How to Replace a Car Battery - Essay Example

How to Replace a Car Battery OVERVIEW This manual provides a detailed guideline to the process of changing a car battery. It is designed to enable any car owner to identify the parts of a car, identify the battery and change it. The manual is suitable for all vehicle users. INTRODUCTION The automobile is one of the most versatile equipment and the most common machine used by human beings to travel from one point to another. The automobile industry is diverse with different car models and makes. The car itself is a ‘moving machine’ with various mechanical and electrical connections that all aid in the producing motion, controlling the car and also providing an ergonomic condition for the car user. The principle parts of a car are; The car engine Provides kinetic energy to a car that helps in the automobile motion. The engines allows for the combustion of fuel to produce heat energy which then expands the pistons and produces rotary motion. This motion is transferred to the wheel of the vehicular unit and causes motion. The gears They are used for torque and speed conversion. Gears increase the speed of a vehicle and cause subsequent fall in torque or reduce the speed of the vehicle and cause torque or the energy of the car to increase. The wheels Move the car by providing friction between the wheel and the vehicle. The battery The battery is used to start the car engine. There are two main types of batteries, the alkaline battery and the lead acid battery. The chassis Provide support to the car and all its parts The alternator The alternator is used for charging the battery and is rotated by the car engine The starter This is a small but very powerful motor, rotated by the car battery and it rotates the engine so that it can be turned ‘ON’ FACTS ABOUT THE CAR BATTERY The car battery is used to start the engine; it provides rotary motion to crank the engine and to help it start rotating. A good car battery should last at least four to five years After cracking or starting the engine, the battery charge reduces. That is, its power reduces drastically. To charge the battery an alternator is used. The alternator is driven by the engine. It rotates and produces direct current that charges the battery. There are two types of batteries, the lead acid battery which contains acid as the electrolyte and the alkaline battery which contain an alkali as electrolyte. Lead acid batteries are very common. The alkali type store power for a long time. Regular care for the vehicle battery is important. Maintenance practices must be done on the battery. If not, the battery loses its charging capability. With the recent advancement, Maintenance free batteries have been developed. These batteries don’t require maintenance activities. HOW TO DETECT THAT THE CAR BATTERY HAS PROBLEMS When your car battery has problems the following happens; The car how a characteristic slow start. When you crack the car the engine, it rotates slowly and sluggishly. The engine may also produce a cricking sound. This occurs when the battery has gone down completely. When checking with a millimeter. The voltage indicated by the battery is below 10 volts. Note that a healthy battery has about 12 to 13 volts. When checking for the battery acid density, the density may fall beyond a certain critical point. This test should be done by qualified person. REPLACING THE BATTERY When the car battery fails. It should be replaced. The step outlined below helps one to replace the battery Tools required for changing the battery A pair of pliers A new battery A wire brush Safety glasses Clean water/ distilled water Grease Can of rust primer Battery acid Spanners ranging from 10mm to 14mm Safety rules to be observed when changing the battery The battery contains sulphuric acid that causes severe skin irritation and can lead to blindness if in contact with the eyes. Exercise great caution when handling the battery. Alkali batteries contain alkalis that are extremely corrosive. Use protective goggles when handling the battery Work in a garage away from the children Wear protective glasses to protect your eyes Work in a well ventilated room where there is free circulation of air. Sulphuric acid emits fumes that are corrosive and gives off an irritating smell. Never shot circuit or join the terminals of the battery with a wire as this may damage the battery. Never overturn a battery. Make sure it is upright at all times. Replacing the battery A) Open the bonnet of the car and locate the battery. Note the type of the battery and the specifications for the battery. Note the voltage and the amp hours of that battery. The amp hours are the number of hours the battery can provide a given current. These numbers are always given for any battery and are well specified. Note the physical dimensions of the battery as different cars have different batteries with different dimensions. B) Buy the battery with the correct rating in terms of voltage and the amp hours. Note the size of the battery. The following figure shows a typical battery Fig 1 showing a car battery (Adapted from: Eric Wester. How to change a car battery. Wikihow. 2009) C) Set up the car in a safe location away from the fire and smoke. Don’t smoke when replacing the battery as they may ignite the flammable gasohol. Ensure the automobile is packed in a level ground. Engage the hand brake. D) Remove the cigarette lighter and the plug the memory keeper to this socket to prevent loss of the memory of all pin codes, navigation and radio setting. E) Open the bonnet/hood. The button for opening the hood is at the bottom of the steering wheel or at the vehicle dash board near the steering wheel. The picture below shows the location of the button. Support the bonnet using a support rod located at the hood area. Modern cars have hoods that can support themselves Fig 2 showing the position of the bonnet switch (Adapted from: Eric Wester. How to change a car battery. Wikihow. 2009) F) Study the interior part of the car and identify the location of the battery. The battery has two cables attached to it. One cable is red and the other is black in colour. The red cable is the positive while the black cable is the negative terminal. Fig 3 showing the interior location of the battery (Adapted from: Eric Wester. How to change a car battery. Wikihow. 2009) G) Check if the battery has a layer of white coating on top. If there is the coat, apply some clean distilled water and wash the terminals on top. This allows you to get a view of the terminal plus the fastening bolts. H) Start by removing the negative terminal. Loosen the terminal using a spanner of size 10 mm to 14 mm. the size is determined by the battery type but most battery use the 10mm, 12 mm, 13 mm and seldom the 14 mm bolt and nut. Open these using either a ring spanner or an open spanner. Always start by removing the negative terminal before the positive terminal. This prevents the risk of short circuit if the positive terminal touched the body of the car that is usually connected to the negative terminal of the battery. Fig 4 showing the negative terminal (Adapted from: Eric Wester. How to change a car battery. Wikihow. 2009) I) Disconnect the positive terminal Fig 5 showing the positive terminal. The red cable is coated by plastic tubing (Adapted from: Eric Wester. How to change a car battery. Wikihow. 2009) The picture below shows the battery after removal of both cables Fig 6: showing the battery after disconnecting both terminals (Adapted from: Eric Wester. How to change a car battery. Wikihow. 2009) J) Unfasten the battery holder and remove the screws on top of the battery. The holder is a narrow strip that keeps the battery in position. Unfasten this clip and remove the battery. K) Clean the terminals of the new battery using a scrub brush. This removes the entire oxide layer on the terminals. L) Open the battery caps to view the interior of the battery. Open these screws using a screw driver M) On each of the holes, top up with one liter of sulphuric acid. Exercise great caution as the acid bubbles produce fumes which are irritating and poisonous. N) After topping up with acid. Close all the holes. Ensure they are tightly closed to prevent the acid from leaking. Don’t top up any hole with distilled water. O) Place the battery where the old battery was located. Make sure you watch the position so that you don’t exchange the positive and the negative terminal. Fig 7 showing the battery be replaced to its original location (Adapted from: Eric Wester. How to change a car battery. Wikihow. 2009) P) Secure the battery by bolting it on the car body. Make sure it is well bolted using the narrow steel strip that secures it in position. Q) Apply grease on the terminals, make sure that the terminals are clean, otherwise clean them with distilled water and apply a thin film of grease. This prevents the terminals from corrosion. R) Reconnect the positive terminal and fasten the bolt and nut Fig 8 showing the reconnection of the cables. (Adapted from: Eric Wester. How to change a car battery. Wikihow. 2009) S) Reconnect the negative terminal and fasten the bolt and nut assembly. Fig 9 showing the reconnection of the cables. (Adapted from: Eric Wester. How to change a car battery. Wikihow. 2009) T) After connecting the battery, close the hood/ bonnet. Fig 10: closing the bonnet/hood (Adapted from: Eric Wester. How to change a car battery. Wikihow. 2009 ) U) Try to start the car after putting back the cigarette lighter and the memory keeper. If it does not start, check the terminals and tighten if loose. V) Dispose the old battery in a safe place. It can be recycled by taking it to recycling centers. Disposing batteries in the garbage pits greatly pollutes the environment. References David Linden, Thomas B. Reddy. Handbook of Batteries 3rd Edition. McGraw-Hill, New York, 2002 Vincent Ciulla. How to change your battery. “why replace your battery”. About.com, auto repair. 2009< http://autorepair.about.com/cs/doityourself/a/blbattery.htm > Hcexres. Online Technical Writing: Recommendation and Feasibility Reports. 2008. Eric Wester. How to change a car battery. Wikihow. 2009 < http://www.wikihow.com/Change-a-Car-Battery > Phil, D. Advanced Technical Writing: Conclusion and Recommendation Writing for Final Report. 2006. University of Idaho. 24 June 2009 Dr.Vishnu. How to Change Vehicle Battery. Post packer . 2009< http://www.postparker.com/blog/2009/how-to-change-vehicle-battery/ > Gerson, Sharon, and Steve Gerson. Technical Writing: Process and Product. Columbus, OH: Pearson, 2007. April Rose, Richard. Technical Communication Today. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2006. Pfeiffer, William S. and Jan Boogerd. Technical Writing: A Practical Approach. 4th Canadian Edition. Scarborough: Prentice Hall, 2007 Read More