4 Ways To Check The Health Of Your Vehicle's Battery: Capitol Subaru Auto Care Articles

 

4. Visual Inspection

It's not a bad idea to pop the hood on your vehicle once in a while and perform a quick check of your vehicle's battery. In a worst-case scenario, a battery case could potentially swell from a build-up of gasses, leak fluid due to a crack in the case or melt due to excess heat in the engine bay! These are uncommon problems, but it would be important to catch them with a quick visual glance.

Another thing you should check for is a build-up of corrosion on the battery terminals. This chalky greyish, bluish or greenish substance can interrupt a solid battery connection and make your car run poorly or refuse to start. You'll also want to make sure the battery cables themselves are securely attached to the terminals and the battery itself is secured to the vehicle. Some batteries are held down by hold-down bars, others are clamped in place with removable feet.

 

3. Age Inspection

Different car batteries can be expected to last a certain amount of time in a vehicle under normal driving conditions. However, everyone's driving conditions are different, so the life of the battery in your vehicle could vary. But, if you're wondering if it's almost time to replace your battery, you can get a good idea by checking its age. The battery will have the month and year that it was manufactured printed on the label, on the battery itself, or on a seperate sticker. So, if the battery is rated to last for five years, and it's a six-year-old battery, then it's probably ready to be replaced. If you're having battery trouble and the battery is only a year or two old, there could be a problem with a related component like the alternator.

2. Multimeter Inspection

A common electrical tool known as a multimeter can tell you if your battery is charging properly. A multimeter can measure an electrical current. If you measure the current going to the battery while the engine is running, you should get a reading of something like 12.7 volts -- anything north of 12 volts but not higher than 14 volts means your alternator is working correctly. Less than 12 volts means your battery is undercharging, and your alternator may need to be replaced.

 

1. Professional Battery Health Test

A car battery is quite a bit different than the AAA cells in your TV remote. They're designed to put out a lot of power in a short amount of time. It takes a lot of oomph to start your vehicle's engine. The amount of power your vehicle's battery can deliver to start the vehicle is the cold cranking amps rating. The battery in your car must provide enough cold cranking amps, or the battery will be too weak to start the car.

But the CCA is just one measure of your battery's power and health. It also needs to be able to store a charge, so it can be parked for a week at the airport and start right back up when you get home. It needs to be able to provide a little bit of power for your accessories while the engine is off, too. A professional battery health test at Capitol Subaru can determine if your car's battery is healthy or not. If you're having problems, we can determine if you need service to the vehicle's charging system or just a fresh battery!