What Happens When You Disconnect Your Car Battery? Let’s Find Out
Replacing a car battery, doing maintenance and disconnecting a car’s battery are a common task. Although it may appear to be an easy and simple task it’s not as simple as it looks, if not done in the right way can lead to injury, damage to the vehicle, or short circuit of electrical components. So in this blog we see all the things that happen while you disconnect your car battery and how to disconnect car battery in a safer and simpler way without any harm.
Reasons to disconnect the battery
The first thing that arises is why someone is disconnecting the car’s battery, there can be many reason for it:
- An old vehicle often require maintenance for smooth working , so one must be disconnecting the battery for safety purpose and of smooth working of vehicle’s electrical system and engine.
- Sometimes owners disconnect the battery for the purpose of resetting the car’s computer and to resolve small glitches.
Things that can happen while disconnecting the battery
Do you know? A Lot of things can happen while disconnecting the car’s battery. There can be loss of memory. So one must know how to disconnect car batteries without putting life in danger. Whether you are disconnecting the battery for general purpose or to replace it with used engines, always keep in mind that you know how to do it, if you know then always take help of a certified mechanic to avoid any sort of uncertainty and risk.
How to disconnect car battery safely
If you are someone who wants to know how to disconnect car battery safely by yourself then follow below steps so that you can disconnect car battery without any problem, below steps cover all the required things and procedure as well.
Tolls required:
- Safety glasses and gloves
- Socket and wrench(mainly 10mm)
- Terminal cleaner
- Wire brush
- Cable protectors and zip ties
Step 1: switch off the vehicle
Always make sure to turn off the engine completely, remove the key from ignition. In case your car has a second key ensure it is away from the vehicle.
Step 2: find the battery
Now the next step is to find the battery. In most cases it’s located on the left or right side of the engine bay. Remember in some cases battery can be in the truck or under a seat (check owner’s manual) for clear information.
Step 3: terminals identification
Next step is to identify the terminals; the battery has mainly two terminals:
- positive(+) red in color
- negative(-) black in color
Step 4: how to disconnect negative terminal
This is an important step; always remember to disconnect the negative terminal first as it reduces the chances of short circuit. Take a wrench and loose the nut on the negative terminal. Once done, carefully remove the cable from the terminal; keep it aside so that it doesn’t come in contact with the battery post. If you want you can secure it with a zip tie for additional safety.
Step 5: how to disconnect positive terminal
Once the negative terminal is disconnected, you have to disconnect the positive terminal. Respect the same steps as the negative terminal. Be careful that you don’t touch any metal part of your vehicle with you toll while removing positive cable as it can lead to sparking.
Step 6: Battery removal (if needed)
In case you are planning to store or replace the battery, you can easily do it by loosening the hold-down bracket. You can either use your hands or a battery strap, keep in mind that the battery is quite heavy so do it carefully.
Above we have seen the things happen while you disconnect your car battery and how to disconnect car battery, although it’s the basic and simple procedure that is same in most of the vehicle, however it is always recommend to read user manual so that you can understand your vehicle in a batter way or you can always go for a certified mechanic.
FAQs:
Can I just disconnect the positive terminal to stop battery drain?
No, disconnecting only the positive terminal is not recommended to stop battery drain; however if you want to prevent battery drain always disconnect the negative terminal first. If you remove the positive terminal first and leave the negative one then it will increase the risk of short circuit or sparks if your toll touches any grounded metal.
Is it safe to disconnect a car battery myself?
Yes, mainly if you take proper precautions and follow the proper steps you can easily disconnect a battery by yourself. Remember to disconnect the negative terminal first; don’t touch both the terminals at same time with a metal tool. Wearing eye protection and gloves is a bonus point.
What tools do I need to disconnect a car battery?
You just need basic tools like, wrench or socket (10mm) to loosen the terminal bolt, keep in mind to wear gloves and glasses for safety. You can use a wire brush to clean the terminals and zip ties or a rag to secure the cables that are disconnected.
Can disconnecting the battery fix warning lights?
When you disconnect the car battery, it sometimes reset the vehicle’s computer system and temporarily turns off warning lights like check engine light. This happens when a power cutting clears the system’s memory, causing a reset. However if the main problem hasn’t been fixed, the warning lights mostly reappear soon after. So in such cases proper diagnosis is suggested.
Will I lose my car settings after disconnecting the battery?
Yes, if you disconnect the battery it can lead to resetting some of your vehicle’s settings. Most likely radio settings, clock, seat and mirror adjustments and some learned behavior of engine control unit (ECU). In some cases you may also need to reprogram the key fob and sunroof settings.