How to Test a Car’s Battery with Voltmeter


Have you ever tried to remove the battery and then try to start the car? The car will never be start without battery. Battery of the car is responsible for starting it as it’s the only source of initial power. Most of the car’s components run from battery i.e. lights, audio player, indicators, vipers etc. But once the car has started, battery is charged with the help of fuel. Car battery can get weak if you turn on any component without starting the car for a longer time. When this happens, you’ll have to take your car to an auto repair shop and have the battery checked. A voltmeter can be used to check whether the battery is left with any power or not. Following are the steps by which you can check your battery:

Procedure:

1.            First of all we should have the idea that what voltmeter is. A voltmeter is a device that measures the potential difference or voltage between two points. It can be used to check if the current is passing through the wire correctly or not or if the current passing through the wire has sufficient magnitude or not. The voltmeter has two leads, one with red color and the other with black. It can check the voltage of AC as well as DC current. AC stands for Alternating Current; the current running in the electrical appliances in our home. DC stands for Direct Current; the current from a battery is direct current.

2.            Now you can test the battery of the car. But before that, wear protective gloves on your hands and protective glasses to avoid any damage to you. Now remove the wires from the poles of the battery. Some cables have clamps while others have bolt system. You can easily take the clamp off. For the bolt’s case, loosen it a bit and then pull it out.

3.            Place the voltmeter near the car on some stable support. The support should be stable so that the free movement of voltmeters reading can be stopped at a point. Take the black wire of the voltmeter and connect it with the battery’s negative pole. Positive pole of the battery would be connected to the red wire of the voltmeter. Now take the readings from the voltmeter. If it’s showing above nine volts your battery is good enough, but weak otherwise. Remember voltmeters dial should be set to 50 or 30 volts setting.

You are done with the battery’s power checking now. It’s very simple as mentioned. Remember your car should be turned off before you start testing your battery. Also, do not touch the wires or the poles of the battery bare handed.

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Filed Under: Cars & Vehicles

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About the Author: Vincent Carreno is a cars enthusiast who loves all things about cars and the automotive technology. He is also the chief editor at a local magazine which shares new, exciting and informative articles about troubleshooting car problems.

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