Your car’s battery usually has a mind of its own. Most of the time, it dies out on you during the most inconvenient time, like during a rainy night where you get stranded in the middle of nowhere without a person or a house in sight. In times like these, the only person you can rely on is yourself.
To avoid panic and frustration, you should know how to fix and change your car battery on your own. However, before you start working on your car, make sure that your battery needs to be replaced. Here are some steps you can follow to help ease your situation.
- Park your car in a safe location. This will avoid possible accidents on the road from happening.
- Take out your tools. In this case, you need a combination wrench.
- Open your hood and detach the black negative cable from the battery. Use a wrench to loosen the nut or use battery pliers or wrench if you have one.
- Twist and pull the end of the cable using your hand. Avoid using tools because this may break your battery terminal. You can purchase a battery terminal puller if you need to.
- Repeat the same method and detach the red positive cable. Use a wrench to remove the battery clamp.
- Lift the battery from the tray. Remember, it is quite heavy so use both your hands to lift the bottom. Take note that some batteries have handles which you can use to remove it.
- Clean and wipe off the residue and rust left behind on your battery tray using a battery cleaning solution and the KevianClean Auto Detailing Towel. Use a wire brush to clean the cable connectors.
- Place your new battery in the tray and secure it with the hold down clamp. Use an anti-corrosion solution to spray on both terminal ends.
- Attach the red positive cable and make sure it is tight. Do the same procedure for the black negative cable.
- Make sure all cables are connected and tightened properly. To check if it is secure, try to move it. If the cable terminals are moving, it means that your cables are not properly connected and your car may not start.
Once you correctly finish all these steps, then you can give yourself a pat on the back for a successful battery change. In case this happens to you again, you are more confident and relaxed.