My car battery is weak

[Eli]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
I'm not supposed to touch the ground/car when I'm touching the + lead right?

Oh yeah, I want to clean the terminals with baking soda... how much should I put in the water? I'm thinking it doesn't really matter as long as it neutralizes the acid.

It doesen't matter, you could stick your tongue across the terminals on the battery and you would be fine. (although your tongue, and possibly your head, may feel a little strange....)

Why do you want to clean the terminals on a new battery? Use a wire brush to clean them, not baking soda water.. that's just to clean them up when theres a lot of gunk built up..

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
I'm not supposed to touch the ground/car when I'm touching the + lead right?

Oh yeah, I want to clean the terminals with baking soda... how much should I put in the water? I'm thinking it doesn't really matter as long as it neutralizes the acid.

It doesen't matter, you could stick your tongue across the terminals on the battery and you would be fine.

Why do you want to clean the terminals on a new battery? Use a wire brush to clean them, not baking soda water.. that's just to clean them up when theres a lot of gunk built up.

Okay. I figured you're supposed to clean terminals on the cables anyway, to remove whatever is there. I know the battery is just 12v, but I seem to recall reading on Hardforum about not touching the ground when dealing with the +... I guess that's with the alternator running...

 

[notfred]

Unhook negative cable, unhook positive cable, lift battery out of car, lower new battery into car, attach positive cable, attach negative cable, reset clock.

There's no special trick here or anything.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
I'm not supposed to touch the ground/car when I'm touching the + lead right?

Oh yeah, I want to clean the terminals with baking soda... how much should I put in the water? I'm thinking it doesn't really matter as long as it neutralizes the acid.

It doesen't matter, you could stick your tongue across the terminals on the battery and you would be fine.

Why do you want to clean the terminals on a new battery? Use a wire brush to clean them, not baking soda water.. that's just to clean them up when theres a lot of gunk built up.

Okay. I figured you're supposed to clean terminals on the cables anyway, to remove whatever is there. I know the battery is just 12v, but I seem to recall reading on Hardforum about not touching the ground when dealing with the +... I guess that's with the alternator running...

It's not possible to be electrocuted by 12v automotive electronics.

You should have picked up one of those battery terminal cleaners while you were there, probably 2$, but it will last you forever. Both male and female, one end cleans the terminals on the battery, and one end cleans the terminals on the battery cables.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Eli
It's not possible to be electrocuted by 12v automotive electronics.

Amperage man, amperage. 600+ amps can do a hell of a lot to a person if you're not careful. Normally 12 volts isn't enough to push that amperage through a human, but it you drop a wrench across the terminals or end up somehow reducing your resistance you can seriously hurt yourself. It's a remote chance to be sure, but it does exist.

ZV

 

[WinkOsmosis]

I have a slight problem...
I lost the bolt that holds the crossbar down. I unscrewed the nut and took off the crossbar that holds the battery down... and of course the bolt fell through... Now I don't know where it is. Before unscrewing that nut I tried removing the battery with only one end of the crossbar unscrewed, but it was impossible.... so what the hell do I do?!

Before anyone asks, no, the bolt is not underneath the car.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

ARGHHH! Now I am puzzled. I found the bolt.. in the tray that holds the battery!!! I do not know how it got there, because it has a hook on the unthreaded side. And as a result, I haev no idea how to put it back in. This is really a physical impossibility and I am thoroughly stumped.

 

[etech]

Eli

It's not possible to be electrocuted by 12v automotive electronics.

You should have picked up one of those battery terminal cleaners while you were there, probably 2$, but it will last you forever. Both male and female, one end cleans the terminals on the battery, and one end cleans the terminals on the battery cables.

You missed the point. If the battery is still connected and you start to remove the positive cable first and your wrench touches the car it will arc. It may weld the wrench to the car. It will damage your battery and if the battery has any hydrogen floating above the plates your battery could explode.

Remove the negative cable first. The car is already grounded to it and it will not matter if the wrench touches the car. Just don't swing the wrench enough to hit the positive terminal while you are taking off the negative. I have placed a rag over the positve terminal on a side post battery when the plastic connector had disapeared.

There are a few English and very old American cars that used a positive ground system. They are rare and if you have an American car built in the last twenty years or so then you have a negative ground system.

Wink, the way I see it you have two choices, find the bolt or make another drive to AutoZone for another one. If it is a short distance you may be able to pack a towel or something around the battery to keep it from shorting if it looks as if it would hit the frame. Best if you could find someone to take you but...

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: etech
Eli

It's not possible to be electrocuted by 12v automotive electronics.

You should have picked up one of those battery terminal cleaners while you were there, probably 2$, but it will last you forever. Both male and female, one end cleans the terminals on the battery, and one end cleans the terminals on the battery cables.

You missed the point. If the battery is still connected and you start to remove the positive cable first and your wrench touches the car it will arc. It may weld the wrench to the car. It will damage your battery and if the battery has any hydrogen floating above the plates your battery could explode.

Remove the negative cable first. The car is already grounded to it and it will not matter if the wrench touches the car. Just don't swing the wrench enough to hit the positive terminal while you are taking off the negative. I have placed a rag over the positve terminal on a side post battery when the plastic connector had disapeared.

There are a few English and very old American cars that used a positive ground system. They are rare and if you have an American car built in the last twenty years or so then you have a negative ground system.

Wink, the way I see it you have two choices, find the bolt or make another drive to AutoZone for another one. If it is a short distance you may be able to pack a towel or something around the battery to keep it from shorting if it looks as if it would hit the frame. Best if you could find someone to take you but...

Well I have the bolt, but no way to put it back in. I can push it up from under, because I think it screws into the wheel well, but I can't fit my head under the spoiler to see. I still have no idea how it came out, and went upward into the battery tray.

 

[Evadman]

the hold downs are usually J shaped bolts. they hook into the battery tray and the threaded end goes through the crossbar. it is not impossible. I can take pics of my zuk if you need help.

and 12v will not kill ya. hell, you will not feel it. remove - first, then +. that is so if you accidently touch the wrench to a body panel while taking off the + you do not do some amature spot welding. you can lick your fingers than touch the terminals and be fine. I have done it then acted like it shocked me just to scare the jeebus out of other people.

However it only takes .62 amps across the heart to stop it. (might be .062, I always forget. but it is nothing either way). Nifty trick: get a 4' florecent tube and stand under one of those super high voltage lines at night and hold the tube up. even though the line is 80' over your head, the tube will still light up. all that electricity is flowing through anything around those lines, including you. nifty.

 

[syberscott]

Originally posted by: ATLien247
Speaking of dead batteries, I couldn't get my own car started this morning. I tried jumping it, and it still wouldn't start!

When I first tried to start it up it would try to turn over once, then nothing. Then I tried a second time and it would try to turn over once, then this clicking noise (the starter?).

Same results when trying to jump start it...

I'm not a car guy by any means... so, does this sound like I have a problem beyond a dead battery?

It's most likely your starter. The clicking sound is the starter solonoid.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

I feel like an idiot now... I was trying to put the bolt in the wrong hole that happened to be positioned in exactly the right spot. The upward bend of the bolt went into a vertical hole in the side of the tray, not in the wheel well. So it's all good. What should I do with this old battery? It's swollen...

I remember my dad used to melt lead from old batteries to make fishing weights....

 

[etech]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
I feel like an idiot now... I was trying to put the bolt in the wrong hole that happened to be positioned in exactly the right spot. The upward bend of the bolt went into a vertical hole in the side of the tray, not in the wheel well. So it's all good. What should I do with this old battery? It's swollen...

I remember my dad used to melt lead from old batteries to make fishing weights....

Take the old battery back to the place you bought it. They will dispose of it.

I know in Ok. that you will get $5 for the old battery. It's a recyclying thing.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Tyler

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
What battery should I get?

The one the guy at the auto parts store says fits in your car.

Not if you got a Dodge Neon. They made the area for the battery so short they had to make a special short battery you can only get a Dodge and of course a ridiculous price. I could 4 batteries for the price paid for the one at the Dealer. :|

 

[JC]

Not if you got a Dodge Neon. They made the area for the battery so short they had to make a special short battery you can only get a Dodge and of course a ridiculous price. I could 4 batteries for the price paid for the one at the Dealer. :|

Yet another reason not to drive a Neon