How to Fix a Car Battery That Doesn’t Hold Charge?

A car battery that doesn’t work well can’t hold a charge for a long time, so it won’t start engines. To get over this, you ought to find a way to fix a car battery that won’t charge. So, if a car battery won’t charge, you could fix it at home with tools.

Everyone hates dealing with a dead battery, but a charged battery is only one jump away. As long as you’re not stuck in the middle of anywhere, jumpstarting your car isn’t going to be the end of the world. In that case, what will happen to your car? You know something is wrong whenever a simple fix becomes a very complicated problem. If your battery doesn’t charge, you can do a few things to fix it and why.

You might think about two things if your car battery won’t charge. In a car that is running, an alternator problem can happen. The alternator is what charges the battery—people who jump-start their battery and have an alternator that doesn’t work.

Nevertheless, it’s essential to ensure your car is in good shape. If that isn’t the primary justification, your battery won’t charge, and you will not want to buy a new alternator (or even a new battery).

Also Read: Symptoms Of A Loose Car Battery Connection

How to Fix a Car Battery that doesn’t Hold Charge? [Best Solution]

The best solution to fix a car battery that doesn’t hold a charge is to replace it with a new, fully charged battery. If the battery is still under warranty or if it is relatively new and has not been extensively used, it may be possible to have it repaired or replaced at no cost. 

How Long Should Car Battery Hold Charge

While you start to look into why your batteries aren’t holding a charge, you must first know how long a healthy battery can hold a charge.

These batteries are both different kinds of lead-acid batteries. There are two types of batteries used in cars: one that needs to be charged and one that doesn’t need to be charged at all.

When you buy a new car, you’ll probably find silver calcium more than any other material. They can stay charged for at least six months. During this time, this battery can start a car without being plugged into a power source.

Signs of Car Battery Not Holding Charge?

As you understand, the engine is important for your car. But on the other hand, if we talk well about the battery, it would be just as important for your car as the engine. The battery in your car gives your car the electricity it needs to run all of your car’s audio and navigation systems, lights, computer systems, and other electricity-powered parts. But what if your car battery doesn’t hold a charge anymore?

What are the Possible Reasons?

Any time your car battery dies, it won’t be able to hold a charge. If this happens, your car won’t be able to start because there won’t be enough power for the starter and the main relay to work. But, do you know what it means once your car battery won’t hold a charge? 

 If your car battery doesn’t hold a charge, there is still a problem with the battery or with the system that is stopping the battery from getting charged or draining the battery when the engine is off.

Parasitic Drain

Parasitic drains, on the other hand, can also kill a battery. Because of a short circuit or perhaps an electrical device that stays on when it should be off, they are called “faults.” A common parasitic drain is a bad light switch in the glove box, underneath the hood, or in the trunk. These lights come on when they shouldn’t, but the switch doesn’t turn them off. 

Late-model cars have clocks, radio presets, detection systems, computer modules, and other complex systems that dry up the battery all the time. Normal drains on such a two or three-year-old battery might have been enough to keep your engine from starting if your car hasn’t been started for a few weeks. It could be enough to retain your engine from starting.

Your Alternator Is to Blame

You might think about two things if your car battery won’t charge. In a running car, an alternator problem can happen because the alternator is responsible for charging the battery. People who jump-start their battery and stay charged for a short time are likely to have an alternator that doesn’t work.

However, it’s very important to make sure your car is in good shape before buying a new one. If that’s not the real reason your battery won’t charge, you don’t want to buy a new alternator (or even a new battery).

Also Read: Battery Light On But Alternator Is Charging – What’s The Problem

The Battery Is Being Used Up

When too many things use up the energy in your battery, it can make it hard to keep a full charge. It doesn’t matter what these things are, from a simple cigarette lighter to an alternator that doesn’t work. Mechanics can help you figure out why your car battery won’t hold a charge if there isn’t a clear reason.

Extreme Temperature

Extreme temperatures mess with the chemistry of a battery. Cold slows down the chemical reaction, while heat makes it go faster, taking longer. It’s hot in the summer, and water evaporates first from the battery’s electrolyte, which stops chemical energy from being turned back into electrical energy. Introducing distilled water to such a battery may help the electrolyte get better. In that case, you’ll need to buy a new battery soon.

Corrosion

Pruning is the best way to keep the parts of a car battery from getting rusty. These are called “posts” or “terminals.”

Most of the time, the battery posts are made of metal, making them more likely to rot or corrode. Once they rust, it will be hard for your car battery to charge.

Battery Is Dead

Even though there are many reasons why lithium batteries may not have been carrying their charge, the bottom line is that they don’t last forever, even in the best of circumstances. Chemicals inside the cells build up over time, making it harder for them to charge. It makes it easier for them to discharge. Batteries left in a low state of charge for a long time can also go through the same changes, even though they can show up on the screen.

How to Fix a Car Battery That Doesn’t Hold Charge

Using a lot of battery power will leave you with a dead battery. The first thing you think of when your car won’t start is to try to jump-start your car with a jump start. This isn’t how to fix a car battery that doesn’t charge.

Check The Battery

A battery that won’t hold a charge could be caused by not taking care of it. Check the battery electrolyte level, make sure the terminals are not corroded or keep the battery in place to avoid physical damage.

Start a battery discharge test by looking at the battery. A simple check could help you quickly find problems that could cause your battery not to work right.

The good idea is to take the battery out and check this on a bench or other surface. You might need to use a memory saver before removing the battery’s terminals. It will keep the computer’s memory and other electronic devices set up.

Clean Up a Little (Especially the Battery Posts)

You should disconnect the battery terminals, and the unit should be taken out of the case there in the car before you start to clean it. Don’t forget to bring safety glasses and gloves for your safety.

Make sure to have a high-quality cleaning agent made for battery posts to clean them. Keep moving the posts around until they become free of dirt.

Remove More Loads

Make sure your battery can hold a charge if you have several electrical devices connected to your car. Take some of them off and see if your battery can last.

The best thing to do if the battery is new and the work of the post is to do this.

Because of the many gears linked together, if you just changed your alternator and your battery isn’t holding a charge, it could be because the battery is being drained quickly.

Test Your Battery for Leaks

If your battery looks like it’s in good physical shape and has good clean and tight connections, it could be that the battery is starting to leak its charge. A layer of dirt or acid can build up on the battery. It can happen if you don’t clean it up right away. This test is easy and quick. All you’d need is your voltmeter to do this job right.

• Set your voltmeter to a low voltage setting on the DCV voltage scale.
• Connecting the black meter leads to many negative battery terminals; connect it to the battery.
• The red meter lead can touch different parts of the battery’s top with different parts of the lead.
• It’s bad for your battery to have even a small amount of voltage. You need to clean the battery so that it will work better.

You Can Use a Hydrometer

With a hydrometer, you’ll get a good idea of its health. When you put the hydrometer’s tube into the battery, you should squeeze its bulb to stir up the answers. The battery solution inside the hydrometer turns dark in color because the battery isn’t in good shape. If this happens, you must get a new one.

Fill up the hydrometer with more fluid if you can’t see its color. Look at the color to figure out what’s wrong with the battery. The liquid can be red, green, or colorless, but it doesn’t need to be recharged.

As shown above, sulfates built upon the battery plate make it hard for the battery to hold a charge. The further the battery is used, the less it will last.

It will happen even if the battery is brand new. Buildup takes longer to charge if there is more of it. Sulfate will build up in the battery over time, and it won’t be able to hold a charge until it is cleaned out.

A Trick to Rejuvenate Your Car Battery

In a safer way to fix a car battery, all you need to do is add distilled water and acid to the battery. People with lead-acid batteries should only use this method to get rid of the battery acid because the acid in a car battery can be dangerous and toxic.

You can get a battery to function without a long charge by adding the right amount of water to a wet cell lead-acid battery. However, don’t add acid to a battery unless some of its acids have leaked out of it.

Also Read: Can You Charge An 18v Battery With A 12v Charger?

FAQs

Wrapping Up

It takes about four hours to recondition a battery. You may not be able to get the battery to work the first time. You can keep going through the process till the battery is fully reconditioned and back to its original state.