If Your Car Battery Can’t Hold Charge, Follow the Guided Steps
The car battery is the heart of your car which constantly pumps a steady stream of life in your car. It is the key to starting your vehicle every time you need to go somewhere. The car battery provides the electricity that powers all the electrical components in your car and it is the component that delivers voltage to the starter which turns over the engine.
When you start a car, a chemical reaction takes place, the battery turns chemical energy into electrical energy and plays an important role in stabilizing the flow of electricity. This is why, when your vehicle won’t start it is usually because of a dead battery or a falling starter.
Here you will find how to diagnose the problem of a dead battery and fixing them.
A car battery would last about 3-5 years depending on your driving habits and weather conditions. Once a battery reaches three year mark, you should check your car battery life at least once a year. Your car relies on its battery and over time, the internal parts of the battery corrode, hence reduce its ability to hold the charge.
If your vehicle hesitating to start repeatedly and it doesn’t turn over as quickly as it used to be than it’s a time to get to the bottom of the issue, you might felt that the battery dead but you have to be sure first before you run out to buy a new battery. There are several reasons behind the failure of the battery and here are some steps that help you to recognize some warning signs that the car battery is about to die.
Check the Headlights of the Car:
A car has a variety of lights from headlights to dome lights, to confirm that the car battery won’t hold a charge you can begin by turning on the headlights, if the light remains bright then the problem isn’t with the car battery, it is in the starting motor circuit. On the other hand, if the light dims and not bright then the problem is with the battery.
Sometimes if by mistakenly the door not being completely shut, it could trigger a light to stay on all night and results draining your battery. That’s why after parking your vehicle makes sure all the doors are properly closed and the lights turn off.
Inspect the Corroded & Loose Battery Connections Properly:
Check the battery by looking closely at the battery terminals, the visual inspection of the battery is the simplest way to check well, this inspection will not tell you the battery’s voltage but it can alert you to signs of corrosion or wear that need to be repair or replaced.
If you will find the powdery deposits on the positive or negative terminals of the car battery it can prevent the starter from drawing energy from the battery, you should clean them with a brush but before cleaning them make sure to check the cable connections properly.
Testing the Car Battery with a Voltmeter:
By performing some simple test you can find out the condition of your battery. By using a simple diagnostic tool like voltmeter you can quickly check if the car battery has enough charge to start your car or not. To check, set your voltmeter to 20 DC volts, now touch the black voltmeter lead on the negative battery cable and the red lead on the positive cable and check voltmeter reading at a temperature of about 80 F. If the reading is 12.45 volts or higher means your battery has a good charge. A reading of 11.8 volts or lower means your battery has less charge.
In case you got a low reading, fully charge your battery to improve the chemical reaction of a battery and have a load test done to determine if it will hold a charge. If the battery reading doesn’t go higher, replace the battery.
Consider the Age of the Battery:
The car battery can last well beyond three years depends on your driving habits, plus the climate conditions in your area. If your car constantly won’t start then the one significant reason would be that the battery is too old and worn out include corrosion and cracking. It is advisable to generally replace your car battery every 3-4 years.
Diagnose a Parasitic Draw:
Parasitic draw slowly caused battery drain, it happens when power continues to be drained from batteries after the engine is off. The fastest and the most efficient way of finding a parasitic draw is by using a voltmeter. Connect the voltmeter to the battery pack with the ignition off and the car’s negative battery terminal is disconnected, doors are shut and other accessories turned off. Once you turn on the tool and the voltmeter is showing anything above 50 milliamps that means there is a parasitic draw.
It is frustrating if a car battery won’t holding a charge also, sometimes figuring out the problems behind it is tricky. The mentioned steps would be helpful for you to figure out the battery problems and fixing the issue.
