How to Remove a Car Battery

It comes as no surprise that your car’s battery is one of its most important parts. From starting the car and keeping it running to powering all of the electrical components, your car battery’s health can greatly impact your Warren drives. In turn, there may be times when you need to remove the battery in order to replace it or inspect it for signs of damage. Removing a car battery is a fairly simple task that you can perform right in your own driveway. However, you’ll need to do it right in order to avoid injury. Learn more about how to remove a car battery with the service experts at Apostolakis Honda. 

How to Prepare for Removing a Car Battery

If you’ve decided to remove your car battery at home in Boardman, you’ll want to be properly prepared in order to protect yourself from the battery’s deadly shock. You’ll need insulated work gloves to protect your hands from the battery’s charge, as well as safety goggles to shield your eyes from any corrosive agents. Before you start removing the car battery, turn off the car. Running vehicles can produce a spark and ignite flammable agents. Additional preparations you should make when removing a car battery include: 

• Have some zip ties or other type of restraint on hand to keep the battery cables in place. If the cables touch, it creates a spark and becomes a fire hazard. 
• Cover the positive cable end with a cloth once it is removed to avoid the risk of metal-to-metal contact.
• Remove all jewelry to avoid getting shocked by the battery. 
• Make sure that your work area is well-ventilated to prevent exposure to harmful gases. 

If the terminal is fused, there’s a special battery cable removal tool to loosen it. You’ll find these available from the parts center at Apostolakis Honda.

Removing the Car Battery

Once you’re prepared, follow these steps to safely remove your battery:

• Locate the negative terminal. It should have a black plastic cover or a minus sign and can be found either on the post or nearby.
• Use a wrench or pliers to grab the bolt head of the negative terminal, then hold it still.
• Use another set of pliers or another wrench to remove the nut, then pull off the negative cable and secure it away from the battery.
• Repeat the step above for the positive cable, and make sure that the two battery cables do not touch.
• If the battery is held by a securing bracket, use your pliers or wrench to take out the screws and bolts that hold it in place.
• Lift the battery straight out of the bracket. Keep in mind that it may weigh up to 40 pounds, so you’ll want to be careful.

How Many Volts is a Car Battery?

Youngstown drivers who either test or remove their car battery often want to know how many volts it has. A fully charged car battery measures at 12.6 volts or higher. When the engine is running, this should increase to 13.7 to 14.7 volts.

It’s important to test your battery and electrical system a couple of times a year when you bring in your car for service, but you can also follow these steps if you’d like to test your car battery at home:

• Start your car and turn on your headlights.
• If the lights are dim, they may be running on your battery.
• If the lights get brighter when you rev the engine, the alternator may be producing some current, but not enough when idle to keep the battery charged.
• If the lights have a normal level of brightness, even when you rev the engine, your battery is likely operating as it should.

Get More Battery Tips and Tricks From Apostolakis Honda

Knowing how to remove a car battery yourself is always a great skill to have, especially if you’ve been running into some battery troubles. Reach out to us at 800-900-4600 if you have any additional battery questions. Also, feel free to schedule an appointment at our service center in Cortland if you’d like to leave the battery care to a professional technician.