Hello, my name is Roy. For many years, I drove a 1976 Ford estate car around Sydney. The car had belonged to my grandpa. It was passed down to me when I had just passed my driving test at the age of 18. That was in 1986 and the car was already in a pretty bad condition then. Fast forward to 2006 and I was now aged 38 and still driving the same car around. Sometimes the car wouldn't start, white smoke came out of the exhaust and the gearbox made a terrible sound. I did my best to patch it up, but eventually, I had to scrap the car and buy a new one. I decided to start a blog to encourage others to service their cars.
Many car batteries today are classified as "wet cells," which, as the name implies, means that there is liquid within. As time goes by, some of this liquid (or electrolyte) can evaporate and, if allowed to do so, can compromise battery performance. If you want to make your car battery last longer, you may need to check the electrolyte levels from time to time. What is the best way to go about this?
Exercise Safety First
Always exercise caution whenever you check the battery electrolyte levels. Some experts recommend that you wear safety glasses and gloves, and you will always want to disconnect the battery before you start.
Clean Around the Terminals
While you are working on the battery, this is a good opportunity to clean it and get rid of any contamination that may have built up around the terminals. It's quite easy to do this with a wire brush, but if the contamination is stubborn, you may also need to apply a mixture of water and baking soda.
Inspect the Battery
Once you have cleaned the outside of the battery, you should remove the plastic cover on top of the individual cells. Typically, you can loosen this with the end of a screwdriver, and it should come off quite easily. Once again, clean any dirt before you work around the cells, and then have a look into each aperture to determine the electrolyte levels. If the levels are unequal or any of the plates are exposed, you will need to add distilled water.
Add Distilled Water
Carefully introduce distilled water (not plain tap water) until the plates are covered. It should be okay to fill each cell up to the bottom of the filler tube. Once you've done this, you can replace the covers, being careful to ensure that no dirt enters a cell as you do so. You can then reconnect the cables.
Hand Over the Work to the Professionals
If you would rather not get your hands dirty or are not confident working underneath the bonnet, you may want to hand this work over to a skilled mechanic. They will conduct a full battery service and can also test overall performance using some of their specialist tools. They will advise you about the overall condition of the battery and give you some tips to help you get as much life out of the unit as possible.
For more information, contact a local car battery provider.
Share5 January 2023
