How to Remove a Car Battery

Your car’s battery is essential to helping it start and keeping it running well on the Watertown roads. That’s why it’s crucial to keep an eye on the condition of your battery and have it replaced when it needs to be replaced. Sometimes, this may mean removing the battery manually. If you don’t know how to remove a battery yourself, then don’t panic! The service center at Brookings Auto Mall has put together a super simple guide on how to remove a car battery below. 

What You’ll Need

Batteries contain a high amount of voltage, so you’ll need to make sure you wear gloves that are insulated. Safety goggles should also be worn to protect your eyes. You’ll want to turn off your vehicle before starting the process of removing a car battery. Once your vehicle is off, you’ll want to make sure you do the following: 

1. Use zip ties to keep the battery cables in place so they don’t touch and create a spark. 
2. Once the positive cable is removed, cover it with a cloth to avoid any contact with other metals. 
3. Remove any jewelry as it could produce a spark if it touches the battery. 
4. Make sure the room you are in is well ventilated so that harmful gasses pass through. 

If you find that the battery terminal is fused, you’ll need special battery cable removal tools to loosen this terminal. You can find the right parts you need for the job at Brookings Auto Mall near Brookings. 

Removing the Car Battery

Once you have everything taken out and moved out of the way, you can follow these steps to remove the battery: 

1. Locate the negative terminal, which should have a black plastic cover or minus sign. 
2. Use a wrench of pliers to hold the bolt head of the negative terminal still. 
3. Use another pair of pliers or a wrench to remove the nut, and then pull the negative cable off. Be sure to secure the negative cable away from the battery. 
4. Repeat this step for the positive cable and make sure that the cables don’t touch. 
5. If there’s a securing bracket holding in the battery, then you can use pliers or a wrench to take out the screws and bolts holding it in place. 
6. Once everything is taken off, you can lift the battery straight out of the bracket. Keep a firm hold on the battery and keep in mind that it can weigh up to 40 pounds. 

Car Battery Voltage

Now that you know how to remove a car battery, you’ll need to know how to test for battery voltage. Usually, a fully-charged battery has about 12.6 volts. However, this number goes up to about 13.7-14.7 volts when the engine is on. To test your battery’s voltage level at home, perform the following. 

1. Start your engine and then turn on the headlights. 
2. The lights might be running on your battery if they appear to be dim. 
3. If you rev the engine and the lights get brighter, then the alternator might not be producing enough current to keep the battery charged when the car is idle. 
4. If your headlights shine at a normal level when you rev the engine and are the same level of brightness when the car is idle, then the battery is more than likely at a good level of voltage. 

While removing a car battery and inspecting it can both be done from home, you can always schedule a visit with our service department in Brookings to have one of our expert technicians take care of it. 

Service Your Battery at Brookings Auto Mall

You don’t have to be an ace mechanic to know how to remove a car battery, and the process is quite simple. Contact us to service your vehicle and get you back on the Mitchell roads in no time.