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By:
Cal Barginear

Cal has been in the automotive industry serving Malibu and the surrounding areas for over 35 years.

Battery Tips

Hey youre back again. Youre becoming quite the automotive genius arent you? Well, the next 2 weeks Im going to go over batteries for your car or truck. With winter knocking on the door its a good idea to use these tips before it gets too cold.

How do I purchase the correct battery for my vehicle:

1. Purchase a battery with cold cranking capacity at least equal to the o.e. Specification.

2. For maximum starting reliability, select a battery with the highest cold cranking rating available for your application. Malibu Auto Parts can help you with this.

What is the safe way to install a battery :

To assure safe installation and proper operation, follow these installation procedures:

1. Disconnect ground cable first (this is usually the negative cable, however, older vehicles may have a positive ground)

2. Remove old battery -note position of positive ( + ) Terminal and negative (- ) Terminal. Mark the cables for the correct new battery.

3. Clean terminal and cable connections with a wire brush. Broken connections are frayed or cut cables should be replaced.

4. Install the replacement battery in the same position as the old one. Be sure to secure battery with the hold -down assembly.

5.Make sure the terminals do not touch any metal mounting, engine or body parts.

6. Connect cables tightly. Connect ground cable last to avoid sparks.

7. Never leave junk battery cores lying around.

Note: Malibu Auto Parts will recycle the junk battery cores.

What is the safe way to charge a battery: Before beginning the charging operation, read the instruction that comes with the charger.Never attempt to charge a battery without first reviewing the instruction for the charger being used. In addition to the charger manufacturers instructions. These general precautions should be followed.

1.Always charge batteries in a well -ventilated area and wear proper eye protection.

2. Turn the charger and timer off Before connecting the leads to the battery to avoid dangerous sparks.

3. Never try to change a visibly damage or frozen battery.

4.Connect the charger leads to the battery: Red positive (+) lead to the positive (+) terminal and black negative (-) lead to the negative (-) terminal. If the battery is still in the vehicle, connect the negative lead to the engine block to serve as a ground. (If the vehicle is positive grounded, connect the positive lead to the engine block.

5.Make sure that the leads to the connections are tight.