Basic Battery Care

By Mike Allen
Mar 29, 2006
71

There's nothing but a loud buzzing noise coming from under the hood when you try
to start your car. Jumper cables get you up and scurrying to work--but you need
another jump to get home. Time to pull some maintenance on the battery.

Automotive batteries have a finite life span. Undercharging, overcharging and heat
all team up to degrade your battery. Poor electrical connections make it more
difficult for even a good battery to do its job.

ALL CHARGED UP

Start any battery maintenance program by checking open-cell voltage, either with a
dedicated battery tester or a voltmeter. With the battery fully charged and all
electrical drains-dome light, warning buzzer, etc.-shut down, the voltage across the
terminals should be 12.5 to 12.6 volts. If the battery is not completely charged, but
still adequate to turn over the motor, you may see a voltage closer to 12.0 volts.

If the battery shows less voltage or won't take a charge, it's time to get out the
hydrometer. This device checks the proportions of sulfuric acid and water in the
electrolyte, which is a precise indication of the level of charge. Pull up the battery fill
caps--if you can. Add distilled water to any cells in which the level of electrolyte isn't
touching the bottom of the fill port. Use only distilled water. The minerals in tap
water will eventually reduce a battery's capacity.

If your battery is one of the so-called low-maintenance varieties, you may not see
any filler caps. These batteries claim to never need water added. While it's true that
they have a slightly different chemistry that consumes less water, and the level of
electrolyte in the cells is deeper over the top of the plates, eventually these batteries
run out of water and die. Look carefully and see if there is a way to pull up a set of
filler caps. They may be hidden under a sticker that can be slit open. Others are
permanently sealed shut.

If the level of electrolyte is very low, suspect a charging system that's generating too
high a voltage. The maximum voltage you should see across the battery terminals
with a fully charged battery and an engine running well above idle is about 14.6
volts. Another cause of low electrolyte is excessive heat. Sun Belt drivers should top
up battery levels regularly because underhood temps will climb high enough to drive
water out of the battery very rapidly, even if the charging system is doing its job
correctly. If your vehicle came with an insulator around the battery, be sure it's in
place and in good shape.
This inexpensive wire brush-style post cleaner will leave a shiny surface with low
electrical resistance and good conductivity.
Time-honored baking soda paste is still the best way to neutralize and remove the
acid on the battery top.

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Back to the hydrometer: With your electrolyte level correct, suck up enough battery
electrolyte to cover the hydrometer float. Leave the bottom of the hydrometer inside
the port to keep any drips contained. Don't spill any electrolyte on yourself or the
car--it will eat holes in your clothes and remove paint. Wear safety glasses. If you
do spill any, immediately rinse with lots of water. Tap lightly to make any bubbles
clinging to the float rise to the surface. Read the specific gravity on the hydrometer's
scale at the bottom of the meniscus. A fully charged battery should have a specific
gravity of at least 1.265. More important, all six cells should show very similar
readings. One cell lower than the other five by 0.05 or more? Start shopping for a
new battery.
If the battery is discharged, you can't do any further diagnosis. Use a battery
charger until the open-circuit voltage is 12.6 volts. Avoid quick-charging, as the high
current can warp the plates. If the battery is deeply discharged, don't use the
engine's alternator to charge it by jump-starting and running the vehicle--the
alternator is not designed to produce that amount of current for that long and may
be damaged. Use a battery charger. If the battery is very deeply discharged, its
internal resistance will be high and it may not accept any charge. Just be sure the
battery charger is putting out at least 13.5 volts, and wait. The battery's internal
resistance will fall, and the charging current will rise to normal levels. Be sure to not
overcharge and boil off the electrolyte. And, never let a fully discharged battery
remain discharged for long--this promotes sulfation of the lead plates.

Don't leave a discharged battery in below-freezing conditions. Its electrolyte is

basically just water, and it will freeze and damage the plates inside. Bring a
discharged battery into a warm environment as soon as possible. Then charge it
immediately, even if this means removing the battery from the vehicle or towing the
vehicle to someplace where it can be brought inside.

SO NEAR AND YET SO FAR

If your battery has passed these tests and your car still won't start reliably, you may
have some issues with the wiring. We'll leave starter circuit problems for another
Saturday Mechanic. Now it's time for a general overhaul of the clamps and cables.

Start with a gentle cleaning of the battery clamps and the general area with a
handful of baking soda, some cold water and an old toothbrush. Rinse thoroughly.
Now you've neutralized most of the sulfuric acid that's collected near your battery so
it won't get on your hands or clothes or in your eyes.

Remove the battery clamps by loosening the pinch bolt. Won't move? It's common
for a clamp to become almost permanently attached to the post. Don't bang on it or
try to pry it off--the post is lead, soft as a stick of margarine, and alarmingly easy to
break off flush with the top of the battery case, requiring the battery to be scrapped.
Drop a few bucks on a battery-clamp removal tool.

Now clean the clamps and posts with more baking soda and water. Follow that with
a cleaning of the entire battery top using a few drops of detergent and plenty of
water. Any dirt that accumulates on top of the battery will attract moisture. The moist
film of dirt will conduct a small amount of current from one post to another,
constantly discharging the battery even when the vehicle is turned off. Keep your
battery clean and dry.

Follow up with a post-cleaning tool. This double-ended wire brush should be used to
get bright, shiny metal showing on both the post and the inside surface of the clamp.
Reinstall the clamp; avoid overtightening.
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SIDEWINDERS

If your battery has side terminals, the procedure is much the same, although you
won't need a clamp removal tool. Clean and brighten the terminals and reinstall.
There's a reason the bolt used on side-terminal batteries is smaller than a tax
collector's heart. It's to prevent you from overtightening the bolt and destroying the
threads in the soft post. Use a small wrench and tighten only to about 10 lb.-in.

UNIVERSAL CLAMPS AREN'T

If the clamp or wiring looks cheesy, replace it. When the starter is engaged, these
components conduct several hundred amperes--more than some arc welders. Avoid
"universal" replacement clamps, except as an emergency repair. Use proper
molded-on clamps and heavy-gauge replacement cables, which you can get in any
auto parts department for less than 10 bucks. Positive and negative posts are
slightly different in size--don't substitute the clamps or they won't fit properly.
Use a voltmeter to check the battery voltage. It should be nearly 12.6 volts with the
engine and all current drains off.
The battery cell this hydrometer is checking is almost completely discharged.
Finish up with a coating of grease or petroleum jelly on the terminals to keep them
dry.