How to Check Car Battery Health

Car Battery is one of the most significant parts in a car. If you don’t have the idea a car battery actually operates all the electrical mechanisms in the car. Your car engine will not even start if the battery power is low. Apart from that it also functions the air conditioner, the music player, windscreen wipers and power up all the lights in the car including the headlights.

Normally a battery can run for a few years (4-5 years) depending on the usage. But you can notice the weakening of battery performance when you face trouble in starting the car especially in the morning or the power in headlights seems to be weaker than before.

However, to be on the safer side it is advisable to keep testing your car battery regularly to make sure it is always in good condition. Just like you check the other parts of the car engine you can check car battery using some of the following methods.

Voltmeter

It is a device to check the car battery voltage but to use it you need to first understand how it works. There are 2 types of voltmeter you can select to test your battery depending on your preference and budget. One is called analogue and the other one is called digital voltmeter. Most people prefer digital voltmeter because it is easier to use and also has more accuracy.

For using digital voltmeter firstly you need to switch off the engine completely, turn off the ignition, radio, headlights and all other devices running on the battery. After that, you need to remove both terminals of the battery positive and negative terminals and clean them. Then you have to connect the positive terminal which is usually red in colour to the positive lead of the voltmeter and negative terminal normally black in colour to the negative lead. After all this the voltmeter will display the result on its screen, volts between 12.4 to 12.7 indicates the battery is in good condition.

In case, the volt is below 12.4 then try to recharge your battery and check the voltage once again using the same process. If the voltage shown is below 12 then the car battery is weak and can stop working any time soon.

Car Headlights

Normally, if you do not have the voltmeter you can always get an idea about the battery power by noticing the car’s headlights. If you notice that the car headlights are dimmer than usual then it can be possible the battery is low. So it is very important to pay attention to all parts in a car.

 Power Probe Device

Power probe is another device that functions like a voltmeter. It works in the same way it has a tip which needs to be tapped on the positive terminal and connect the negative terminal to the negative side of the power probe. It will show the same reading of 12.2 to 12.9 for a good battery condition.

Battery Health Indicator

A battery health indicator is a new device which is mostly pre-installed in modern cars. The old cars might not have them but they can be easily installed. It is a much easier indicator installed on the battery. The glass screen shows the battery health, green colour indicates good condition and red indicates the poor condition and black or transparent colour indicates dead battery.

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Checking through Ammeter

The ammeter is an old device which can be very helpful for the drivers. It is installed in the vehicles. It basically checks the flow of charge going in and out of the battery. If it shows strong reading then the battery is in good condition and if it is very low then the battery is going weak.

These are the common devices used to check the battery conditions. There are some other methods and devices available but not very common and convenient for everyone.

Apart from these devices, you can always physically examine the battery. Check if there is any crack or bulge on the battery surface which can be caused due to overcharging. There should not be any corrosion on the terminals and battery should be clean.

We may not realize but checking battery condition on a regular basis is very important and may improve your battery life too. The sudden dead battery can leave you deserted in difficult places and situations. You need to occasionally check the battery voltage, so you will be prior aware of its replacement.

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