A battery will survive longer and be more effective and reliable if you take care of it. Do make sure to check frequently to ensure your battery is in tip top condition.In order to obtain the best reliability and performance from industrial and automobile batteries, proper maintenance is essential. So these are some of the ways you can easily check your car’s battery. Bulges and cracks are sure signs of your battery being damaged and should be replaced. Then remove the battery from the engine and place it on a flat surface like a table and check for any deformities.

To do a physical inspection, first turn off your engine and disconnect the battery from your car. Much like the headlight test, if you experience battery problems, check your battery with the instruments mentioned above. In general, green is good and red is bad. However, not all of them are the same, so do check what colours your indicator uses to show the battery’s health. To check, simply pop the hood and turn on the engine. Most modern cars come with one that attaches to the top of the battery. Battery health indicator This car battery uses green (good), black (needs charging), and white (needs checking) to indicate the battery’s health.Īnother simple way to check your battery is to simply look at the battery’s health indicator.

Should you be experiencing battery issues despite passing the headlights test, do check your battery with one of the instruments mentioned above. However, if your headlights are bright and do not change in brightness when revving your engine, your battery might be in good condition. If they appear dim but brighten when you rev the engine, it means your alternator is not charging your battery properly when idle. The headlight test If your headlights are as bright as these when idle, your battery should be fineĪ quick and easy way to check your car battery is to turn on your engine and then your headlights. If you do not have any instruments to do the above checks and can’t wait for deliveries, you can always do the headlights test, check the battery’s health indicator, or even check the battery itself. If the value does not drop below 10 volts and is between 13.7 and 14.7 volts, your battery is good. To obtain an accurate assessment of your battery’s health, you will need to keep your device, be it a voltmeter, multimeter, or power probe attached to your battery and start the car. If your battery’s reading is not between 12.2V and 12.9V, consider getting your battery replaced.

You can also tap the reader on the power probe on the positive terminal to get a reading. You simply need to connect the positive clip to the red terminal and the negative clip to the negative terminal and you can get a reading. The usage of a power probe is very similar to the voltmeter. Some voltmeters may use different items to connect to the battery, so do not worry.Īny reading above 12.6V means your battery is in good condition. Now remove the covers from the car battery and connect the voltmeter’s positive clip to the red terminal and the negative clip to the black terminal. Also, turn off the radio, the headlights and anything that can draw power. To use an instrument to check your car battery’s voltage, turn off your car engine. Voltmeters and multimeters A multimeter can measure the voltage of your batteryĪ multimeter, as the name suggests, can measure multiple electrical properties and can function as a voltmeter. Voltmeters, multimeters, and power probes are ways you can check your car’s battery. There are various ways to check your battery. 2.3 Physical inspection Check your car battery with instruments

Car battery indicator red