How to Replace a Battery in a Honda

Replace the battery in your Honda with any of the many brands of batteries on the market, as long as the battery amperage matches the battery amperage of the original battery. Different brands have different warranties. All batteries are marked with a code for warranty purposes. The letters correspond to the month and the numbers are for the years. For example, a battery with a J10 code starts the warranty in the tenth month (October) of 2010. The warranty counts from this date, not the date of purchase.

Things You'll Need

• Set of wrenches
• Set of sockets
• Baking soda and water (optional)
• Wire brush (optional)
• Super Glue

Instructions

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable using a wrench. Lay it aside, making sure it doesn't touch metal. Disconnect the positive battery cable and lay it aside.

2. Loosen the wingnuts or nuts on the battery hold-down bar. Depending on the year and model Honda, the hold down could have wingnuts that can be removed with your fingers, or regular nuts, which are removed with a socket or a wrench.

3. Lift the hold-down bar off the battery. Lift the battery out of the vehicle.

4. Clean the battery tray area of any debris. If you have acid buildup on the tray or the hold-down hooks, clean the acid buildup using baking soda and water. Just wet the area down and sprinkle baking soda on it. Use a wire brush to scrape the acid buildup off. Rinse well with water.

5. Place the new battery on the battery tray. Lift the hold-down hook up if it fell over. Slide the hold-down bar over the threaded end of the hooks. Install the nuts or wingnuts and tighten firmly.

6. Reinstall the positive battery cable, then the negative cable, tightening the terminal nuts with a wrench.

Tips & Warnings

• Super Glue a penny 1/16 of an inch away from each battery post. Make sure it doesn't touch the battery post. The copper in the pennies helps keep the green acid buildup from forming around the battery posts and terminals.

Resources

• Batteryfaq