© 2006 Bruce W. Smith Hearing that click-click-click when you turn the key to start your pickup or SUV is really frustrating. The sound is that of a bad battery—one unable to provide enough current to spin over the engine’s starting motor. Frustration turns to embarrassment when you have to pop open the hood and stand by with jumper cables in-hand until someone stops to give your vehicle’s “dead” battery a jump. Most people immediately think they need to replace the battery, which costs not only more time, but an unexpected $50-$100 depending on the style and type of battery in your truck. But there is a bright side to the dead-battery issue: The battery may not be dead at all. Many battery problems are caused by dirty and/or loose battery cable connections, bad battery cables or clamps, or a combination of both. The good news is all can be remedied with a little do-it-yourself battery maintenance. Battery maintenance is an important issue. Batteries are a natural dirt magnet, and dirt between the posts, if it’s bad enough, can cause the battery to discharge over time. Corrosion is an even bigger problem. Corrosion is a natural
process in an automotive battery as the natural gases from the battery
condense on the There’ a good chance your “dead battery” can be brought back to life with nothing more than a good 15-minute cleaning and retightening the cable connections. Here’s how to do it. What You’ll Need:
Step 1 Mix 4 tablespoons of
baking soda in a quart of water. Put on your rubber gloves and slowly pour
a little Step 2 Use an old toothbrush (or rag) to thoroughly clean around each battery terminal and the top of the battery to loosen any corrosion. Pour a little more of the baking soda solution over the battery and continue to brush away any remaining corrosion. Step 3 Use the appropriate wrench to loosen the clamp that holds the Negative cable to the battery post and remove the cable. Do the same on the Positive side. Always remove the negative connection from a battery first and reconnect it last to prevent shorting the wrench in case it touches nearby metal objects. Step 4 Pour the remaining
cleaning solution to pour over the loose battery cable ends and exposed
terminal posts. Clean thoroughly, rinse with clean water, and wipe battery
dry with paper towels. Then use a wire-brush- Step 5 Coat both sides of the special felt battery post washers with Vaseline, or petroleum jelly, and place the washers over the posts. Coat the cable ends with Vaseline and re-attach them to the posts—positive terminal first, negative last—making sure the connections are tight. (If you bought a battery cleaning kit [$10], it will come with spray-on battery protection. Apply this red coating to the battery posts/cable clamps after they are in place.) Step 6 The last step is to
carefully remove the battery filler caps and check the fluid levels. The
electrolyte should come up to the bottom of the filler cap, or at least
near it. If the level is down, especially if the plates are Warning: Watch Out for Battery Acid Warning! The acid and corrosion on and around a battery is very corrosive. Battery acid will not only corrode electrical connections, it will also remove paint, eat holes in your clothes, and do damage to your eyes if any should splash in them. So, always wear old clothes, eye protection and rubber gloves when working around a vehicle battery. Also, battery cables may not slip easily off the posts. To make removal easier, use the tip of a flat screwdriver to spread the terminal clamp apart; never strike a battery terminal (or cable end) with a hammer in an attempt to loosen it. This force could easily loosen the terminal itself and totally ruin the battery.—BWS
|
CLEAN
CONNECTIONS
posts and cable ends as the battery goes through its normal cycles of
being used. Such corrosion causes bad connections resulting in—you guessed
it!—an engine that won’t start. 
of this mixture over the battery. The baking soda water will neutralize
the acid and corrosion on top of the battery, starting the cleaning
process. 
style
battery terminal/post to clean the posts and inside the battery cable
clamps until they are shiny. 
exposed, add distilled water.