Changing a car battery

[gab13by13]

It's going to be -4 tomorrow and -12 Friday so I bought a new battery. Being retired and on a fixed income I'm not going to a garage. I went from 550 cold cranking amps to 800. I made the insulated sleeve fit.

With these newer cars there is the issue needing to reset the electronics once the car loses power. Ha! I McGivered it. I took my 6 volt mower battery, hooked it to jumper cables and to the cables on my car. (a 12 volt battery works too but I didn't have one) So when I disconnected my cables I still had some power going to my electronics.

I wasn't sure this would work.

It worked like a charm, bring on 12 below.

[SheltieLover]

1. Great thinking!

[Hotler]

2. What brand of battery? I'm an Optima fan. I got 8-years out of my last one.

Still working fine when I replaced it, didn't want to push it any longer. Totally sealed, no off-gassing at all and none of the battery crud like normal batteries.
P.S. Good tip with the secondary power supply.

[gab13by13]

5. I got a Duralast Gold,

I was swayed by the 800 cold cranking amps.

[Hotler]

8. Go big or go home. Glad you have some peace of mind.

Be well.

[lagomorph777]

28. CCA is good, but sacrifices battery life.

To achieve very low resistance, the plates are "foamy" rather than solid (provides a ton of surface area). Downside is, they are flimsy and flake off as they charge and discharge.

[Johnny2X2X]

3. Nice job

With a lot of cars now though, the electronics retain a residual charge that will keep them from having to be reset when the battery is changed. Better safe than sorry though.

I change my own batteries too, it's easy enough, but modern cars do have a lot of plastic tabs and fasteners that are easy to break. So I will usually watch the Youtube video on changing any part even if it's as simple as a battery.

DIY has taken an amazing turn with Youtube the last 10 years or so. There's a video of your exact make, model, and year out there for almost any repair you can imagine. And the same goes for home repairs. No project is too big or too small for there to be a spot on video on exactly how to do it now. It's amazing and I feel more comfortable tackling most repairs now.

[gab13by13]

6. Google is your friend,

I went to Google to repair my snowblower.

[MineralMan]

4. Most auto shops have a power source they can hook up

when changing batteries. As you found, that solves the problem of needing to reset the electronics. However, not every place that sells and installs batteries has that equipment. Ask before having someone replace your battery. Really. It can be a real pain in the ass if it is necessary to reprogram the system. If the place doesn't tell you that they are all set up for that, go somewhere else.

If you replace it yourself, you can use another battery, connected with the proper polarity, to the wires that connect to the battery you're replacing. A lot of people use a 9-volt battery, like the ones used in smoke detectors. That works plenty long enough to make the change. A 6-volt might work, but it also might not.

Also, make sure the connections from the temporary battery are connected well and can't fall off or get disconnected.

[gab13by13]

9. All good tips.

[Emile]

7. Great idea! I found my local junk yard sells new Interstate (blemish) batteries far cheaper

than new ones. I bought my last one for $40.00.

[gab13by13]

10. Wow, can't beat that.

[Emile]

11. You might check your local junk yard next time you need a new battery.

[Amishman]

13. I'd be cautious about doing that

Hard to know if they are blemished cosmetically or QC rejects for functional reasons.

An improperly made battery of that size is a very dangerous thing

[Emile]

14. I have three of them, one in my truck, one in my Buick and one in my John Deere tractor.

I haven't had any problems with them.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

32. Costco around here has interstate batteries for $40-50 less than the auto stores for comparable.

I needed a battery so I borrowed my brother’s card.

I saved $45 bucks.

I also spent $100 bucks on rotisserie chickens, booze and snacks. Goddamnit!

[fightforfreedom]

12. Smart, I remember the days when it was easy to work, fix your own car.

[gab13by13]

15. You must be really old?

:l

[fightforfreedom]

19. Old, but not really old, I'm young old. LOL!

[gab13by13]

22. Me too, just kidding.

I'm 74 and still won't play golf from the senior tees.

[KS Toronado]

24. So, you've been 29 for 40 years already like me?

[Emile]

17. I gave up changing oil. The Buick LeSabre we had you had to take the front passenger

wheel off to get to the oil filter.

[gab13by13]

18. Yeah, I would too.

There are some battery locations I don't think I'd want to try.

[CaptainTruth]

29. That's one thing I like about my 1964 Chevelle & 1982 Trans Am.

The Chevelle is about 90% original & has plenty of room to get to everything, & the TA has a Chevy smallblock so parts are readily available & cheap.

Years ago I pulled the Chevelle engine, tore it down & rebuilt it myself, & dropped it back in. Recently it developed leaks in the radiator, heater core, & gas tank (all original parts) so fixing those are on my to-do list for 2022. I'll probably end up replacing some brake lines too.

This past year I replaced the fuel pump & power steering pump in the TA. The shop I deal with ordered the wrong power steering pump (got one for AC, the car doesn't have AC) so I had to grab an angle grinder & cut a couple chunks out of the mounting bracket so it would sit properly on the engine block. My wife heard the racket & saw showers of sparks flying out from under the hood & came running out, asking me what I was doing. "Making it fit," of course, because that's what you do when you don't want to return it & wait for another one to be ordered.

I also had to replace the alternator on my van a few months ago. THAT was a pain because it's a Ford E150 with the engine tucked back into the passenger compartment & no room to get to anything. I had to take off a bunch of stuff to get to it, but I did it.

Car repairs are fun...

[bluescribbler]

16. Clever.

nt

[gab13by13]

20. Another thing I did,

I knew what battery my car called for but I wanted more CCA so I measured my battery in the car and determined the width needed to be the same, but the height and length I could work with. When I go to the auto parts store I just bring my tape measure. Oh and make sure the terminal posts are the same. The battery I bought had the same width, lower height, and longer length. The longer length caused me to slice up the sleeve the battery sits in and redid it.

[Good egg]

21. Love it.

You still have that old Yankee know how! Just this morning I paid AAA $167. to come out with a new one of their brand, take out the 6yo Interstate, and install. I'm one down in my 4 road service alottments for the year, but the station around the corner wanted $247.

[gab13by13]

23. I have AAA also.

[FailureToCommunicate]

25. Great! I'm very much hoping I don't need to replace THIS battery anytime soon...

Hybrid car: (That's what is under the rear seats)

[Traildogbob]

26. Many auto parts stores

Will install when you purchase from them. And can reset computer then as well. But, hats off to you. Critical thinking skills have become as obsolete as critical race theory in GQP world. The cult lost the thinking skills around Reagan years and when Rusty Limpballs and Right wing media started telling em what and when to think.
-12, that can freez brain function. Awesome you got ahead of it.

[lagomorph777]

27. Glad your cables didn't melt.

Connecting 6V across 12V is a recipe for trouble.

[gab13by13]

30. They were only connected together for a matter of seconds,

I had my 10mm ratcheting wrench ready to go.

I wanted to use a 12 volt if I had one.

[garybeck]

31. glad it worked but....

be careful connecting a 6 V battery to a 12 V system. you probably won't damage electronics but you could make them go wonky. Also when you temporarily had both the 6V and 12V batteries hooked up together, that could have unforseen results.

[DownriverDem]

33. With a newer car

you wouldn't have to do that. The computer automatically resets after 0 power. Depending on your car model you might have to reset your radio.