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A loud buzzing noise or clicking noise is coming from underneath the hood of you car when you turn the key. You get a jump, you go on to work, but when you get off work, you need another jump to get you home.
Now is the time for battery maintenance. Your car battery is only going to live for so long. You want to get in as many years as possible before its time is up. Age is just one of battery’s enemies, but it is the one we can’t do much about, some of the others we can. Extreme heat and extreme cold can abuse your batteries, as can overcharging and undercharging. Electrical connections not doing their job, can make it difficult for the battery to do its job.
When it comes to battery maintenance, start with a battery tester and check the open-cell voltage. Before doing this test, make sure the battery is fully charged and all electrical drains are turned off. When checking the voltage, the reading between terminals should be 12.5 to 12.6 volts. Even if the battery is not fully charged, but still has the ability to start the car, the voltage reading will still be close to 12.0.
If the voltage reading shows less than 12.0 or it won’t take a charge, you might want to run another test. The hydrometer can run a specific gravity, which is the proportions of sulfuric acid and water in the electrolyte and give a sign to the level of charge. Pull up the battery fill caps if possible, and add distilled water to the cells that are low. The fluid in the battery should reach the bottom of the fill port. Always use distilled water, because the minerals in tap water can cause corrosion in the battery. If the fluid level is low, a charging system could be producing voltage, which is too high. The voltage maximum with a fully charged battery and the engine revved slightly should be 14.6 volts. Extreme heat can also cause the loss of electrolyte.
If you have to charge the battery, always recharge the battery on a low setting for 4 to 6 hours or overnight. A quick charge on a battery using a high setting will warp the plates inside the battery. Make sure the battery charger is showing 13.5 volts while charging your battery. Your battery may have a high resistance, but if you just put it on the charger and just be patient and wait, the charging current will rise to normal levels. Be careful not to overcharge the battery, as this can cause the electrolyte to boil, and never let a completely discharged battery stay that way for too long or sulfation will set in.
As far as the testing goes, you should use a to perform a voltage test and a load test. You want to use a tester you can rely on and you want to be sure the job is done right the first time. You want to know, right away, if you have a good battery or a bad one needing replacement. A voltmeter or multimeter is not even close to accurate unless you are precisely loading the battery you are testing while simultaneously reading voltage drop. You also have to compensate for temperature. Try a SOC tester it will give you results to equal to a full 20-hour discharge test, and that’s pretty hard to beat.
For more info on choosing a battery tester, make sure to check out the Battery Research Center. For info on recommended battery testing methods referred to in this article visit: soctester.com
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