13/12/2022
How to test your car battery 🪫 while at home!!
1. Perform a load test in the following ways;
- [ ] Without starting your engine, turn on your headlights
- [ ] Leave them in the “ON” position for about 10-15 minutes
- [ ] After that time passes, start your car and watch the brightness of your headlights. If your headlights dim noticeably as the engine turns over, your battery doesn’t pass the load test. The battery should hold enough charge to handle the 10-15 minutes before the engine starts, and once the engine turns over. If your car’s battery is struggling here, it most likely needs to be replaced before it fails you on the road.
2. Check for corrosion
corrosion on your car’s battery could indicate a power problem. Over time, that corrosion, caused when acid within the battery releases hydrogen gas, might interfere with the battery terminals’ ability to transfer power. The battery has to work harder to compensate, and that extra work can shorten its life.
You can clean the battery terminals (carefully!) with household items like baking soda and an old toothbrush. If your battery has been suffering from corrosion for a long time, however, the damage may be irreversible. In that case, it’s time to replace.
3. Listen for clicks
If anyone ever makes a horror movie about car problems, you can bet the soundtrack would be the rapid clicking of a lifeless battery!
When you turn your key over in the ignition, you should hear a lively roar that settles into a purr. When you hear “click-click-click” instead, you know your car battery is likely dead. A single click, on the other hand, could mean a bad starter.
Those clicks might not mean your battery needs to be replaced, but they're a reliable indicator. Even if a jump start gets the vehicle going, the first stop should be the bay of an experienced, trusted technician.