Gloves are not necessary but may protect your hands from small pinches and cuts while working on your vehicle. Make sure there are no children in the area while you work on the battery of a vehicle as sparks could fly if positive and negative cables come into contact with one another.
Wet cell batteries may be serviceable, which means there are things you can do to help improve the charge and the life of your battery. VRLA Batteries (Valve Regulated Lead-Acid Battery) are completely sealed and require no maintenance. These batteries come as Gel Cell or Absorbed Glass Mat batteries and are less common in cars unless purchased as an after-market modification.
Read the charger’s instruction manual to make sure you are using your particular unit correctly. Even new digital chargers should be monitored closely while charging to ensure it functions properly and stops before over-charging the battery.
If you are unsure where your battery is located, check the owner’s manual for your vehicle. Some vehicles have the battery in the trunk, while most have it under the hood. Disconnect the negative terminal first, then the positive when removing a battery.
Sometimes you may find the battery has a solid charge, but dirty terminals were preventing the electricity from flowing. Do not touch the terminals with your bare skin, especially if there is any white powder on them. This powder is usually dried sulfuric acid, and it can burn your skin if you come in contact with it.
Ensure the surface you place the charger on is sturdy and stationary to prevent it from falling or disconnecting from the battery. Use the full length of the cables to separate the battery from the charger as much as you can.
Some cars may label the positive terminal with the letters POS instead of a positive (+) symbol and NEG instead of a negative (-) one. Ensure the cables are firmly attached to allow electricity to flow from the charger to the battery.
If you can set the voltage the charger will stop on, set it to the specified voltage on the battery or that you found in the vehicle’s owner’s manual. Never set the charger to fast charge if you will be leaving the vehicle unattended. You may want to leave the battery slow charging overnight to fully charge it if it has been dead for some time.
If the voltmeter reads the number of volts that are appropriate for the battery, the charger indicates it’s good, or the vehicle starts the battery is sufficiently charged. If the voltmeter or charger indicate that the battery is bad or the vehicle won’t start, there may be other issues to resolve or the battery may need to be replaced.
If the battery is in the trunk of one of the vehicles, back it up to the other so the cables can reach. Set the parking brake on both vehicles to ensure they don’t move during the charging process.
You may need to clean the terminals on both batteries to ensure a strong connection. Be sure you connect the positive ends to the positive terminals and the negative cables to the negative terminals. Mixing these up could result in damage or a fire.
After a minute or two, attempt to start the dead car. If the battery only died recently, it should start right up. If it doesn’t start after a minute or two, allow it to charge for a bit longer. If the battery has been dead for some time, it may take longer to charge it enough to start.
If the vehicle dies once again after it is disconnected from the other car, check to make sure the battery is securely connected. If the vehicle runs well, take it out for a short drive to thoroughly charge the battery before turning it off again.
If the battery is bad, you will need to purchase a replacement for it. If the battery is fully charged and working well but your car won’t start, check the battery cables to ensure they aren’t broken and connect firmly to the battery.
You can sometimes tell if there is an issue with your alternator by looking at your interior lights. If the lights get brighter as you press on the gas pedal, then dim again when you remove your foot, the alternator may be bad. If you remove the alternator from your vehicle, many auto parts stores can test it to ensure it’s the problem before ordering a replacement.
Make sure you have a good connection to the battery when charging it, otherwise the battery will not be able to start the car. The clicking indicates that there is some electricity in the battery, but not enough to start the engine.
Your vehicle needs air, fuel and electricity to run properly. You will likely need to take the car to a mechanic to identify the issue if this occurs.
