Not many things in your car are moreimportant than battery maintenance. Think about it: you could have the rest ofthe car in perfect condition, but if the battery won't fire up your ride,you're out of luck.The first thing to check is for signs of corrosion buildup.That will typically be seen where the thick battery cables or wires attach to the terminals on the battery itself. Any corrosion you find there should be cleaned right away. You can eliminate many battery problems by making certain that the connections are tight and everything is clean without any corrosion buildup.
If your battery still needs servicing(most modern batteries no longer need servicing) check the fluid level - but besure to check it when the battery is fully charged. Distilled water is the besttype of water to use when adding fluids to the battery. Tap water can be usedif no distilled water is available, and it is certainly better than having the battery run completely dry! Since tap water can have added chemicals and minerals that will reduce the battery's otherwise long life. Be sure to watch carefully when filling the battery anddon't overfill it. Especially in warmer weather, overfilling can start thecorrosion process sooner which will eventually cause starting problems.
One of the neat tricks you can use tohelp prevent corrosion build up is to place some silicone sealer at the base ofthe post and then coat the post itself and the cable with some extra grease orVaseline. After reattaching the cables, make certain all the connections aretight and secure. This will help prevent outgassing from the battery onto the cable connection which triggers corrosion.
Enhancing Battery Performance andExtending Battery Life
The modern automobile, truck or SUVdemands more power than ever before. This increased demand will reduce batterylife over time. People's complaints about theirbatteries generally come down to two things: either the battery won't takea charge or hold it once it's been charged. The demand on batteries is suchthat fewer than one third will still be in use after four years.
One of the leading causes of batteryfailure can be attributed to sulfation eighty percent of the time. Here's thechain of events: as thebattery is being used, sulfur molecules are discharged from the batteryacid. The interior of the battery is made up of lead plates which get coateddeeper and deeper with the sulfur molecules. After a period of time the excesssulfur coating the lead plates will prevent the battery from holding a charge, and you're out of luck.
Some of the leading causes of sulfating:
A battery sitting idle between charges.Sulfation starts within 24 hours of the battery being used in hot weather andwithin several days in cool weather.
A battery that is sitting in storageover time.
A battery that has been deeplydischarged.
A battery that is under charged. Here'show that works: if you only charge a battery to 90% of its capacity, the other10% of the battery chemistry is where the sulfation starts.
A battery sitting in temperatures over100°F. As temperatures increase, internal discharging becomes more of an issue.If you leave a fully charged battery that is not being used in temps over 110°,within 30 days of battery will probably not work.
Battery plates that have low electrolytelevels and come in contact with the air.
Cheap battery chargers that have falseor inaccurate charging levels. (That will, in fact, do more harm than good).
A cold battery is more prone tosulfation. In fact, a deeply discharged battery can even freeze whentemperatures fall below 0°F.
Choosing and Buying a New Battery
The first thing to look out inconsidering a new battery is reserve capacity and high amp hours. Obviously,you need to have a battery that is the correct size for your vehicle and hasthe correct connections and terminals. Something else you might want toconsider is a gell cell or what's called an absorbed glass mat (AGM) battery instead of a wet cell battery. You'll find this to be particularly helpful if the battery will not have regularly scheduled maintenance.
Another thing to consider is the demandof the job that you're going to be placing on the battery. For example, abattery whose only job is to start an engine will have different constraintsthat a deep cycle battery.
The last thing to check while shoppingfor a newbattery is the date of manufacture. A battery that has been sitting on ashelf without being charged already has sulfation buildup occurring. The dateof manufacture is stamped on the battery using letters of the alphabet to showthe month and numbers to show the year of manufacture. For example if you seeH1, you'll know that that battery was manufactured in August of 2011.
All in all, thinking about theseimportant things ahead of time will help ensure that all-important battery willstart your ride each and every time you need it to.