Home » Household appliances » Batteries » Step-by-step replacement of car batteries
The service life of a good car battery is 4-7 years. Naturally, it is possible to wear out the battery before the guaranteed period. But, we give you an example of operating a battery in ideal conditions. And we’ll tell you about the main manifestations of battery wear and talk about how they can be avoided. Wear usually occurs in the winter, this is caused by high loads and a decrease in battery power due to low temperatures. To avoid an unpleasant situation at the most crucial moment, you need to change it in a timely manner, without waiting for the battery to fail. We will tell you how to replace a car battery in this article.
How to replace a car battery
We immediately bring to your attention that this article is intended for beginners, and not for experienced drivers; it is for those who have recently gotten behind the wheel that this information will be useful. In general, the entire process of replacing the battery can be divided into two stages:
- Preparatory.
- Battery replacement.
We will focus on them in more detail so that you can step by step replace your car battery without any problems.
Initially, we recommend watching this video, it was prepared by real experts. If you look carefully, then you won’t need to read the entire article. But if you still have questions, you will find all the answers to them in this article.
Tips on how to extend the life of a new battery
In order not to have to replace too often with a new one or revive an old hoverboard battery, you need to follow the rules for charging and storing it. Moreover, this should be done from the very beginning of use, and not just after the first problems appear.
Follow charging rules
This is not to say that charging a hoverboard battery is a labor-intensive process, but there are several rules here:
- The first time you use a new battery, you should fully discharge and charge it. In total, it is worth doing such “approaches” 2-3 times .
- Use only the charger that comes with the hoverboard.
- There is no need to use the battery in the cold , where it discharges faster and the number of recharge cycles is significantly reduced.
- Deep discharge is not recommended.
- If you smell a burning smell or find leaks in the area where the battery is located, you should urgently replace it and under no circumstances continue to use it or even store it indoors.
Storage rules
Additionally, you need to follow the storage rules, which apply not so much to the battery as to the vehicle itself. This includes the following points:
- The device should be stored in a warm and dry room , and the optimal temperature for it is considered to be 18 degrees.
- There is no need to start riding the hoverboard or just stand on it while charging.
- You should not drive a vehicle with a low battery, locked wheels, or warning of system errors.
- If the hoverboard is not intended for use in places with high humidity, it is prohibited to ride it out of the house in snowy or rainy weather .
- You should not constantly ride at maximum speed, because this will significantly shorten the life of the battery.
Preparatory stage for replacing the battery
The first thing to do is find the battery. For inexperienced motorists, this may seem like a big problem. The bottom line is that the car battery is probably hidden under the seat, so that the naked eye would not notice it. It can also be in the engine compartment or trunk. Find out what kinds of batteries there are for mobile phones.
The layout is considered standard when the battery is installed between the engine compartment and the interior partition. Most often, this niche is covered with a plastic protective panel. If this is difficult for you, just use the instruction manual.
Secondly, we study the fasteners, there can be many different options here. We will tell you about the most used battery mounting options.
- The first is a special clamp at the bottom of the battery, which is a metal plate with a hole for a bolt.
- The second is a metal strip that is secured to the top of the battery using two threaded rods.
The third thing we have to do is check the terminal designs. In most cases, the terminals are located at the top of the battery. To disconnect the wires from them, we can also use two methods:
- The simplest is to unscrew the nut on the terminal,
- It is more difficult to rid the circuit of the spring clamp.
In the first case, it will be enough to use a socket wrench (10), in the second, you will have to use standard pliers.
Fourth step. Here we determine the main parameters of our battery. It is worth carefully inspecting the battery to determine where the markings are.
The final step is worth remembering, or better yet, write down the audio system code, which you will need to enter when connecting a new car battery. This code will help prevent theft of your CD player. Learn how to charge your battery without a charger.
Note! If you lose such a code, it can only be restored at a specialized service station. Several dozen people have already made a serious mistake at this stage.
❶ What are batteries used for?
Author KakSimply!
Rechargeable batteries come in various types. The purpose of their creation depends on the range of equipment with which they can be used. They were originally developed as an alternative to conventional batteries.
The main purpose of rechargeable batteries is to provide power to a specific device without connecting to an AC power supply. To do this, the batteries must accumulate a charge and be able to retain it until the device is used directly. Unlike conventional batteries, rechargeable batteries have the ability to restore their charge. Many rechargeable batteries have been created as an alternative to conventional batteries. The possibility of reusable use makes these devices more convenient to use and economical.
A battery is a set of batteries connected in parallel or in series. In most cases, the connection is made in series. This method is necessary to increase the final output voltage. This allows the use of a group of batteries, the output voltage of each of which is significantly lower than the total.
Sometimes the parallel connection method is used. This scheme allows you to increase the overall battery capacity. Typically, a parallel connection is used to create batteries for those devices that need to provide long-term operation without recharging.
Nowadays, all mobile devices use batteries to operate. These include mobile phones, laptops, communicators, tablet PCs, mp3 players and so on. In most cases, lithium-ion batteries are used. Particularly important characteristics of batteries include the following parameters: capacity, voltage, efficiency and service life.
It is very important to understand that rechargeable batteries have a certain resource that is wasted during use. For example, mobile computer batteries become unusable after about 2-3 years of active use. Some batteries are equipped with their own controllers that prevent the device from overheating and monitor the battery charge level.
What are batteries used for?
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What is needed to replace the battery
In order to replace the battery you need a small set of tools and materials. Namely:
- Socket wrenches for 10, with the help of them we will remove the metal holder.
- Sandpaper or a special brush, which is designed to clean the terminals from oxide.
- A small rag to wipe the surface of the battery.
- Rubber gloves for safety while working. After all, the battery contains acid, which can significantly damage your health.
- An aerosol like “WD 40”, we use it if something won’t come off.
Reasons for battery drain
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What drains the battery?
With the arrival of cold weather, after 2-3 days of the car being idle, the battery died. After fully charging 3 days later, the battery died again, and the car was not used at all. Therefore, the reason is unlikely to be poor generator performance. Replaced the battery. Same story, 3 days and that's it. I could not find any burning light bulbs or other possible electrical consumers.
Answer:
Based on the description, it looks like there is a leak in the electrical system. It is necessary to check with an ammeter with a permissible current value of 10 A or more. All electrical and lighting devices in the car, including the alarm, must be turned off. If the electrical equipment is in good condition, the ammeter reading will be 20-30 mA (taking into account the features of the circuit design of the electrical equipment of a particular car). Such currents do not have a negative impact on the battery when the car is inactive for 1-2 months. If the car has an on-board computer and other additional electronic devices, current consumption may increase to 50mA. In this case, the recommended maximum vehicle inactivity time should not exceed 3 weeks in the summer and 10-15 days in the cold season. Otherwise, the battery may be discharged to the point where it cannot start moving after a long period of inactivity.
The presence of a leak can be diagnosed if the current exceeds 50mA.
How to detect a leak in a car's electrical system?
Answer:
To diagnose a leak, you can use an ammeter with a permissible measured current of 10 A or more. It is necessary to disconnect the negative terminal from the pole terminal of the battery, and connect an ammeter to the open circuit. At this moment, all electrical appliances, the sound part of the security organization and the lights must be turned off. If the electrical equipment and wiring are in good condition, the ammeter reading will be 20-30 mA. Such leakage current does not harm the battery when the car is inactive for 1-2 months. If the car has an on-board computer and other additional electronic devices, current consumption may increase to 50mA. In this case, the recommended maximum vehicle inactivity time should not exceed 3 weeks in the summer and 10-15 days in the cold season. Otherwise, the battery may be discharged to the point where it cannot start moving after a long period of inactivity. The presence of a leak can be diagnosed if the current exceeds 50mA.
Why did the battery die while the car was running?
On the way to the dacha we were stuck in a long traffic jam, it was hot outside, the air conditioner was on, the radio was on, we practically didn’t move, the car was constantly on “D”. After 5 hours of “standing”, I stopped at the tent and could not start the car. We lit a cigarette and it started with half a turn. What could it be and why did the battery die?
Answer:
This is normal in this situation. The generator is capable of charging the battery only at medium and high engine speeds. Average loads for switched on electrical appliances are:
- 3 A - radio tape recorder,
- 9 A - low beam headlights,
- 24 A - air conditioning.
In total, in 5 hours of traffic jam (3A + 9A + 24A)x5h = 180 Ah are consumed. And we must not forget about other electrical equipment of the car, for example, candles. The generator is completely unable to cope with the demand for electricity, and the battery compensates for this shortage and is discharged.
What happens to the battery during a long discharge (more than a month)? Where to start resuscitating the battery?
Answer:
Lead-acid batteries are very susceptible to deep discharges - more than 30%. In such cases, they must be charged as quickly as possible.
The active mass of a discharged battery turns into white lead sulfate (PbSO4), a dielectric. If the battery is left in a discharged state for a long time, the lead sulfate crystals increase in size and harden, which leads to the shedding of sulfates. When you try to charge the battery in the normal mode, heating and excessive gas evolution will occur.
During deep discharge, a low-level direct current charge is usually used until the voltage and density of the electrolyte are stabilized. This mode allows you to restore battery performance by 80-90%. If a discharged battery has been left idle for a month, you can try to revive the battery by charging with a current of 0.5-1 A until the voltage stabilizes. This procedure may take several days. It is strictly not recommended to add water or electrolyte if the level is normal (15-20 mm above the upper edge of the electrodes). When charging in this mode, the beginning of gas evolution in all cells will indicate that the charge is 70-80% complete. If recharged successfully, this battery will have lower electrical characteristics and will not be able to ensure normal vehicle operation.
Can power lines drain a battery?
If a car is parked under a power line, does the battery self-discharge rate increase or not?
Answer:
The electrochemical processes occurring in the battery do not depend on the action of electromagnetic fields. If the car is parked under a high-voltage power line, nothing will happen to the battery unless it is connected to any electronic device. Vehicle electrical equipment may be sensitive to strong electromagnetic fields. If in practice there were cases when the battery was quickly discharged, most likely, they were associated with incorrect operation of the vehicle’s electrical equipment, which increased the leakage current to several 100 ml A.
How to quickly replace a battery within 20 minutes
If you have all the necessary tools nearby, this will not be difficult and will take no more than 20 minutes of your precious time, let’s move on directly to replacing the battery:
Disconnect the negative terminal, then disconnect the positive wire
You need to unscrew the battery mounting nuts or loosen them in order to remove the battery. We take out the battery.
Be sure to clean all joint surfaces with a wire brush or sandpaper.
Now you need to perform all the steps in reverse order, excluding the previous point.
Trying to start the car, if the car starts, then you have completed the task
If you encounter any difficulties, do not try to resolve them yourself. It is possible that a dead battery may not be the only cause of problems with starting the engine. If you don't get the desired result, just contact a professional.
What does battery capacity affect?
Indeed, the topic of installing a battery with a capacity that exceeds the regulated values is popular among motorists.
And then skeptics and people, without understanding this issue, begin to scare other motorists with possible generator failure, problems with undercharging and other malfunctions.
To correctly answer this question, you first need to understand the very essence of the battery and its capacity.
Capacity is the capacity of the battery. This is an indicator of how much charge the battery holds. Measured in Ampere-hours.
In simple terms, the capacity reflects the current that needs to be applied to charge the battery for an hour. In a car, the battery is responsible for supplying power to the starter when the engine starts. It also participates in the operation of electrical equipment if the engine is not running.
On batteries produced for passenger cars, you can most often find capacity indicators of the order of 45, 50, 60, 75 Am-h. It is this value that reflects the capacity.
In cars, batteries have an approximate constant voltage of 12.7 V. But the capacity indicators depend on the car itself, the engine size and the electrical equipment used in the car. The higher these values, the larger the battery capacity the car will need. Small cars are usually equipped with a 45-50 Amh battery. For engines of 2.0 liters or more this is already 60-80 Am-h.
The power supply system for all cars is the same. It includes:
- accumulator battery;
- generator;
- starter;
- on-board network.
Now to the question of how a change in capacity affects the car and its electrical network.
For a better understanding, imagine 2 containers filled with water. One holds 80 liters, the other only 50. At the same time, they are filled with the same pressure of water, at the same speed. As a result, it turns out that an 80-liter container will hold more water, but a 50-liter container will fill faster. The 80 liter container takes longer to fill, but will still be filled eventually.
If there are a lot of water consumers, then an 80-liter tank will be able to provide them with water better than a 50-liter conventional competitor. The situation is approximately the same with batteries and their capacity.
It is important to understand one more point here. The battery is charged by the generator when the engine is running. This allows you to save charge for subsequent restart of the internal combustion engine after it stops. If the car moves in short bursts, the battery may not have time to charge.
If you install a battery with a larger capacity, it will take longer to recharge the battery.
But the accumulated current is enough to perform a more extensive list of tasks, which can be a key factor during winter operation of the car.
If we talk about installing a battery with smaller capacity parameters, then there is a different opinion. Allegedly, the battery will recharge and the electrolyte will begin to boil. This is not true. Especially when applied to modern cars. They use sensors that monitor the charge level. As soon as it reaches the desired value, power from the generator stops flowing to the battery.
Is it possible to restore an old hoverboard battery?
If you do not have the desire or funds to purchase a new battery, you can try to restore the broken element. Although the probability of a successful result is not very high , the manipulations performed will certainly not deteriorate the old battery.
Note! The site editors do not bear any responsibility for the use of these instructions; they are provided for informational purposes.
- First, the battery must be completely discharged and charged three times without interruption. In this case, you can only use the original power supply.
- Next, you should take a 5-12 V charger, a resistor of up to 1000 Ohms, and a multimeter of 500 mW or higher.
- Then you need to connect the “-” battery to the “-” power supply, and then “+” to “+” using a resistor.
- If everything is normal with the polarity, which is checked with a multimeter, then the power supply needs to be plugged into the outlet for a couple of minutes.
After these steps, there is a chance that the battery will be restored. But you shouldn’t even be too happy about success, because the battery won’t last too long anyway .