Car batteries are an important part of our daily work, especially in winters with low temperatures or in areas with a low climate. On one hand, it's battery life, and on other hand, daily maintenance is also very important.
Under normal conditions, battery life is 2 to 3 years, but there are many people who use it for more than 5 to 6 years. The key lies in usual habits of use and degree of attention. for battery maintenance.
The reason we need to pay attention to this is because battery is a consumable item, once it fails or reaches end of its life, there will be no clear signs. The most direct manifestation is that car will suddenly not start. after it has been parked for a certain period of time. Here's how you can check battery status.
1. Look at viewing window
Currently, more than 80% of maintenance-free batteries are equipped with a power test port. There are usually three colors that can be seen through viewing window: green, yellow, and black.
Green means battery has enough power, yellow means battery is slightly depleted, and black means battery is about to be disposed of and needs to be replaced.
Depending on different designs of batteries produced by manufacturers, other methods of measuring power may be used. See battery label for details. Here we remind you that power indicator on battery monitoring port is for reference only and cannot be trusted. Other test methods should be used to comprehensively assess battery status.
Second, look at the tension
Battery voltage can be measured with a battery meter or multimeter. Under normal conditions, battery voltage without load is about 13 volts, and voltage at full load is usually not lower than 12 volts. If battery voltage is low, starting vehicle may be difficult or impossible. If battery remains in a low voltage state for a long time, it will be disposed of early.
When checking battery voltage, we also need to consider power generated by vehicle's alternator. Generally, for high mileage vehicles, carbon brush inside alternator becomes shorter and power generation is reduced. reduction that can not meet needs of battery. For normal use of charging at this time, you should consider replacing alternator carbon brush to solve low voltage situation.
Third, look at appearance
Check for obvious expansion deformations or bulges on both sides of battery. If this happens, then battery has passed half its life, and you should be ready to replace it.
Reminder. The battery may expand and deform slightly after being used for a certain period of time, so do not pay much attention to this.
Fourthly, look at top of pile
Look for white or green powdery objects around battery head. In fact, these are battery oxides. As a rule, in high-quality or new batteries, these oxides do not easily appear. means that performance of battery has begun to decline. If these oxides are not removed in time, generator's power output will be insufficient, and battery will be in a state of loss of power, and in severe cases, battery will be disposed of ahead of time or car will not start.
Obviously, out of four test methods presented above, using only one method to evaluate battery health would be inaccurate. It is more accurate to evaluate them together. If your battery has above conditions at same time, it is best to replace it as soon as possible.