Cleaning Your Car's Battery Posts For Reliable Starting

One of the most important components that makes a car run is the battery. If the battery connection is dirty, your car will come to a complete stop and will be very difficult to start. To know if your car's battery connection is dirty, you will see a flaky white residue on the terminals of your car's battery. You need to get this white residue off as it will interfere with the electricity needed to flow between the car and the battery.

The first step in cleaning the battery is by removing the terminals. Cleaning the batteries with the cables connected will result in not getting it cleaned thoroughly. It's like trying to wash your feet with your shoes on.

Depending on how the cables are connected to the battery, you will need one or two wrenches. If the terminals have two nuts, then you will need two wrenches. However, if it has one nut with a big square, you will only need one wrench.

When removing the terminals, you should always remember that you should remove the negative cable first. If the terminal requires two wrenches, turn the other one clockwise and the other one counterclockwise.

After removing the cables and the connectors, the next step is to clean them up.

There are a number of ways to get rid of the corrosion. Some people will tell you that soda will do the trick. But, unless you have no other choice to clean it up, go for the more modern method where special cleaning fluids can effectively get rid of corrosion.

Squirt the solution on the battery posts and terminals, especially the insides. If you have a little brush, use it to clear away the white-colored build up. The terminals and the posts will start foaming and let it do so for a few minutes. Then, rinse it off with a little water.

After cleaning both terminals, the next step is to install anti-corrosion discs if you use them. Then, reinstall the terminals. Always remember that you should install the terminals with the positive first and then the negative.

As you can see, it is quite easy to clean the battery terminals and posts. All you need is just a few minutes of your time, a battery cleaning solution and you're done. With clean battery terminals and posts, you can be sure of a reliable start.


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