Hi all and wish everyone a happy new year.

My car is 2 yr old now and I have yet to refill any water into the battery. Occasionally I would glance at it and with a flash light but I can't seem to see the max/min level thus I just forget about it. How do you guys check the water level and how often do you add water. From the manual it said you need to add water into EACH CELL PLUG? Does each cell plug has it's own max/min?

Also, it said distilled water. Does that mean you need to boil the water first and then let it cool down? Or do you guys use tab or bottle water?

Thanks!!!

 

Don't use Tab, that's a diet soda and will probably mess things up.

Buy a jug of distilled water at the auto parts store.

Wipe off the top of the battery so that no dirt, dust or whatever can get into the cells. Make sure it's very clean. Use paper towels and throw away after use.

Yes, each cap is the cap on it's own cell. 12volt battery will have 6 cells.

Each battery can be different, but as a general rule, if the inside of each cell has a plastic projection that comes down from the top of the battery, the solution level should just touch the bottom of this plastic projection (sometimes called a split ring).

If you have cells that are low, use a small cooking or general purpose measuring cup with a spout on it to pour distilled water into the cell. Be sure to thoroughly wash the cup with soap and water before doing this.

If you pour in a little too much, don't worry about it. DO NOT pour in "a lot too much!"

Keep paper towels handy for spillage.

A noobie might want to put on a pair of safety glasses just in case. Do not touch good clothes, paint, upholstery etc with any paper towels that have contacted the battery, since battery acid is corrosive.

Once the water level is addressed, put the caps back on snugly.

Next have a look at your pos and neg posts, if any flaky white deposits, take apart and clean thoroughly with plain water and a small brush. Always remove the neg cable first and replace it last.

With terminals apart, use medium sandpaper, a general purpose mini wire brush, or a battery terminal brush to brighten up the mating surfaces of the post and terminal, then put it all back together. Make sure you don't make a mess with the sandpaper/brush debris.

 

Good write-up, GWhiz. Sometimes, we older guys forget that there is an entire generation of guys who grew up with rechargeable dry batteries, and are not aware of the hazzards of servicing wet cell batteries.
Happy new year!

 

Thanks for your info...

 

too complicated, get rid of the old batter and just tie a few D batteries together

 

do the current/modern batteries need servicing?
I've never done it in the past..
seems like they last their usuall 4~5 year run w/o maintenance

 

Some "zero maintenance" batteries can be serviced and have removeable cell caps to check acid levels and add distilled water.
Others do not have this feature and are not meant to be touched at all other than recharging.

C.

 

Look at the battery for a notation of "low maintenance" or "no maintenance."

Low maintenance means you still have to check the electrolyte level every so often. Low maint. batts will always have cell caps.

No maintenance means you don't have to check electrolyte levels, BUT you still have to keep an eye out for flaky white deposits on the battery terminals and periodically (say, once a year) check the terminal connections to make sure they are not oxidized. No maint. batts are less prone to the flaky white depostis because the deposits are caused by electrolyte outgassing, which is not an issue with no maint. batts since they are almost always "sealed."