A car’s battery is very important. By Test a Car Battery on a regular basis, you can be sure that it will always be ready to start your car. Your ride’s whole system depends on it and how well you take care of it. It’s important to know how to test a car battery so that your best battery stays in great shape. If you’ve never done it before. Do not worry. This article will show you 6 great ways to do it.
6 Fun Ways to Test a Car Battery
Regularly testing your car’s batteries and electrical systems keeps it running well and lowers the chance that something will go wrong. The authors of Car From Japan found 6 popular ways to check your car battery that you might find useful:
1. A Voltmeter
It is very important to know how to use a voltmeter in order to test a car battery. You can test your battery with two different kinds of voltmeters. Two different types of voltmeters are shown below. The best voltmeter to use is a digital one because it is easier to read and gives you a correct reading. Still, drivers should know these things:
First, check your car’s key carefully before you do anything else. Please make sure that the car’s lights and the key are off. Second, car owners should take off the cover for the positive terminal of the battery and check and clean these connections well. The third thing you should always remember is to connect the voltmeter’s positive lead to the red positive wire of the battery. On the other hand, the voltmeter’s negative line is hook up to the mostly black negative terminal of your battery. Fourth, when you’re done with these steps, the voltmeter will show results based on the state of the battery. Volts between 12.4 and 12.7 mean that the battery in the car was healthy.
The voltmeter shows that your battery is weak if it shows a reading less than 12.4 volts. It needs charge to get better. If the number is less than 12.2, charge your battery slowly and then do the same steps again to check. If the number is higher than 12.9, on the other hand, it means that your battery has too much voltage. So, try turning on the high beams to get rid of the extra power.
2. An Ammeter
Most of the time, use an ammeter to measure any flow. The ammeter is already built into a lot of cars, which is very convenient.
It will tell you how the battery is charging. Either the charge is going into or out of the battery is shown by this meter. Because of the heavy load, this helps you tell if the engine is charging the battery or not. It will give you a good idea of how good the battery is. If the charge is way too low, you can be sure that the battery is going dead. This tool is important for drivers to learn how to test a car battery because it gives answers much faster than a voltmeter.
3: A Battery Health Check
A battery health indicator is usually already build into a lot of cars. This is one of the most important tools you need to know how to test a car battery. This was not build into old cars, but you can add it if you want to.
The round glass cover shows you the state of the battery, which lets you take care of it.
When you turn on the key, the arrow will be close to where the red and green bands meet. When the circle turns green, it means that your battery is healthy. As shown by the red circle, your battery is running at a lower charge. You will need to fully charge your battery before it will work regularly.
When you see a dark black or clear color, it means that the battery is almost dead and needs to be replaced soon.
4. The Power Probe
It’s easier to learn how to test a car battery with a power probe tester. You don’t need a voltmeter to test the car battery this way:
First, drivers need to take off the cover for the battery’s positive connection. Then, connect the device’s positive lead to your battery’s positive port. After that, hook up the Power Probe’s negative lead to the negative port. The Probe’s tip is then connected to the battery’s positive contact. Finally, the battery is either less than 12.2 or more than 12.9, so we suggest that you follow the steps above in the voltmeter way. Most of the time, cold places will be better for the power probe.
5: A Check of the Hydrometer
A hydrometer is a fluid measuring tool use to check the battery. This is used to find out how charged the battery is by measuring how heavy it is. It also tells you how strong or weak the battery juice or acid is. Also, this is not a good way to find out how much power your battery has.
A hydrometer should show that a fully charged battery has a specific gravity number between 1.265 and 1.299 at 80°F (26.7°C). You can find in its manufacturer’s instructions for the range of specific gravity numbers that are acceptable for your battery . If the numbers are below what is considered normal, it could mean that the battery is weak or dead.
How much they can hold is based on how many plates are in each cell. Any damage to these plates will change how much energy the cell can store. This method might not work for a sealed cell.
Please keep in mind, though, that using a hydrometer to test a car battery only gives you a general idea of how healthy the battery is. You might want to use a battery load tester or talk to a professional mechanic to get a more exact reading.
6: How to Use a Battery Load Tester to Check a Car Battery
You need to make sure that the terminal is not attach to the battery. Hook up the battery’s positive output to the positive thin gauge of a battery load tester.
Link the negative thin to the negative output later on. Keep in mind that some battery lead testers do not have a negative output. Instead, the other side of the tool has a pin connection. If you have a pin connection, you need to touch the negative out put of the car battery. The tool will only work for five seconds, and then it will connect to a car battery. If you touch the car battery to the pin socket, sparks will fly. That means everything is fine as it should be.
As long as the battery is healthy, the voltage rate will drop to 10 to 10.5 V. When the energy drops to 9V, it means you need to get a new battery soon.
Conclusion
These six ways will help you test a car battery the most. Do regular checks on your car battery to keep it in good shape and to make it last longer.
