As a car noob, what should I do when doing a battery swap?

"NKato" (NKato) 03/02/2018 at 22:29 • Filed to: None

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I watched some videos on changing car batteries, but I’m not 100% sure. I have an Interstate battery ready to go into my Crown Vic tomorrow morning, but I want to be absolutely sure that I’m going to do it correctly.

Let me list off the steps in order, and you guys can correct me.

Remove negative battery terminal, set it aside (isolated).

Remove positive terminal cover, remove the terminal, set aside (isolate).

Remove battery bracket holding it in place.

Remove the old battery.

(Optional) Clean battery terminals with solution and brush. I already bought a kit for this.

Drop in the new battery, install the securing bracket.

Remove red plastic cover, install positive terminal and tighten it. Put the terminal cover on.

Secure negative terminal after removing the plastic piece. Tighten it real good.

All done?

Did I get it right?

DipodomysDeserti > NKato 03/02/2018 at 22:38

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That’s it. I always spray my terminals with that grease they sell just to make sure I don’t get any corrosion. You’re good to go.

promoted by the color red > NKato 03/02/2018 at 22:39

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That sounds about right for the basics. You should also clean off the battery tray if possible.

Drive it around for 30-40 minutes after the replacement so the car figures out how to run again.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > NKato 03/02/2018 at 22:39

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Don’t lick it, even if it smells like chocolate.

NKato > promoted by the color red 03/02/2018 at 22:44

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I got shop paper towels for this purpose. Also going to borrow my roommate’s rubber gloves to do the job.

vicali > NKato 03/02/2018 at 22:46

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Don’t smoke. Batteries give off hydrogen- you don’t want open flames around it.

NKato > vicali 03/02/2018 at 22:48

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Good thing I’m not a smoker.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > DipodomysDeserti 03/02/2018 at 22:52

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Wiping off the old grease and spraying on a new coat is something I do at every oil change. It makes the lifespan of battery terminals from now on.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > NKato 03/02/2018 at 22:53

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Yep. You’ve got this.

shop-teacher > NKato 03/02/2018 at 23:04

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Yep, that’s about the size of it. You’ll do fine!

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > NKato 03/02/2018 at 23:21

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It sounds like you’ve got it down, one is to thaw out the new battery in the microwave, defrost for 15 minyshoild do it.

smobgirl > NKato 03/02/2018 at 23:30

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Make sure you know the code to unlock the radio again if applicable. (I had an old crown Vic in college but it had a hole where the radio was, so...no idea)

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > NKato 03/02/2018 at 23:49

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Don’t forget to hookup the computer and reset the charge throughput adaptation data!

Urambo Tauro > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 03/02/2018 at 23:52

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The wut

NKato > Urambo Tauro 03/02/2018 at 23:55

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I’m a noob to this and even I know he’s bullshitting.

NKato > smobgirl 03/02/2018 at 23:56

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The radio in my crown vic is super-basic, I doubt it needs to be unlocked.

Urambo Tauro > NKato 03/02/2018 at 23:56

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Yeah, I’m just wondering if that’s actually a thing on some over-complicated German machine.

vicali > NKato 03/03/2018 at 00:01

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Yer golden, lefty loosey/righty tighty.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Urambo Tauro 03/03/2018 at 00:03

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It is real. Basically as batteries age the computer modifies its charging strategy. So you reset that when the battery is replaced. Modern cars aren’t at max charge at all times because that puts load on the engine which hurts fuel economy. So they only charge at strategic times, such as when coasting or braking. As batteries age, they will have to be charged at a higher rate more often.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > NKato 03/03/2018 at 00:04

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Only half bullshitting mane!

Urambo Tauro > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 03/03/2018 at 00:09

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Well I’ll be damned, my spidey-sense was right after all! So when you say “modern cars”, is this more than just a Mercedes thing, then?

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Urambo Tauro 03/03/2018 at 00:18

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It’s definitely not only Mercedes, but I couldn’t tell you how prevalent it is throughout the industry or for how long others have been doing it. Resetting throughput data is pretty new for us, but the rest of what I said isn’t. I think BMW has had a battery reset option for over a decade now. I would be extremely surprised if any new cars currently sold in a first world country don’t have adaptive charging strategies, even if they don’t have a reset option.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > NKato 03/03/2018 at 00:21

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Yes. Note that all the electronics will likely need to be reset afterward, though.

My bird IS the word > NKato 03/03/2018 at 01:12

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Safety goggles. batteries can explode when you fuck with em. Super, super rare (random failure) but it can happen. You should be fine though. Your vic is older, but sometimes newer cars get ornery when you connect/disconnect the battery too much so try to avoid that.

MonkeePuzzle > NKato 03/03/2018 at 02:53

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knowing your station presets is worth a moments thought before losing them though

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > smobgirl 03/03/2018 at 05:19

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I watched a video where they recommended using a battery tender on the terminals to keep charge while swapping the battery in order to save the radio as well as transmission programming for newer cars.

At that point I decided it might be worth $20 to have someone else do it. I haven’t quite decided yet.

boxrocket > NKato 03/03/2018 at 08:35

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Sounds about right. If it were a newer car I’d recommend getting a memory saver (basically a small battery that plugs into the 12V plug to keep your radio presents and trip meters the same, does more on newer cars), but that would be overkill here.

OSHA would require you to wear safety glasses/goggles, an acid-resistant apron, and proper gloves. Safety is important.

smobgirl > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com 03/03/2018 at 08:57

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The Fiat saves the radio info! But I drove around in my Civic for nearly a month with a locked radio because I didn’t have the code.

I hadn’t thought about transmission programming. Or even programmed electric seats and stuff.

LastFirstMI is my name > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 03/03/2018 at 09:30

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I just laughed out loud.

They thaw more evenly if you spray on a layer of oil then wrap them in aluminum foil before putting them in the microwave. Season to taste.

NKato > boxrocket 03/03/2018 at 10:37

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Disconnecting my battery won’t wipe the odometer, right?

boxrocket > NKato 03/03/2018 at 11:46

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No, odometers are hard-wired and can only increase (unless the gauge cluster is replaced or reprogrammed, like Ferrari’s been accused of lately). The trip-meter (Trip A/B) may go to zero though. Only a problem if you use trip meter for fuel mileage calculations and/or oil change intervals, as I do.

boxrocket > Urambo Tauro 03/03/2018 at 11:51

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Yeah, whenever we sublet recent Euro cars - except Volvos, at least - to their factory dealership, they service advisor will tell us 9/10 times they need to program the battery life. When it’s free, sure, but otherwise no, unless the owner says so.