In today’s guide, we shall be looking at how to charge a car battery. Charging a car battery might appear simple but there are some technicalities in it you must be aware of so you don’t complicate things. We shall also look at how long you should charge a car battery, where to charge a car battery etc.
If you want to accomplish the car battery charging operation securely, you’ll need to do more than just connect a charger to a dead automobile battery. If you need to remove the battery, you need know which terminal to remove first, which terminal to connect to the charger first, how long to charge a dead car battery, and more.
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How To Jump A Dead Car Battery
Make sure all accessories are turned off, as well as all lights, including the interior light. If you have anything on when working with the battery, it could cause it to arc.
Remove the negative or ground cable first when you get down to the battery. Unless the cables were swapped with the wrong colors, this is always the black cable. You can tell which is which by looking at the top of the battery: the ground line will have a negative (-) sign, while the power or positive line will have a plus (+) symbol.
To neutralize the battery acid, clean the terminals with a terminal cleaning brush and a mixture of baking soda and water. Wear eye protection and a mask if the battery terminals and posts have a lot of acid accumulation so that the airborne corrosion does not get into your eyes, nose, or mouth. After you’ve cleansed your hands, don’t touch your face.
If the battery has removable caps, pull them off carefully and check the water level. If any of the cells appear to be low, only add distilled water, being careful not to overfill the battery. You won’t be able to open most batteries nowadays to check the acid level because they are “maintenance-free.”
How To Charge a Car Battery
If you’ve decided to charge your dead car battery, ensure you follow these steps so you’ll be able to perform this task successfully:
Prepare The Battery
You must first prepare the battery before you begin charging it. To do so, first determine whether you’ll need to remove your car’s battery to complete the charge. Some automotive batteries must be removed from their holding trays to be charged, while others can be charged while still in their trays. You won’t have to remove the battery in most traditional automobiles to charge it. If you need to remove your battery to charge it, do so first before proceeding with the charging process.
Turn Off All Car Electronics
You must first prepare the battery before you begin charging it. To do so, first determine whether you need to eliminate anything. Make sure that all electronics in your car, including any extras such as the interior cabin light or the stereo, are turned off once your battery is ready for charging (if necessary). If any devices are left turned on while charging, the battery may be subjected to an electrical arc. Make sure all electricity and electronics are turned off once more!
Remove The Negative/Ground Cable, The Positive
After you’ve double-checked that all electricity is turned off, you may start removing the negative or ground connection from your car’s battery. Almost always, it’s a black cable with a “-” symbol on it. The positive cable will be red with a “+” symbol on it.
You may need to pry the plastic caps off your battery’s terminals in order to remove the cables. If these caps are present, remove them to gain access to the terminals if necessary.
To release the negative cable, use a socket wrench and slowly pull it away from the battery. To prevent a charge from moving between the two sources, make sure the negative cable is far away from the positive cable.
The positive cable and terminal must be removed in the same manner as the negative cable and terminal. For the same reasons as before, move the positive cable away from the negative terminal.
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Clean The Battery Terminal
It’s a good idea to clean your terminals before you start charging your battery. You can do this with a terminal cleaning brush, which resembles a little toothbrush and is designed to clean corrosive debris and grime from terminals. You can either use a professional battery cleaning solution or mix baking soda and water to make your own.
When you charge the battery and reconnect the terminals, cleaning the terminals neutralizes the battery acid and prevents issues.
Always wear face and eye protection when cleaning the terminals of your battery for safety.
Connect The Battery Charger
Now that you’ve completed the preceding procedures, you’re ready to connect your battery charger.
Please note that your charger may have unique instructions for its operation before performing any of the actions listed below. If they violate our rules below, you should follow them. This is how your battery charger should be connected:
- First and foremost, make sure the charger is turned off before starting to use it.
- After that, connect the charging unit’s positive cable to the positive terminal on your battery.
- After that, repeat the procedure by connecting the negative connection to the negative terminal on your battery. These procedures should not be reversed; the positive cable must be attached first.
- Turn your charger on with both cords connected in the correct order. Start by setting it to the lowest pace, especially if this is your first time using the charger.
- Set the timer on your charger to the appropriate charge time if it has one. This timer will charge your battery for the amount of time you specify. Consult your owner’s handbook or do an online search if you don’t know how long you need to charge your car’s battery.
Remove The Charger
You can disconnect the charger’s connecting cables from your car battery after it has operated for the chosen amount of time and the charging process is complete. In certain cases, the charger will contain a meter or indication that will tell you when it is safe to use it.
Before touching any of the other controls on the unit, turn it off to safely remove the charger. It is only safe to remove the cables once the charger has been turned off. Remove the positive cable first, then the negative when the power has been turned off.
Don’t forget to replace the wires on the terminals for your automobile batteries after you’ve removed them. Make sure the positive cable is connected before replacing the negative, and use your wrenches to tighten any nuts or bolts that need to be tightened. If you completely removed the car charger, you’ll need to reinstall it in its tray and reapply the hold-down clamp.
How Long Should You Charge Your Car Battery?
It takes roughly 10-24 hours to fully charge a standard car battery with an usual charging amp of roughly 4-8 amperes. It will take 2-4 hours to fully charge your battery so that you can start the engine.
Where To Charge A Car Battery
If you notice your car battery is down, you can try the steps outlined above to charge it, or take it to a nearby mechanic workshop.
Hope this article on how to charge a car battery was helpful! If you try these steps and can’t still charge your dead car battery, we recommend you take it to a mechanic who will do it for you.
