Car Battery Maintenance Tips

It is advisable to do a little regular maintenance on your car battery, doing this maintenance means the battery can last a quite a bit longer and delay you having to buy an expensive new battery.

It will mean that the battery shouldn't go dead just when you need to rely on it. Car battery maintenance is not complicated and doesn't have to take a lot of your time. It is true to say that when it comes to car battery maintenance, a small amount of effort can go a long way. Be sure to wear appropriate protective equipment such as goggles and protective gloves when you are working with the car battery. The acid which is inside the battery, if splashed onto skin or eyes, can cause serious burns. You should avoid smoking or any naked flames and anything that creates sparking near the battery. This is because the hydrogen gas emitted by the battery could ignite and cause an explosion.

A few tips on car battery care:

• Check the liquid (known as electrolyte) level inside the battery if it isn't the maintenance-free type. If you don't have a maintenance-free sealed type of battery, it will have some removable screw-caps located at the top. You need to unscrew these screw-caps and ensure that the plates which are visible inside the battery are fully covered by electrolyte. Normally the electrolyte needs to be about the same level as the bottom of the screw-caps. You may see a level indicator near the base of screw-cap's hole. The electrolyte needs to be up to this indicator. You should use distilled water if you need to top up the electrolyte.
• Ensure that the bracket which holds the battery in place is sufficiently tight. If the bracket is loose, the battery could potentially become damaged due to excessive movement.
• Test the tightness of the screws or nuts which clamp the positive and negative connections onto the battery terminals. Loose connections could potentially give starting problems.
• If you tend to do mostly short journeys in your car, it's possible that the car battery never becomes fully charged. If this is the case, use a car battery charger now and then to get the car battery back to a full charge.
• If the battery terminals show signs of corrosion, you should disconnect the red and black battery leads and clean the connectors and terminals with a small wire brush. Before you disconnect the leads, be sure that the engine is off, and that any electrical accessories are off. When the connectors are back in place and are tightened, put a little petroleum jelly on the connections to help keep out dampness.