It is very important to replace the battery once the battery is dead. The charging process will not work. A rusty battery or an old battery loses its capacity. If you drive with a bad battery, you will eventually get into trouble on the road. If that happens, you need to learn how to replace a dead battery.
- 1. Turn off your car.
- 2. Disconnect the negative terminal.
- 3. Disconnect the positive terminal.
- 4. Unscrew the fasteners.
- 5. Remove the battery.
- 6. Put a new battery in place.
- 7. Connect fasteners.
- 8. Connect the positive terminal.
- 9. Connect the negative terminal.
- 10. Try to start the vehicle
This is how you can replace the car battery. You need to make sure that the problem is with your battery and not the alternator to find out if your battery is dead and why your battery is dead. Follow this guide.
What happens if your battery dies?
Car batteries have a limited lifespan, most batteries can last three to four years, batteries can deteriorate and are prone to self-discharge.
A completely dead battery won’t start the car A dead battery won’t even crank the engine a little Nothing in the electrical system will work with a dead battery Even the headlights stop working.
The good thing about car batteries is that they start showing signs of dying before they fail completely.
The car will have trouble starting, a bad battery will stop the engine on starting, not enough cranking amps, the headlights will dim, and some cars will display the battery status on the dashboard.
Keep in mind that the car won’t start doesn’t mean your battery is dead, and there could be other issues you’re not aware of. If the entire electrical system isn’t working, your battery is dead If the electrical system works, your car cranks but it won’t start, your battery may be fine.
How to test a car battery?
Most beginners don’t know about the alternator in a car so when their car battery dies, they replace it without checking the alternator. A dead battery can also be caused by the faulty alternator.
If you replace the battery without fixing the alternator the battery will die again so you need to know why your battery died the alternator is responsible for charging the battery.
You can easily check the condition of your car battery and alternator by doing a simple test. To test the car battery you will need a multimeter. This device measures the current voltage of the car battery.
Testing a car battery with a multimeter:
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Turn on the headlights for two minutes:
By doing this you are getting rid of any level of charge.
3. Set the multimeter to 20 volts.
4. Connect the red plug to the corresponding red terminal of the battery.
Place it between the wires on the terminal.
5. Connect the black plug to the positive terminal.
6. Check the multimeter reading.
An ideal car battery voltage with the engine off is 12.6 volts or above. If your multimeter reads anything below 12.6, your battery is bad. (Sources)
Testing a car alternator with a multimeter.
1. Set the multimeter to 20 volts.
2. Insert the red plug into the negative terminal.
3. Insert the black plug into the positive terminal.
4. Check if the battery is OK with the engine off.
5. Turn on the vehicle engine.
6. Check the multimeter reading.
Now your reading should be above 13.9 volts meaning your battery is charging properly anything below means you have a bad alternator. (Source)
7. Turn off radio headlights and any energy wasters.
With the radio and other electronics on, the reading should not drop below 13.9 votes again.
Replacing the car battery
Once you are sure that your alternator is fine you can move on to replacing your battery if your alternator has damaged the battery then you will need to replace both the alternator and the battery here How do you install a car battery?
Car battery removal
1. Get a new car battery: Be sure to get the right size and cranking amps for your car model, you can get some help from this guide here. You can also do a quick Google search of your car model to find out. Note that if you buy the car battery personally, the worker will offer to replace it.
2. Turn off the vehicle engine and remove the key.
3. Remove the negative terminal first.
4. Then remove the positive terminal.
5. Disconnect the battery from the fasteners
Car batteries are held in place with fasteners or hold-downs, so you need to disconnect them before removing the battery.
6. Lift the battery and remove it.
7. Clean the terminals.
Installing a car battery:
1. Place the battery in place.
2. Attach fasteners or hold-downs.
This may require some tools like a wrench.
3. Connect the positive terminal first.
4. Then connect the negative terminal.
5. Try to start the vehicle.
Can you recharge a dead battery?
Car batteries die at the worst possible time. You don’t have a car to buy a battery. Can you jump-start the car and recharge the battery?
A completely dead battery cannot be recharged Dead batteries do not have enough cranking amps to start the car even if the car is able to start The battery is not charging properly its capacity has decreased And will soon die again.
I don’t recommend driving with a dead battery that you tried to recharge as you will most likely end up stuck on the road somewhere.
Related Questions and Other Frequently Asked Questions
Why has my car battery died suddenly?
New car batteries die suddenly when they are damaged or not charged properly. A bad alternator will never help charge a battery. Cold temperatures can cause battery corrosion, which will result in loss of battery capacity.
What are the symptoms of a dead battery?
A dying car battery will show signs that it is failing. One of the most obvious signs is that there are not enough cranking amps. The vehicle’s engine will stall and have difficulty starting. The electrical system will also have trouble working. Another obvious sign is dimmed headlights.