Battery Emergency Guide

The importance of the electric battery needs no further explanation. On the one hand, it starts the vehicle. On the other hand, during driving it helps convert the alternator’s alternating current into stable direct current to supply the car’s electrical appliances, such as the stereo, headlights, and wipers.

After daily driving and long use, even a vehicle that has traveled 80,000 miles can still lose some “electricity.” Battery loss is a problem car owners often encounter. If the battery is suddenly dead, the practical question is how to start the vehicle safely.

Some people may think about looking for another car to tow-start the vehicle, but if another car is available, it is usually more practical to “borrow some electricity” through a proper jump start.

Emergency start

How to give a car a power start

How to Jump Start a Dead Car Battery

Put it bluntly, a power start means finding a car with a charged battery as the “power car” to charge the “dead car.”

  1. Move the two cars close enough.First, move the two cars close together until the jumper cable is sufficient to connect the positive and negative terminals of the two batteries, while making sure the two cars are not in contact. If the “power car” battery installation location is not convenient for direct jumpering, such as the special battery location on an Audi A5, tools may be needed to remove or access the battery.
  2. Connect positive to positive and negative to negative.Use the cable to connect the positive pole to the positive pole and the negative pole to the negative pole of the two cars. Pay attention that the positive and negative poles of the battery must not be connected incorrectly, because a mistake may damage both batteries.
  3. Start the power car first.Close all attached electrical equipment on the car, then start the “power car” so that its engine runs for a few minutes and the power supply is sufficient.
  4. Start the dead car and remove the cables carefully.Start the “dead car” in the usual way. After starting, lightly press the accelerator pedal to make the engine run at about 2000r/min for a few minutes. Then turn off the ignition switch of both cars and carefully remove the cables, taking care to avoid touching the positive and negative cable connectors.

As soon as the car starts up, the generator will charge the battery, and then you can go for a ride again.

Travel preparation

Prepare for battery loss

Keep Emergency Power Available

A car with an emergency power supply can also be prepared for emergencies. Emergency power is portable mobile power, similar to a cell phone power bank. Just as a cell phone cannot be separated from mobile power during heavy use, a car can also benefit from emergency power support.

This is especially useful when driving tours or long-distance routes. If the battery suddenly stops working, emergency power can become a real savior.

Battery maintenance

Clean regularly

Clean the Battery Regularly

Use a damp cloth to scrub the outside of the battery, the panel, and the pile head, meaning the positive and negative connectors. Wipe away dust, oil, white powder, and other dirt that is prone to leakage, helping extend the service life.

Tips from the original maintenance note: you can use a towel dipped in hot water to wipe directly, then apply some butter after wiping to help prevent oxidation. You can also use fine sandpaper to wear off the oxide, wipe it clean with a towel, and apply some butter to help prevent oxidation.

Five habits to avoid

Do not develop these habits

Do Not Develop These Five Battery-Damaging Habits

  1. Do not listen to high-powered audio after turning off the engine.A high-powered stereo playing music when the vehicle is off will bring a very high electrical load on the battery.
  2. Do not start the engine frequently.Do not start the engine for more than 3 seconds each time. Repeated and continuous starting will also cause excessive battery discharge and damage.
  3. Do not forget to turn off the air conditioner.Many car owners are used to not turning off the air conditioner, so the next time the air conditioner starts automatically with the vehicle. This can make the vehicle’s instantaneous power load too high, and over time it becomes a loss for the battery.
  4. Do not park for a long time without charging support.The battery is charged by the generator during normal driving, but when the vehicle is parked for a long time, systems such as the car’s own alarm can still consume battery power. If the vehicle needs to be parked for a long time, it is best to start the vehicle every other week and let it run for 5 minutes or more for battery charging.
  5. Do not forget to turn off headlights and reading lights.After parking and turning off the car, leaving interior lights or headlights on overnight can completely deplete the battery power and prevent the car from starting. This reminder can be ignored for vehicles with automatic headlights that turn off properly.
Replacement and testing

Battery life and warning signs

How Often Should You Change the Battery?

Even if the battery is well maintained, it still needs to be replaced when it reaches the end of its service life.

Generally speaking, the life of a car battery is 2 to 3 years. With proper maintenance, the original battery of a new car can sometimes be extended to 3 to 5 years. When you drive and find that the lights begin to darken, or starting the car cannot succeed on the first try, these may be signals that the battery is in an emergency state.

In addition, you can make a simple judgment through the observation hole. The round hole on the left side of the positive pole of the battery is the observation hole. When the color of the observation hole becomes black, it is a sign that the battery should be replaced. Of course, many batteries no longer have observation holes.

If you have a car battery tester, such as AUTOOL BT860, it can support battery testing functions such as battery test, load test, and charge test. It can also review data, monitor battery temperature, print test results, offer multiple languages, and support most car battery tests.

After starting the engine, use BT860 to measure the voltage of both battery poles. If you find that the charging voltage is too low, you need to ask a professional to overhaul the charging system.

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