used battery just anywhere or in the trash, instead battery recycling is a better option to take up.