A car battery has a certain lifespan, but in order for it to last longer, it needs to be serviced periodically. Therefore, almost every car owner is faced with the need to remove the battery from the car, and it does not matter globally whether the car is old or new. Correctly removing the battery is very important, incorrect actions in such a case often lead to very sad consequences. Both the battery and the car itself can suffer from negligence and mistakes, especially if a short circuit occurs as a result of careless handling.
There are general rules for dismantling the battery, which all experienced motorists adhere to, but also some car models have specific features, for example, a non-standard location of the battery capacity, the presence of additional protection of its body from damage. And, of course, you should follow the safety rules, every driver should know them.
How to remove the battery from the car
The battery plays a big role in the composition of the car, if it does not have enough capacity and cannot start the engine, the car will not go anywhere. Also, the charge should be enough for the operation of various consumers:
- interior and exterior lighting;
- heater and wiper motors;
- air conditioning system;
- audio systems;
- cigarette lighter and more.
Batteries are maintenance-free and serviced, but even if the passport data indicates that the source of electricity does not require topping up the electrolyte, this does not mean that it does not need to be looked after. The battery is most often removed for recharging and prevention (cleaning from dirt and debris), dismantling is also required:
- when placing a car for a long parking;
- during major work (engine repair, body painting, etc.);
- if the battery interferes with getting to the car hub;
- for recharging the battery (optional, but desirable);
- to replace the battery.
There are certain conditions for dismantling, and they must be met, the most basic of them:
- the engine of the car must be turned off and the ignition turned off;
- before removing the battery terminals, all consumers are turned off;
- first of all, the mass terminal (“minus”) is always disconnected;
- you need to remove the battery only after it is completely freed from the mounting plates;
- hold the battery firmly - when it falls, the battery case is damaged, and then the energy storage device becomes unusable;
- when removing the battery, it must not be turned over, and it should be placed on a horizontal, flat surface - otherwise the electrolyte may leak out, and in general, the plugs of the battery cans should always be directed only upwards;
- terminal connections must be unscrewed thoroughly, when pulling the wires, you cannot use great effort, if you work carelessly, you can easily damage the terminals;
- dismantling is highly desirable to be done in the open air, and if in a garage, then with open doors;
- it is highly recommended to work with the battery with gloves, electrolyte or oxide should not get on open parts of the body.
Correctly removing the battery from the car as a whole is not difficult, you just need to fulfill the above conditions, take your time, take care of your car and yourself.
Why you need to disconnect the ground terminal first
There is a certain procedure for dismantling the terminal wires for a reason; it is much safer to remove the terminals from the battery, starting from the minus. Here you need to remember that in a modern car, the “minus” is the body itself. If the "+" terminal is first disconnected, and the "-" terminal is left in place, a metal object caught between the body and the positive terminal will cause a short circuit, since the mass is not disconnected at this moment. When the negative plate of the battery does not have an electrical connection with the body of the car, nothing criminal can happen, there will be no short circuit.
Rules for removing the battery on a car with an alarm
Some security systems have their own specifics, therefore,
when removing the battery on a car with an alarm, this must be taken into account. After turning off the power, various kinds of failures may occur, for example, the program will change, it may be necessary to re-program the “signaling”.
On some security systems, after disconnecting the terminals, a siren is triggered, and before removing the battery, the “bell” must be turned off. Even when the terminal wires are disconnected, the alarm can block the doors, so you must not forget the keys in the cabin.
Procedure for removing the battery
Dismantling the battery is usually performed in the following order:
- turn off the engine;
- we turn off all consumers of electricity - headlights, radio, dimensions, etc.;
- we take the keys from the car with us, do not leave them in the cabin;
- we find the battery (most often it is located under the hood, but it can be in other places - in the cabin under the passenger or driver seat, in the trunk);
- dismantle the protective covers covering the battery (if any);
- unscrewing the bolt with a nut, remove the mass terminal (you will need keys for 13 or 10, depending on the type of battery). Before disconnecting, the terminal must first be swung against and clockwise;
- we perform the same actions with a positive wire;
- completely disconnect the battery mount, if the fastener is only loosened and try to remove the battery, the battery case can be damaged;
- if something interferes with the removal, these obstacles must be removed, and not try to pull out the battery in any way.
On many cars, when the terminals are disconnected, the settings of the on-board computer, audio center, etc. are lost. If you do not want to engage in system programming, you should connect a backup power source with a capacity of at least 4 A / h during the absence of the battery.
The installation of the energy storage device is carried out similarly to removal, but in the reverse order, and the following nuances must be taken into account here:
- before installation, the terminals and wires at the points of their connection must be absolutely clean and dry, the presence of oxidation products, dirt, oil, etc. is not allowed;
- the terminals must be firmly fixed in place, the nuts and bolts cannot be threaded, the terminals must be planted firmly, not dangling;
- you need to securely fasten the battery in its place, if this is not done, its case can easily be damaged during operation.
Some drivers mistakenly believe that lithol or other grease in the terminal connection prevents the appearance of oxide, promotes better contact. Such a statement is fundamentally wrong, and if you want to protect the battery terminals from the influence of the environment, then the lubricant must be applied over them, and in no case at the junctions.
Now the automotive industry produces various auto chemicals, there are also drugs designed to protect battery terminals (for example, technical petroleum jelly). Products are manufactured by companies such as Presto, Liqui Moly, often such compounds are painted in bright blue or red. Coloring is done on purpose, it determines where the protective layer is applied.
What not to do when removing the battery
It often happens that the battery sits down, the starter does not scroll the engine. Many car owners take a working battery from a neighbor, start the engine and rearrange the battery on a running internal combustion engine. This should not be done, although it may be lucky and nothing will happen, but quite often the owner of the car has various problems.
The thing is that while the engine is running, the generator generates electricity, not only gives energy to consumers, but also recharges the battery banks. At the moment of disconnecting the terminal, the load on the generator decreases, the voltage increases sharply. Accordingly, expensive electronics can fail from too much voltage - an engine control unit, an audio system, an on-board computer, etc. The settings of electronic systems can also change, for example, the alarm will start working differently.
If the terminals are oxidized
Oxidation at the terminal leads occurs:
- due to a leaky battery case;
- due to a faulty generator giving recharge.
The oxide is formed in the form of a whitish coating, similar to salt, it indicates that it is urgent to take some measures to eliminate this defect. If plaque has accumulated on the battery terminals, it will not be easy to remove the wires from them, and before unwinding the nuts and bolts, you must first remove the oxide that has formed.
The easiest way to clean the battery from plaque is with a solution of baking soda, it must be applied to the oxidized surface and wait for a while. After the build-up dissolves, its remnants will need to be thoroughly removed with a clean rag, and only after that it will be possible to proceed with the removal of the wires.
Another important point is that oxidized plaque accumulates on the inner surface of the battery wire terminals. It must be cleaned, otherwise contact is lost, the engine starts to start with problems, the wires heat up.
You can clean oxidized areas with:
- sandpaper;
- WD-40;
- ordinary water and rags.
By the way, with a rag, abundantly moistened with water, plaque is cleaned effectively, you just need not to spare the liquid, repeat the action several times. On the contrary, it is better not to use a metal brush - deep scratches form on soft metal, in which dirt accumulates, which makes contact worse.
Removing the BMW E53 battery (dorestyling)
On some machines, the battery is difficult to remove and requires a lot of work to remove it. The electric power storage device of the BMW crossover is located in the trunk, it is not at all easy to get to it. To remove the battery on a German SUV, you must:
On technically complex cars with a large number of different electronics, it is better to trust the removal of the battery to professionals, repairing expensive equipment will cost much more than replacing the battery.
