When it comes to starting your car, silence is one
of the most horrible sounds you can hear. This is why it is vital to act right
away to test your car battery
- Think your car battery is losing power (focus on the warning signs).
- You cannot recall the last time you changed your car battery.
You can carry out a car battery test at home by following the below-mentioned steps:
Carry out a load test
Performing any “test” on your car can sound threatening if you are not a technician. Fortunately, this one is pretty simple.
- Turn on your headlights, without starting your engine.
- Leave them in the “ON” position for ten to fifteen minutes.
- Start your car, after that time passes.
- See the brightness of your headlights.
If the headlights diffuse clearly as the engine starts, your battery does not clear the load test. The battery must embrace adequate charge to deal with the ten to fifteen minutes prior to the engine begins, and after the engine starts. If the battery of your car is under pressure here, it most possibly needs to be replaced prior to it will fail on the road.
Listen for clicks
When you switch your key over in the ignition, you will listen to an energetic roar that settles into a hum. If you listen to “click-click-click” in its place, it might indicate that there is some car battery problem. A single click, on the other hand, can mean a bad starter. Those clicks may signal towards a car battery replacement service, but they are a consistent indicator. In such cases, make sure to take the help of car repair services.
Check for corrosion
Corrosion on your car’s battery can point out a power problem. The corrosion is caused when acid within the battery releases hydrogen gas, and this interferes with the battery terminals’ capability to transfer power. The battery has to work more to compensate, and that additional work can curtail its life. You can clean the battery terminals with baking soda and a toothbrush. If your battery has been experiencing corrosion for a long time, the damage may be permanent. In that case, it is better to get it replaced.
Use the virtual battery tester
In order to get a car battery test done, you need to visit the website. There you will need to enter the car’s make, year, engine type, model, and your zip code. Once you click on the find out button, you will get to know the expected lifespan of the battery. Remember that factors such as weather or corrosion can change your battery’s life expectancy and persuade the test’s correctness.
Apart from this, you can test the battery using a millimeter. You can start by eliminating the positive terminal cover of the battery, and then, dirt-free it to get rid of any rust. Position your voltmeter to the lowly voltage setting i.e. above 15 volts and then join the negative lead to the negative battery terminal and the red lead to the positive terminal. This is basically the entire process, and now you just have to know what voltage to expect from your battery.
Also, keep a check on your car battery health by verifying whether or not it’s holding a full charge well or not. If in case your car battery is draining faster than it is supposed to, this might be an indication of an underlying issue which your are not aware of and you’ll have to take it to a car service provider and get it inspected as soon as possible.
