Steps to Replace a Car Battery

We all know that a car battery is not built to last forever. It eventually must be replaced after a considerable time of usage even when you maintain it properly. In this blog, Go-Green Auto Service Corp provides you with the steps to follow when the time comes to change your car battery. These steps are listed below; go through them to master this particular task.

• You should park your vehicle on a level surface and quickly turn it off. Go-Green Auto Service Corp advises that you avoid replacing car batteries on the side of roads if possible. Remove your car key from the ignition to ensure no power is going to the battery. 
• Next, put on your safety gear, consisting of insulated gloves and safety goggles, and pop open the hood of your car, propping it up with its rod. Always remember that batteries contain sulfuric acid electrolyte solution which is highly corrosive in nature, produces harmful flammable hydrogen gas, and can also burn the skin. Therefore, you must always wear this protective gear whenever handling old car batteries.
• Upon opening the hood and propping it up with a rod, you should see your car battery in one corner of the engine bay; in older car models, it generally is either near the windshield or your front bumper. Locate the rectangular battery box which has two cables attached to it. If yours is a newer model car, then its battery is likely beneath a plastic cover. Some vehicles even come with their battery installed in the trunk rather than under the hood. So you might experience difficulties even in locating your battery, in which case you merely turn to your owner’s manual for assistance. 
• Once you find your battery, you should then disconnect the negative cable and secure it with a cable tie. The negative battery terminal is usually black in color with a minus sign near it, while the positive terminal is generally red with a plus sign near it. Always be sure it’s the negative cable that you are removing first and not the positive cable. Getting this step wrong can lead to an electrical short circuit. 
• The next step is to do the same with the positive cable; disconnect the positive cable and secure it with a cable tie. Now you can safely remove the battery from your vehicle. To do so, inspect the bracket that secures the battery in place and remove any connectors/screws that may be securing the battery to the bracket. A socket wrench, a right-sized socket, and an extension bar are the tools needed to complete this step.
• Check your battery terminals for a powdery buildup that can be either green, blue, white, or gray in color. You must remove this buildup and can do so by rubbing sandpaper on the terminals. Once the buildup is removed, you then grease both terminals with a thin layer of lithium grease.
•  Now it is time to fit the new battery. Your new battery must be the right battery size and type for your vehicle model because not all batteries are meant for every car; there is never a one-size-fits-all when it comes to car batteries. Therefore, write down the information listed on your old battery i.e part number, dimensions, and size. This will help ensure that you purchase an ideal replacement.
• You can then place the new battery in your battery tray and secure it to the bracket.
• Reconnect the positive cable first. Then undo the cable tie which secures the positive cable to the engine bay. Be careful to ensure that the end of the cable does not make contact with anything made of metal. Use a wrench to tighten the cable after putting it on the terminal.
• The next step is to reconnect the negative cable following the same process used in reconnecting the positive cable.
• Your battery replacement is now successfully complete and all that remains is that you close the hood of your car and start its engine.
• Your old car battery is hazardous and must be disposed of properly; to do so, you can either turn it over to the store where you purchased your new car battery or to your personal auto service provider Go-Green Auto Service Corp.

You should now be quite familiar with the steps to follow when replacing your old car battery. In the event you still remain uncertain, you can have a car maintenance and repair shop handle this task for you. Go-Green Auto Service Corp in Brooklyn, New York City, is the perfect place to do so. We are a world-class one-stop auto maintenance and repair center that offers the highest quality auto servicing at such an affordable price. Call us TODAY!