How To Clean My Car Battery Terminals

Batteries

How to Clean Bombardment Terminals with Stuff You Already Accept

Jan 7,2018

How to Clean Battery Terminals with Stuff You Already Have

You wash, wax, and vacuum your machine to keep it looking sharp. Just have you ever considered cleaning things under the hood? By cleaning your battery terminals, you can actually aid the car battery perform stronger, longer! We'll show you how to clean the terminals and help prevent motorcar battery corrosion in but V steps – with materials you lot probably already have at abode!

Materials

Protective gloves, like dish gloves
Baking soda
Water
Old toothbrush
Rag
Petroleum jelly

Step 1: Mix up your homemade battery cleaner.

The recipe is simple. Mix i tablespoon of baking soda into one loving cup of h2o, and stir it together until it'southward thoroughly mixed.

Pace 2: Undo the cables from the battery and inspect it.

Make certain your engine is off. Popular open your hood and remove the negative battery cable starting time. And then the positive cable attached to your battery. Some batteries may be in the trunk or under a seat. (Turn to your owner'southward transmission for more information.) Then, assess your battery. Buildup, battery corrosion, and grime on the terminals can profoundly impact your engine and battery performance. If y'all find that the battery case is leaking, swollen, or bloated, skip the cleaning and head straight to your nearest Firestone Consummate Auto Care for a new battery. Yours is on its way out!

Step 3: Dip a toothbrush in your cleaner and start scrubbing!

Grab an old toothbrush, dip information technology in your baking soda cleaner, and start scrubbing the terminals. This volition take a piffling bit of elbow grease and yous'll need to continuously make clean off the toothbrush as you work. Clean the terminals thoroughly, until all of the buildup has been removed. Do not put the toothbrush back in the bathroom!

Stride 4: Rinse off the residue with h2o and dry.

Later you've removed all of the corrosion and dirt from the terminals, give the battery a quick rinse. Fill up a spray canteen with a bit of h2o and spray down the terminals. If you don't have a spray canteen, y'all can too wipe everything down with a damp rag. Then, use another rag to dry the terminals completely.

Step 5: Rub petroleum jelly onto the terminals and reattach the cables.

Once the terminals are dry, dab a bit of petroleum jelly onto them. This will lubricate them, help prevent further corrosion, and help strengthen the connection. Reattach the positive and negative cables, and you're all set up! Be careful, too much petroleum jelly can cause a poor connection.

Keeping your motorcar battery clean can assistance get things moving when your motorcar won't showtime and battery menstruation is weak. Staying on top of your battery'south charge is crucial to avert getting stranded. Cease by your nearest Firestone Consummate Auto Intendance for a battery test at your convenience! Our technicians volition let you lot know simply how much "life" is left in your battery, so y'all can hit the road with peace of mind – and a new battery, if necessary!

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