How to remove and insert the battery?

Removing the battery is a task that you, as car owners, will someday face. Therefore, you must be prepared to complete this task flawlessly and safely.

How to remove the battery?

Find battery location

Before you remove the battery from the car, you need to find out where the battery of your model and car make is located. This may seem ridiculous at the moment, but the truth is that sometimes finding its location can be a problem.

Because car manufacturers put it in all kinds of places (under the floor, in the cabin, in the trunk, under the hood, etc., etc.). That's why you first need to find out where the battery of your car model is located.

Prepare the necessary tools and protective equipment
To safely disconnect the power source from the vehicle, wear rubber gloves and safety glasses. These precautions are mandatory, as if your battery leaks and if you don’t wear gloves, your hands will be damaged.

As for the tools that you need to prepare, this is just a set of keys for removing the terminals and wipes.

Removing the battery - step by step

Turn off the engine and all electrical components in the vehicle.
It is extremely important to turn off the engine, as the battery, being the main source of energy, carries a potentially dangerous electric charge. It also contains caustic substances that can emit flammable gas when the engine is running. To make sure that none of this happens when you try to remove the battery, first make sure that the car engine is turned off.

First remove the contact from the negative terminal of the battery
A negative terminal is always deleted first. You can easily find where the minus is, since it is always black and is clearly marked on the lid (-).

Remove the contact from the negative terminal by loosening the nut counterclockwise with a suitable wrench. After loosening the nut, disconnect the negative cable from the battery so that it does not touch it.

What happens if you forget the sequence and develop positive contact (+) first?

If you first remove the “plus” terminal and touch the metal part with a tool, this will lead to a short circuit. This practically means that the electricity that will be released can affect not only you, but the entire electrical system of the car.

HOW TO REMOVE AND INSTALL THE BATTERY

Remove contact from positive terminal.
Delete the plus as you removed the minus.

Unscrew all the nuts and brackets that hold the battery
Depending on the size, type and model of the battery, it can be attached in various ways. Therefore, you need to find the mounting nuts and staples with which it is attached to the base, and unscrew them all.

Take out the battery
Since the battery is heavy enough, be prepared to make an effort to remove it from the car. If you are not sure that you can handle this yourself, ask a friend to help you with the removal.

When removing, be careful not to tilt the battery. Remove it and place it in the prepared place.

Clean the terminals and the tray to which the battery was attached.
Carefully inspect the terminals and trays, and if they are dirty or corroded, clean them with a small amount of baking soda diluted in water. The easiest way to brush is to use an old toothbrush. Rub well, and when done, wipe with a clean cloth.

Installing the battery - step by step
Check battery voltage
Regardless of whether you are installing a new battery or replacing an old repaired battery, you must first measure its voltage. Measurement is carried out using a voltmeter or multimeter. If the measured values ​​are 12,6 V, this means that the battery is in order and you can proceed to install it.

Replace battery
If the voltage is normal, replace the battery by securing it with the nuts and brackets to the base.

First connect the terminals starting from the positive terminal
When installing the battery, follow the reverse sequence for connecting the terminals. To do this, you must first connect the "plus", and then the "minus".

Why connect the plus first and then the minus?

When installing the battery, you must first connect a positive contact to prevent a possible short circuit in the car.

Install and secure the negative terminal
The action is identical to connecting a positive terminal.

Ensure that all terminals, nuts, and brackets are correctly and securely fastened and start the engine.
If you did well, the engine should start as soon as you turn the starter key.

We assume that it has become quite clear that battery disassembly and reassembly can also be done at home. If you are ready to try and are sure that you can handle it without problems. You just need to be careful and work with protective equipment even when the engine is off and do not forget that when removing, you must first remove the "minus", and when installing - first "plus".

If it is difficult for you to remove and insert the battery, each service center offers this service. Disassembly and assembly prices are low, and many of the repair shops offer free disassembly when buying and installing a new battery.

It is important to know:

If your car has an on-board computer, you need to adjust it after installing a new battery. This is necessary because when removing the battery, all data is deleted from the on-board computer. Restoring all the data from your computer can be difficult at home, so we recommend that you look for a service center where they install these settings.

HOW TO TURN ON THE BATTERY

Possible problems after installing the battery
If after installing the battery the car does not “start”, it is very likely that the following happened:

You poorly tightened terminals and connections
To verify that this is a problem, check the connection of the terminals again. If they are not tightened, tighten them and try to wind up again.

You inserted a battery with less charge than necessary
Make sure that you are not mistaken with the purchase and do not buy a battery with a lower charge than you need. In this case, you need to replace the battery with another one.

New battery needs recharging
If you cannot start the car before you start to panic, check the battery by measuring its voltage. If it is below 12,2 V, just charge the battery and everything will be fine.

You error in electronics
It happens that when removing and installing the battery, there is a problem with the electronics that help charge and discharge the battery. In this case, turn off the engine completely and remove the negative terminal for about 10 to 20 minutes. Then paste it and try again.

Missing on-board computer settings
We already mentioned this problem, but let's say it again. In modern cars, there is an on-board computer, the data of which is erased when the battery is removed and inserted. If an error message appears after installing the computer’s battery, contact a service center. There they will connect your car to the diagnostic center and return the computer settings.