"The Intermediate Guide to Car battery replacement"
"Car Service Birmingham, Car Battery Birmingham (750 Words)"
[ ";                                      The Intermediate Guide to Car battery replacementIn simple words, a car's battery stores electricity and delivers it to the starter so that the vehicle can move.The car's electrical system runs through it, so when your car doesn't start, often it's because of low voltage from a faulty or dead battery. In other cases, it may be an issue with your alternator or another part of the charging system. If you have a new battery in hand and want to fix the problem yourself before taking the car to a mechanic for service, this article will help you out.Car batteries are not meant for long-term storage, especially if they will sit unused for long periods. You buy new products, for example, and will have a date on them that you should follow as a guide. In general, it's best to replace your car battery as soon as you see any signs of it weakening.When your car is new and working fine, the electrical System Car Service Birmingham receives enough power from the alternator to keep everything working properly. But after months or years of driving, batteries take a beating, and their capacity decreases gradually until they finally fail.Here are some signs that indicate you need a battery replacement:The lights inside and outside your car dim when you apply the brakes.Lights flicker.The engine starts hard or cranks but fails to start at all.Your remote key fob doesn't work anymore.In some cases, these issues can be caused by the battery itself, the alternator, or a faulty electrical component. The safest course is to have your car's electrical system tested at an auto repair shop before buying a new car battery.Testing the charging system at homeIf you need to replace your battery because it looks old or gets weak, it doesn't hurt to check out your vehicle's charging circuit since these issues may be related. But don't get fixated on finding problems with your vehicle's electrical system. If you don't find any issues, continue with step 1 below to replace the battery yourself.You can conduct this test very easily:Open the hood and disconnect the dead car's battery's negative (black) terminal by loosening its nut with a wrench. You should see a small wire attached to the terminal to grip with your fingers and pull to disconnect.If it doesn't budge, use pliers.Keep in mind that when working near live parts, don't touch any metal you're not supposed to touch.Be sure no one is touching the disconnected battery while you're setting up for this test or touching anything else nearby that's connected to the same negative (black) post, such as the car frame, engine parts, and so on.When it's off, stop cranking itLet me explain:;Disconnecting the battery will cause all electrical components in your car to turn off. You need power from somewhere to crank your vehicles motor, so connect a battery charger to the dead battery and set it to 12 volts. Ensure you know how to operate your charger before disconnecting the dead car's battery. A slow or fast charge will do, but 12 volts is enough for this test in most cases.Although disconnecting and reconnecting a car battery is not likely to cause damage, taking all precautions never hurts. In some cars, some fuses get blown when you touch live parts with the engine off, so let the car sit for at least 5 minutes after disconnecting the negative terminal of the old car's battery. This will allow its electronics time to finish powering down.If your charging system passes this test, it means nothing is draining power from your vehicle while it's off. If you drive a car that does not have an alternator, the battery continues to supply the car with power while it's parked.If your vehicle fails this test :;It means your battery is drained and needs to be recharged before you can continue testing. Reattach its negative terminal and try again later after the dead battery has had time to charge up.The voltage should stay near 12 volts when charging for this test, so don't go higher than 14 volts unless you want to risk damaging the electrical components in your carHere is one more important thing:;When disconnecting and reconnecting a Car Battery Birmingham, we recommend against using jumper cables or another person's help. This provides a safer environment because having another person crank your car while touching its negative (black) post with your wrench could be dangerous.Another way is to get the engine running and test the charging system at home without connecting a battery charger. You can use a portable jump starter or an external battery. Just make sure it's chargedTo do so, read its manual or call the manufacturer for detailsOnce your vehicle's motor starts, let it run until it reaches operating temperature. Then turn on the headlights and all accessories in your car, including high beams, radio, air conditioner, defroster, and heater fan blower. Turn off the lights and turn the ignition key off after about 5 minutes.If any of these components fail to work when you try them, it's a good indicator that something is draining power from the ;Car Battery Birmingham when the vehicle is parked and off.Here are some common causes of car battery drainage:;a faulty alternator,a faulty belt for your accessories such as air conditioning or power steering,leaving headlights on overnight,;or parking in a dark spot where lights stay on all the time.Also, remember to turn off lights and other electrical components before turning off the engine. Allowing them to remain on wastes power could drain your car's battery even if its not running.Once you've determined why your battery keeps going dead, have those problems repaired as soon as possible for safety reasons. You can also help yourself by using jumper cables or a portable jump starter only when needed.When you're ready, disconnect the charger or external battery and reconnect your car's battery negative terminal last. If it sparks, have a professional inspect your vehicle for worn or loose components in its electrical system before you try this test again. Otherwise, congratulations, your vehicle's charging system is working. It was a pleasure to serve you. Don't forget to say thanks by sharing this article with friends on social media!If you already know how to do this test but havent tried it yet because of one reason or another, why not give it a shot now? Thank us later :-)" ]