How to Resurrect Old Dead Car Batteries
Did you know that you can resurrect old, dead car batteries? It is possible to charge an old battery and get some more life out of it. Old batteries commonly develop lead sulfates which damage a battery's interior and cause failure. Desulfating an old, dead car battery may or may not work, but it is much cheaper than buying a brand new battery. If you properly care for your car batteries by cleaning the battery terminals and keeping them charged, then you should get a lot of use out of them.
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Things You'll Need
- Battery terminal scrub brush
- Safety goggles
- Wrench
- Anti-corrosion solution for car batteries
- Portable car battery charger
Instructions
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1
Wear safety goggles and remove the dead battery from the car if it's not already out. Take off the positive battery terminal clamp with a wrench.
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2
Scrub the battery post and clamp with a brush made specifically for cleaning batteries, which you can purchase at an auto supply store. Remove all traces of corrosion.
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3
Replace the clamp onto the positive battery terminal.
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4
Wipe some anti-corrosion solution on the battery terminals and clamps to prevent rust and corrosion from building up.
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5
Repeat steps 1 through 4 on the negative battery terminal clamp and post.
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6
Purchase a portable car battery charger, which costs less than $50. You can plug it into an outlet in your home to fully charge the battery.
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7
Place the red clip on the positive battery terminal and the black clip on the negative battery terminal.
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8
Read the battery charger's manual for specific instructions. Generally, setting it to a lower amperage is safer for the battery and prevents over-charging.
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9
Allow the charger to fully charge the battery and unplug it when the indicator light turns green. Remove the clips and install the battery into a car.
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