Tips for Testing Your Car Battery

Obtain a voltmeter. Voltmeter, commonly known as multimeter or multitester, is a device responsible in measuring voltage, current and resistance. Since we are going to check the charge on your car's battery, the voltmeter is the best way to measure it. You can easily purchase a voltmeter from a local hardware store.

 

Make sure that the ignition is turned off. This is an important precaution before you proceed to the battery itself.

 

Remove all the connectors attached to the battery. Look for your car's manual and follow the instructions dictated on it on how to remove the connectors.

 

Prepare the voltmeter for measuring the charge on the car battery. First, turn off the voltmeter to enable the resetting of the scale which will give you a much more accurate result. After a few seconds, switch the voltmeter on then proceed to change the scale to fifty volts.

 

Take the red colored probe and attach it to the battery's positive terminal. Once you have attached the red colored probe to the positive terminal, take the black colored probe and proceed to attach it to the negative terminal. Ensure that the probe is properly attached to the terminal post of the battery, or else you will not be able to get the accurate reading of the battery's voltage.

 

Check the results of the reading. The voltmeter should be able to show you the results of its reading within fifteen seconds. When the voltage level of the battery is around 12.6 to 12.8 volts, your battery is in good condition. If the voltage reading is below 12.6, you are advised to recharge the battery should you know how to go about it; otherwise, you will be advised to change the battery to a new one.

 

Check the fluid level. Carefully remove the battery cover and spare a look at the compartments found inside the cells. Make sure that the electrode plates are submerged in fluid; if they are not, pour a bottle of softened water into the cells until the fluid level is above the electrode plate.