How To Remove A Car Battery? The Steps To Follow
There may be times when you need to know how to remove a car battery. Such as if you want to replace the old battery or get the existing one checked for any flaws. In either case, removing the battery comes as the only option. Generally, getting the battery out is not a hassle, but you need to do it carefully, so you do not get hurt in unexpected ways.
How To Remove A Car Battery: Precautions To Take
Before you head to tweak the battery’s setting or open that hood, it is good to know some safety steps to read and follow. Here we bring you the complete guide on the safety standards and detaching the battery. Let’s get on to it-
Get Yourself Some Safety Gears
While getting on with how to remove a car battery, you should consider the safety gears first. Especially if you are dealing with a worn-out battery as old batteries often cause the acid to leak or the rapid electric shock. That is why it is wise to wear your safety equipment.
Get yourself a pair of gloves and goggles as the least protection layer you should have. Additionally, you can have more gears, such as the zip ties that keep each cable in place without letting them come in contact with each other.
Tip: Remove any jewelry you wear before operating the battery as it could cause an electric shock.
You should also work in an open area with your car. It will keep you to cope with any gases if infused.
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Turn Off The Engine And Ignition
Even if you do not feel switching of the ignition important, you should do it for the sake of your safety. Turn off both ignition and engine before you try your hands with the battery.
Do not be one of those people who think it is okay to not pay attention the engine or ignition system. The acid or the corrosion agents make the battery flammable that can create a spark and produce a short circuit. Once you are done switching off the engine and ignition, you can proceed further to the next step.
Going On Further With Battery Removal
Understand which tools you would need beforehand and how to remove a car battery without putting it on self-discharge safely.
Collect Required Tools
There is no point in hunting for the tools when you are ready at the hood to take off the battery. Make sure you have all the tools beforehand to keep your time from wasting. These are some tools you may need:
- 10 mm Open End Spanner
- 10 mm T-Spanner
- Black Tape
Disconnect The Negative Terminal
You first need to work with the negative terminal and take it off. Identify the negative one with the negative (-) sign. Mostly, negative terminals come in black color and positive ones in Red, so you can identify that way too. Another sign to identify negative and positive terminals is checking for protection over that a positive terminal always includes on it.
Once you have removed the negative terminal, get the black tape and wrap it around, so it does not get into contact with anything.
Work With The Positive Terminal
Once you are done with the negative terminal, it is time to work with the positive one. As positive terminal ads up a protection cover, you need to remove it first. The 10 mm spanner comes handy here to remove the nut. Keep the nuts safely, so you do not lose them.
Take Off The Battery Brackets
Once you have disconnected the terminals, it is time to get the brackets’ nuts off.
Use the T-spanner that we suggested to keep beforehand and disassemble the nuts so the battery can be taken out. Now, the battery gets detached from its holder, and you can lift it up. To keep the terminals from getting rusty, wrap them with the black tap, and you are free to replace it with the new battery or do whatever you want to.
How To Repair Without Taking Off The Battery
Several times, you may need to work with the engine safely. For that, you do not need to take off the battery entirely. As the black terminal is responsible for flowing the power to the car, you need to detach this terminal only. This will stop the current supply and prevent you from any short circuit.
This mechanism can serve in various cases:
- While working with the spark plug or Ignition coil
- While checking the starter motor
- Working on the blower fan
- Or any work related to the engine
How To Keep The Battery From Self-Discharge?
Many times, you do not use the car for longer, and you want to keep the battery safe, so it does not get self-discharged. Well, whatever the case is, it is possible to detach your battery without making it lose the power. Here are the steps for the same:
When you carry on the battery connected to the car, it keeps consuming the power by a small amount regularly. This way, even if you do not use the car, the battery gets drained. Get more Maintenance Tips here and save your car from malfunctioning.
- To avoid the problem, you would need to disconnect it from the terminals following the steps we mentioned earlier.
- Get your battery and remove it properly, keep it safe against environmental factors.
- You can also keep the battery as it is by removing the negative terminal only, and wrap the tape around it.
Conclusion
So these are the steps you should follow on how to remove a car battery carefully. Arrange all the tools and gears you think you would need during the dissembling. Wear all your safety tools before even touching the battery. In case of confusion, take it to the nearby car dealer and get it repaired there.
Keep the process in order and use the right tools if you do not want the nut rings to wear off or any similar misfortune.
