Repairing the electric aspects of your car involves first and foremost a great amount of knowledge regarding the car’s battery. This 12- volt battery powers the car, and is the sole source of electrical energy for your vehicle. Believe it or not, this 12-volt battery is the one thing that powers the engine to start, and powers all other electric accessories that are attached and installed into the car. Moreover, the shelf-life of a 12-volt battery can be anywhere from 3 to 5 years, provided that it is not too hot or too cold in the environment where the engine is expected to run. Extreme weather conditions will drive the life of the battery down to about 2 to 3 years.

Batteries are composed of six cells, each configured to contain positive and negative plates that are arranged separately with the help of insulators. Each of these six cells is capable of storing 2.1 volts, which means that each battery can generate 12.6 volts in total. These plates are then submerged in electrolyte, which is the liquefied mixture of water and sulfuric acid. It is important to note, however, that there are some batteries that instead utilize gel instead of the liquid electrolyte previously described. The use of gel in batteries has been called “maintenance free”, because of the fact that the battery need not be refilled with electrolyte every so often. In addition, these maintenance free batteries are considered much safer in the process.

The interaction between the electrolyte and the lead plates creates a chemical reaction that produces by-product of explosive gases. These gases are released through vents incorporated in the battery. These gases are dangerous, and must at all times be carefully considered when jump starting low-powered batteries. A similar level of caution must be observed when working under the vehicle’s hood, as the fumes may escape from the vents. Keep the battery clean to nonetheless allow appropriate ventilation of the gases.

As time passes, batteries lose their capacity to recharge. The connections and structure inside the batter altogether break down due to repeated usage, which will then result to the eventual destruction of the plates and the deterioration of the electrolyte content in the battery.

As such, when your car refuses to start up, it might be good to first begin by checking your battery. Do a small, physical examination of the battery. When nothing appears wrong, the next step would be to test the voltage of the battery. When there’s nothing wrong here, either, there may be some other damage in the electrical system that is causing the car to not start up. Often, however, some mishap with the battery is the likely culprit for the car not starting up.

What is good about the entire process of checking the battery of the car is that hardly any technical equipment or expertise required in performing the procedure. With the help of any digital volt reader and battery charger, one is ready to go. In addition, manufacturers of auto batteries often have a color code that signifies whether the batter requires charging. Ask your car battery manufacturer about what color the eye of the battery will change to when charging is needed.

Test the battery and the electrical system of the car before installing a battery replacement. This will help ensure that your problem is not in fact a system drain, or a weak alternator, which will only drain the power of your battery and cause you to need a battery replacement again within weeks.

Since you are interested in car repair you will probably also be interested in finding a car that fit your needs at the lowest possible price. Go to The Top 10 Sources for Finding the Cheapest New and Used Cars and see if you can find one.

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