Your car won’t start. You have a dead battery. We know, it’s a pain! You’d like to pull it out and get it checked at an auto parts store or maybe even replace it—and you want to do it yourself to save a few bucks.
If you haven’t attempted to disconnect a battery before, we’re here to help. It’s simple and requires just a couple of tools. But you need to know how to do it properly to ensure your safety and make sure that nothing bad happens to your vehicle or its electrical system. Follow these steps and the operation will go smoothly and quickly.
When Do You Need To Disconnect A Car Battery?
Car batteries are one of the most crucial components of your vehicle, but you may need to disconnect them for a variety of reasons:
- To perform maintenance on your vehicle: Some types of maintenance require you to disconnect the battery to prevent the risk of electrical issues or danger to yourself and your vehicle.
- To replace or recharge the battery: Batteries need to be replaced from time to time (every 2-5 years in most cases), so disconnecting the battery would be mandatory for replacement. Additionally, if your battery is dead and can’t be charged while seated in its holding tray, you would need to remove the battery and then charge it.
How To Disconnect A Car Battery?
Ultimately, every car owner needs to know how to disconnect the battery. Fortunately, it’s not too difficult of a job, so let us walk you through it. Before beginning the process of disconnecting your battery, start by turning your car off.
#1: Locate the Battery.
Most vehicles have them bolted in place under the hood. You’ll have to get to it. If you’ve never raised your vehicle’s hood before, check your owner’s manual. It’ll tell you how to do it and where the safety catch is under the front of the hood.
Some vehicles have their batteries tucked away out of sight in the trunk. If you can’t find your battery under the hood, it’s almost for sure in the rear of the vehicle. Again, check your owner’s manual to be sure.
#2. Find Your Car Battery’s Negative Terminal.
With the vehicle powered down, pop the hood of your car using the release mechanism in your car’s cabin or under the hood itself. Once open, locate your car battery. These are large, block-like components with two large cables attached to them near the engine bay’s surface.
In some instances, a car battery will be located in the trunk. If you’re having difficulty finding it, consult your owner’s manual to determine the exact location of your battery.
Once you’ve located the battery, find the negative terminal. It is electrical contact that is typically on top of the battery with an attached cable. The negative terminal should be marked by a “-“ symbol, whereas a “+” sign will mark the positive terminal.
The negative terminal is also black and may have a black plastic cap for labeling, while the positive terminal will be red and have a red plastic cap.
Related Posts: How to Tell Positive and Negative Terminals on a Car Battery?
#3. Loosen The Nut on The Negative Terminal With A Wrench.
Remove the plastic caps if your battery has them, then start looking for a wrench that fits the nuts and bolts for your battery terminals.
Unfortunately, no truly universal size applies to all terminal hardware, so it’s difficult to determine your wrench size without checking for yourself. We’d recommend bringing a wrench kit with multiple socket sizes for the task, so you have various options for finding the right one.
You may need to try a few different socket wrench sizes before finding the perfect tool. Once you do so, place the wrench on the negative terminal’s nut and turn it counterclockwise to loosen.
#4. Remove The Negative Connector, Then Repeat with The Positive Terminal.
After loosening the nut, remove the negative connector cable from the battery and push it far aside. It’s essential to make sure this cable is entirely out of the way and doesn’t come in contact with the battery again until you are ready.
Some modern vehicles have their cables “seized” or attached to the battery post or tray. In these cases, you may need a battery cable removal tool to fully remove the negative connector. Check with your local auto parts store or manufacturer to see if they have one in stock if your battery requires it.
After removing the negative connector, repeat the exact same process for the positive connector. Again, ensure that you push the cable far away and out of contact with the battery.
#5. Remove the Battery Hold-Down Clamp.
Many batteries are secured by a clamp that locks the battery to the tray that it sits on. Before you can lift it out of the vehicle, you’ll have to remove this clamp.
This will likely require a socket wrench, possibly with an extension on it, as the bolts that hold the battery can be down low in the battery tray. Congrats, you’ve freed your battery!
#6. Remove The Battery If Necessary.
At this point, your battery should be entirely disconnected. However, you may need to remove the battery from the tray to perform maintenance or replace it with a new battery.
You should be able to lift the battery out of the tray using your hands or with the handle attached to it (if applicable). Most people who have never replaced a car battery are surprised to find out how much they weigh. Car batteries are pretty heavy, with most weighing anywhere between 30-50 pounds.
At this point in the process, the battery is disconnected from the engine and cannot power your vehicle. You’re free to perform maintenance or swap it out with a new battery, depending on your needs.
If you need to remove your battery to perform a charge, you may now do so.
Related Post: How to Charge a Car Battery?
If You’re Storing Your Vehicle
A Final Note: If you’re removing the battery cables to store your ride for an extended time, know that a fully charged battery will hold its charge for six months to a year if you disconnect the negative cable.
If you’re disconnecting the negative cable and leaving the battery in place, be sure to push the cable out of the way. If there’s any chance that it might spring back into place and touch battery terminal, use zip ties to hold it in place.
Better still, buy yourself a battery-disconnect switch (it attaches to the negative terminal), which will serve the same purpose as removing the cables and will be there whenever you need it.
