Detection and maintenance methods of the car starter battery

Maintenance-free lead-acid battery: Due to its structural advantages, the maintenance-free battery consumes very little electrolyte and basically does not need to be supplemented with distilled water during its service life. It also has the characteristics of shock resistance, high-temperature resistance, small size, and small self-discharge. The service life is generally twice that of ordinary batteries. There are also two types of maintenance-free batteries on the market: the first is that the electrolyte is added once at the time of purchase, and there is no need to maintain it during use (addition of supplementary fluid); the other is that the battery itself has been filled with electrolyte and sealed when it leaves the factory. , The user cannot add refill at all.

Water-added lead-acid batteries: The plates of ordinary batteries are made of lead and lead oxides, and the electrolyte is an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid. Its main advantages are stable voltage and low price; its disadvantages are low specific energy (that is, electric energy stored per kilogram of battery), short service life, and frequent routine maintenance.

The maintenance method of the battery

The capacity and discharge capacity of car batteries will decrease after being used for more than two years. The life of a general car battery will not exceed four years. Of course, a well-maintained battery will last longer. Let’s take a look at the maintenance methods of water-filled lead-acid batteries and maintenance-free lead-acid batteries.

Maintenance-free lead-acid battery

Note: Check the magic eye regularly and keep the battery fully charged.

Because the maintenance-free battery has no water filling hole and battery liquid level scale, we need to judge the state of the battery through the “magic eye” on the battery. The magic eye is green to indicate that the battery is normal and fully charged; the magic eye is black to indicate that it needs to be charged; the magic eye is white to indicate that the battery needs to be replaced.

In addition, we generally use a voltmeter to check the battery voltage. Although we can detect the voltage value of the battery, we cannot check the load capacity of the battery. In order to check the actual condition of the battery, we should use a dedicated battery tester to check the battery’s discharge capacity and load capacity.

Water-added lead-acid battery

Note: battery liquid level and battery liquid density.

The battery fluid of lead-acid batteries is a mixture of sulfuric acid and distilled water. When the battery is discharged, the water will increase, and the sulfuric acid will decrease, which leads to the decrease of the battery fluid density; when charging, on the contrary, the water will decrease, and the sulfuric acid will increase. The battery fluid concentration reflects the ratio of water and sulfuric acid in the battery fluid. The normal electrolyte density is 1.28 (summer)/1.29-1.30 (winter) (unit is grams per cubic centimeter).

As car owners, we should check the battery fluid level regularly. When the battery fluid is insufficient, add distilled water to the proper level. After adding distilled water to the battery, we should check the battery liquid density and keep the battery liquid density within a reasonable range at all times.

The detection method of the battery.

Since the main function of the lead-acid battery for car start is to start the car, the evaluation parameter of the lead-acid battery for car start should also be its starting ability, that is, the cold start current value. How to test the cold start current value of the battery?

The Autool battery detector can quickly detect the current health status of the battery, test the battery that is under-charged, and immediately give the test result, and at the same time can detect the car’s charging system and starting system.

The six major matters needing attention in the use of the battery

1. The electrode connection of the battery is prone to problems, so please pay attention to check it at any time. Check each part of the circuit for aging or short circuit. Prevent the battery from being decommissioned early due to over-discharge. During the inspection, if there are green oxides at the electrode wiring, remember to take boiling water to wash them away. If these green oxides are not removed, the generator’s power generation will be insufficient, and the battery will be in a state of depletion. The early scrapped, or can’t get a car. After flushing with boiling water, use compressed air to dry the water and then spray a special protective agent to prevent the oxide layer from reappearing.

2. If the battery is not used for a long time, it will slowly discharge by itself until it is scrapped. Therefore, the car should be started at regular intervals to charge the battery. The accumulator has a certain service life and needs to be replaced after a certain period of time.

3. The density of the electrolyte should be adjusted according to the standards in different regions and different seasons.

4. Distilled water or special rehydration should be added when the electrolyte is lacking. Never use pure drinking water instead. Because the purified water contains a variety of trace elements, it will cause adverse effects on the battery.

5. When starting the car, uninterrupted use of the starter will cause the battery to be damaged due to over-discharge. The correct way to use it is that the total time to start the car each time is no more than 5 seconds, and the interval between restarts is no less than 15 seconds. In the case that the car still fails to start after multiple starts, the reason should be found from other aspects such as the circuit, ignition coil or oil circuit.

6. In daily driving, check whether the small holes on the battery cover are ventilated. If the small holes in the battery cover are blocked, the generated hydrogen and oxygen cannot be discharged. When the electrolyte expands, it will break the battery shell and affect the battery life.

Autool battery detector reminder

The maintenance of the ignition system is related to whether the vehicle can be started, so the plug position should be carefully checked to see if it is rusty. Once rusted, it must be treated with a professional cleaning agent. In addition, the maintenance of spark plugs should not be taken lightly.

The charging system should focus on checking whether the generator belt is aging or cracked after being hit by rain and high temperature. If the above situation does not happen, remember to check the tightness of the belt. If the belt is too loose, it will cause the belt to scream and wear the belt early; if the belt is too tight, it will cause the partial wear of the generator bearing.

Note: Sometimes, the engine cannot be started when the engine is turned off on the road. As a temporary measure, you can ask other vehicles for help. Use the batteries on their vehicles to start the vehicle, and connect the negative and negative electrodes of the two batteries and the positive and positive electrodes.

Five common mistakes

Misunderstanding 1: When using maintenance-free batteries, simply think that maintenance-free means that there is no need for any maintenance.

Misunderstanding 2: There is no need to deal with the corrosive matter on the surface of the battery pole post terminal, as long as it is not loosened. Corrosion appears on the outside, and the inner surface of the terminal will also corrode, which will increase the resistance value and affect the normal charging and discharging of the battery. It must be treated in time.

Misunderstanding 3: When the liquid level is low, replenish the electrolyte or add pure drinking water instead of distilled water. If the electrolyte containing sulfuric acid is added, the electrolyte concentration inside the battery will increase, boiling, acid fog, etc. may occur, which will seriously affect the service life of the battery; use pure drinking water instead of distilled water, which contains a variety of trace elements. It has an adverse effect on the battery.

Misunderstanding 4: The density of the electrolyte is not inspected and adjusted, especially when winter comes, resulting in insufficient battery capacity. If you go to the north, such as Hunan, it will even cause the electrolyte to freeze.

Misunderstanding 5: When using the battery to start in winter, use the starter uninterruptedly, causing the battery to be damaged due to over-discharge.

Due to the lack of routine maintenance of the battery, among the daily car breakdowns, the car breakdown caused by the battery accounts for the largest proportion. Therefore, the Autool battery tester reminds all car owners that they should pay attention to the maintenance and testing of the battery during the regular use of the car.