![]() ![]() This could be on the engine block itself, a piece of unpainted metal or an officially marked earthing point. It is safer to connect it to an earthing point under the engine bay. The latest advice is to NOT connect the negative lead to the negative battery terminal of the old battery as this creates a fire risk.Connect the negative (black) lead to the negative (-) terminal on the working battery.Connect the other end of the positive lead to the positive terminal on the dead battery.Connect the positive, or live (red) jump lead to the working battery's positive (+, or red) terminal.First off, ensure both cars are off with handbrakes on, and parked closely together.'How to jump-start a car with leads?' can be explained in ten easy steps: Jump packs used to be relatively unwieldy devices, but lithium-ion technology means they are now highly portable. Jump packs are portable batteries that you can charge at home and then hook up to your car battery to get its engine spinning. Your second option is to use the car salesperson's friend – the jump pack. The downside of this system is you need another healthy car and someone with the time and will to help you out – not things you can always guarantee to find. Once the engine's sparked – and assuming there's nothing else wrong (like a faulty alternator) – from there the car can charge its own battery. Essentially, you're sending the power from a healthy car with a charged battery to the other car with a flat battery – the slug of electricity is enough to crank the sick car's engine and, with a few turns, it spins into life. Thirty years ago it was common to see two cars with their bonnets open, with a pair of cables connecting their batteries – this was jump-starting. In this case, bring your battery or your vehicle with your battery to a local Meineke Car Care Center and we will change your vehicle’s battery.The first is the old fashioned way. If a cell is bad, the battery won’t hold a charge. The lower the open-circuit voltage in the battery and the more cold-cranking amps, the longer it will take to charge the battery. The same battery will take about 6 hours to fully charge if the charge rate is 10 amps. If the battery voltage is below 11.85 and your charger is putting out a 5-amp charge rate, it will take about 12 hours to fully charge a battery with 400 to 500 cold-cranking amps. How Long Should You Charge a Car Battery? When removing the charger, turn it off first, then remove the positive then negative cable. Set the charger to the slowest charge rate. Hook up the negative cable on the charger to the negative terminal on the battery. Hook-up the positive cable on the charger to the positive terminal on the battery. Basic instructions for most chargers include: We Can Replace Your Car Battery! Find a Meineke Shop Nearby Hooking up the Battery Chargerįollow the instructions for your particular charger. Most batteries today are “maintenance-free” so you won’t be able to open them to check the acid level. If any of the cells looks low, add distilled water only and take care to not overfill the battery. If the battery has removable caps, carefully pry the caps off and check the level of the water. Don’t touch your face until after you’ve washed your hands. ![]() If the battery terminals and posts have a lot of acid buildup, wear eye protection and a mask so the airborne corrosion does not contact your eyes, nose and mouth. ![]() If you look on the top of the battery, you can see which is which – the ground cable will have a negative (-) sign and the power or positive cable will have a plus (+) sign.Ĭlean the battery terminals with a terminal cleaning brush and a mixture of baking soda and water to neutralize the battery acid. This is always the black cable unless someone replaced the cables with the wrong colors. Once you get down to the battery, remove the negative or ground cable first. If you have anything on, it could cause the battery to arc while you are working with it. Some batteries are easily accessible however, some are under or in the fender and some may even be in the trunk or under the seat depending on the make and model of your vehicle.īe sure all accessories are off and the lights, including the interior light, are off. Before you even get started, if you have to remove the battery from the vehicle to charge it, be sure you have the tools for the job. It is very easy to get a good shock if the battery does have some juice. You should know which terminal to remove first if you have to remove the battery, which terminal to hook up first on the charger, how long to charge a dead car battery and more.īefore we get into how to charge a car battery at home, you need to know how to prepare to charge the battery. Charging a dead car battery is more than simply hooking up a charger if you want to do this job safely. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |