Oh-oh. Bad news.
Your car’s battery is close to an end. Dimming headlights, cold craking issues, battery light on after ignition…
I’ve already covered when should you replace your car’s battery and today it’s time for me to teach you how to change a car battery.
So, make sure you have all the tools and parts you need, we’re going to get our hands dirty.
Time Needed: 30′
Difficulty: Easy
Materials and Tools You’ll Need
- Replacement Car Battery
- Set of Wrenches
- Memory saver
- Gloves
- Safety glasses
Changing a car battery step by step
Preparation: Plug the memory saver into the lighter and get your safety gear on.
Step 1. Locate the battery
Check your owner’s manual to see where your battery is located. In the immense majority of cars, it will be underneath the hood.
The terminals are marked + for positive and – for negative (red and black respectively). In this moment you want to make sure that your gear4wheels1-20nt battery has the same dimensions and terminal position as the old one. Make a quick visual comparison now.
Step 2. Disconnect the terminals
Loosen the bolt or nut that holds the negative terminal FIRST and take the wiring off the terminal. Then the positive.
Take extreme caution not to touch both posts simultaneously by any way, as this will generate sparks, create peak currents and damage components such as the ECU and other very expensive components.
Step 3. Loosen the battery from the box
You’ll see that the battery is hold by some kind of clamp or retaining system. Loosen it up and take it off.
Step 4. Take the battery out
Carefully, take the battery off and lay it down in the floor on a side. Now it’s a good time to double check that batteries are both indeed the same size.
Step 5. Ensure wirings are in good condition
Terminals from car batteries tend to corrode (in lead-acid batteries at least) so it’s a good idea to check condition of the wiring.
If it’s corroded, give it a clean using a metal brush and a final wiping with a cloth.
Step 6. Put the new battery in
Get your new battery inside its box and get the retention system on so that it is snug and not moving around. Take the caps from the terminals off so they are shown naked.
Step 7. Protect the terminals
Using some dielectric grease or even vaseline, apply a protective layer on the battery posts so they are protected against corrosion.
Step 8. Connect the battery
You want to connect first the positive terminal and tighten it up.
Then connect the negative terminal on and do the same.
Step 9. Final check
Once the battery is properly fitted, wiring connected and tightened, you want to start the car and check how the cranking goes, if there are no lights on the dashboard after we start, and that everything works ok (test a few things like horn, wipers, lights etc all at the same time to see how the new battery responds)
That’s it! You’ve succeeded at changing you car’s battery!
If there are any questions that you have, leave them on the comments below and I’ll be happy to answer!