We all know that driving shouldn’t be the only skill every car owner knows. Sometimes, a little knowledge about the essential parts of the car, and knowing how to fix it help you big time. I would also recommend having knowledge about the basic tips in repairing your car and learning simple tasks such as how to jumpstart it or how to test a car battery.
Functions and Uses of a Car Battery
A car battery is an important part of your car. It is what gives your engine power to start up which is its main purpose. Other uses and functions of your battery are as follows; it powers the electronic parts of your car. Aside from starting up your engine, your car battery is also responsible for the power of your electronic accessories inside the car. This includes your GPS system, woofers, DVD and charging docks. It powers the electrical parts of your car. This means that your car battery is responsible for powering on the lights inside your car and the headlights outside.
The Importance of a Car Battery Maintenance
Learning some easy basic DIY tasks on car maintenance will ensure you that your car is well taken care of. It is also an important aspect in guaranteeing your car’s lifespan. One of the basic tasks includes knowing the importance and learning how to take care of your car’s battery. Taking care of your car battery will prolong its life. Remember that doing preventive maintenance checks on your battery is more economical than replacing it all the time-Battery maintenance means being able to clean the battery’s terminal and posts making it free from any deposits-Maintenance can tell you whether your battery is in optimal running condition. You will save a lot of money by doing preventive maintenance on your battery as you will spot problems immediately before they progress and would need a major repair.
The Importance of Testing Your Car Battery
There are several reasons why testing your car battery is important but the main reason is to know which one is having a problem when your car suddenly won’t start one day. Before, every time my car won’t turn on, I would immediately conclude that there might be a problem with the battery so my attention would be focused on it. It was then that I realized that there are other factors aside from the battery when your car’s engine suddenly won’t turn on.Behold, the 3 important parts that help your battery, the alternator, the starter and the battery. These 3 parts work hand-in-hand in powering up your engine and the reason why testing your battery is important.
When you test your battery and it yields a good result, then you can shift your focus to the other parts as it clearly indicates that your battery is not the culprit. So, therefore, the only reason to verify which one is causing the problem is to perform a battery test, thus making it extremely important in locating problems.
Another important reason why testing a car battery is important is to know if the battery you’re buying is in perfect condition. You can never tell if a store is selling you a faulty one until you were able to use it the first time. In this kind of situation, it’s better to be cautious than sorry situation.
Steps on How to Test your Car Battery
Learning to test your battery is an essential skill in repairing some of the basic issues of your car. Just make sure that you have the right tools at hand in conducting a car battery testing. There are 2 reasons why you need to test your car battery, they are: How much charge your battery has? To know the most accurate results of your battery’s performance. When I conducted a battery testing, for this reason, I waited for 12 hours after I switched off my engine. This is to accurately test the charge level of my battery as I can spot problems such as if the battery is retaining charge fine.
Steps.
Switch off your engine and open your car’s hood.
You have an option to either conduct the testing while your battery is still attached to your car or completely remove it from it. If you can easily replace it back to your car and you don’t have any problems re-connecting the wires to your battery, then I recommend you to get the battery.
Get your battery tester and connect it to the correct terminals on your battery. If it says positive, you should connect the other end to the positive end, and the same with the negative end.lf the sign is color coded, connect the red lead of the wire from the battery tester to the positive terminal on the car battery. Connect the black lead of the wire to the negative terminal on the car battery.Once everything is connected to its proper terminals, press the start button on the battery tester-Please be aware that cold temperatures can yield low results during reading. All battery testing is for a 21 -degree Celsius environment. If you conducted a testing at a temperature below the normal range, the reading can provide low results but not necessarily mean poor results.
A number result will be displayed on the battery tester screen. The reading will tell you the Voltage stored in your battery, and how much energy is retained (if you allowed the car to rest for 12 hours). Some battery reader has a digital display which tells you exactly what you need to know. The old version of battery reader is in analog style or the one with a needle. Check the results and compare it to what is standard for the type of battery you have. You will see if your battery is still fully charged, having problems retaining charge or dead. Before starting everything, always prioritize your safety. Put on some protective gears such as gloves to avoid hurting yourself with the chemical component of the battery. For more efficient results and a way of testing your battery, I recommend you to check this video online https://www.youtube.com/watch?vzKm6MNRYeEEY. It was clearly indicated in the video the steps on how to test your car battery with some helpful tips on how to prolong its life.