A car battery provides the main power supply starting up your car’s engine, and illuminating lights and other equipment in the car. There can be various causes of a dead car battery. We will be discussingseveral possibilitiesand reasons why your car battery could have died, and also provide a few tips on how to extend the life of your car battery.
- Check basics –Many of the batteries these days are sealed and do not need any maintenance. But they have an indicator which shows the water level which can show the actual situation of the battery. It is important to balance the electrochemical equation of the battery which can become imbalanced if the water level goes down. If the water level goes down, the battery cells can become over acidic and can lead to sulfation on the battery plates and leave the car battery dead.
- Parasitic draw –If your battery is in a good condition but goes off overnight or just a few days of not driving it, then there are possibilities that it might have been affected bya parasitic draw. This can be hardto identify, but a good mechanic or a battery specialistwill be able to find out for you. A fault in the ignition panel or defective wiring in the music system could be responsible. When a parasitic draw occurs it puts a lot of strain on the battery. Make sure that everything is off and the key is out of the ignition, all the doors are closed including everything that is associated with the internal and external lights.
- Car Battery life – Discharging of the battery can also depend on the life of the battery. Ifthe battery is old (more than five years) then it can be a reason to get discharged. As the age of the battery increases the users can face a more frequent fall out and the battery is likely to become flat faster. However, two batteries will never perform the same as they function differently in diverse environments.
- When they are not in use – Car batteries can become flat when they are not in use. Moreover, connection to the accessories and the car computers can pull loadand contribute towards draining the battery when the engine is not in use.Quite often, shot circuits or usage of lights that have a higher voltage than the capacity, can be the culprits. The car needs to be running to make sure that the batteries do not get discharged. But if the battery is being used constantly without the engine, then it can drain quickly also.
Maintenance tips
An average battery has a life span of about three to five years, but some can last for a considerably longer time. Replacement of the battery can solve the problem of a dead or worn out battery, but it is mostly due to a small issue which can be solved by a battery expert, who performs a parasitic test before opting to change the entire battery. The water levels of the battery have to be checked at regular intervals as it can increase its life. Keep checking the cables for short circuit and parasitic load. Check for any leaks and most of the time such issues can be fixed at a low cost rather than investing in a new battery.
