Changing a Battery

Cars are very expensive possessions and require regular care and maintenance in order to keep them in working condition.  The majority of people are very active in keeping their car maintained through oil changes, transmission fluid changes, checkups, and other repairs but they often forgot or ignore their car battery.  The car battery is a crucial piece to the operation of your vehicle and without proper car you will quickly find yourself stranded on the roadside.   The majority of car batteries has a lifespan of about four and a half years and should be replaced on average every four years. You can expect to spend approximately fifteen to thirty minutes changing your car battery.

Tools Needed
In order to safely remove your old car battery you will need safety gloves, protective eye wear, a combination wrench, a pail of water, a disposable brush, and flat headed screw driver.  You should ensure that you wear ample safety equipment when you are performing a battery change as there is a risk of painful chemical burns.

Removing the Old Battery
When you are removing your old car battery it is important to use caution as batteries are filled acid that is extremely corrosive and can results in some nasty burns or damaged car paint.  Once you are ready to remove your old battery open the hood of your vehicle and locate the car battery.  Next you will need to remove the black cable from your car battery.  To do this you can loosen the nut with your wrench and employ the screwdriver to prop off the cable.  You will need to repeat this task for the red cable located on the opposite side of the car battery.   Now that the battery is loose you will need to remove it from the battery rack and place it in a safe soft for now.  When you remove the battery ensure that you are wearing safety gloves and that you hold the battery in a level position. You should use your disposable brush to clean any spilt or build up corrosive material that has accumulated on your battery rack or on the connectors of your red and black cables.

Putting the New Battery In
Now that you have removed the old battery it is time to insert the new battery into your car.  Insert the new battery into the battery rack ensuring that the battery is level.  Now you will need to use your combination wrench again and reattach both the red and black wires to the car battery.  Before you close your hood you should ensure that both the connections of the red and black wire are snug and cannot be moved. 

Clean Up
Now that you are finished with changing the car battery it is time to clean up a little.  Car batteries are very dangerous things, due to the highly corrosive acid inside them that cannot be disposed of in a regular manner.  To properly dispose of your old car battery you can take them to a recycling plant that is outfitted to handle them or simply return them to where your purchased your new car battery.

When you are changing a car battery be sure to follow all of the instructions listed on packaging and your owners manual.  You also need to ensure that you are wearing all of the safety equipment required to protect yourself.