| You jump in your car, insert your key in the ignition and | | | | terminals are free of corrosion; a wire brush will do as |
| nothing happens. Not a click or a cough or a whir. You | | | | will a special battery cleaner you can pick up at the |
| think it could be the alternator but you suspect that | | | | parts store. |
| your car's battery has given up the ghost. What's | | | | Connect the Charger - Most batteries today are color |
| mysterious to you is that you've had the battery for | | | | coded meaning you can connect the black terminal |
| under two years with many more years left in its life | | | | with the negative clip and the red terminal with the |
| cycle. | | | | positive clip. Check the battery terminal itself which will |
| No worries, you can avoid by a new battery by | | | | show a "+" symbol for positive and a "-" symbol for |
| recharging your dead one. Yes, the battery that has | | | | negative. |
| given up the ghost will soon be live and kicking again if | | | | Let Her Rip - Once connected, you are ready to turn |
| you follow my recharging steps: | | | | your battery charger on. Follow the gauge on the |
| Get Prepared - To recharge your battery, you'll need | | | | charger to know how long to keep it connected to |
| access to several tools, many of which you may | | | | your battery. When done, disconnect the charger and |
| already have. If you don't have a battery recharger, | | | | your once dead battery should be alive and kicking. |
| then borrow one from a friend. Some of the auto | | | | Always were the appropriate safety items (gloves |
| parts stores have one that they can lend to you too. | | | | and goggles) when working with a battery and make |
| Along with the battery charger you'll need a wrench or | | | | sure that you don't cross the connections which could |
| pliers, safety goggles, gloves, and a battery cleaner. A | | | | damage the battery. If after taking these steps your |
| little tip for you: oftentimes corrosion is what causes | | | | battery won't hold a charge, then repeat it to see what |
| batteries to die before their time. | | | | happens. A battery that won't hold a charge is likely |
| Clean the Connections - You don't need to remove | | | | dead and will need replacing a step you can handle by |
| the battery from your car in order to recharge it. You | | | | paying a fresh visit to your favorite auto parts store. |
| will need to make sure that battery posts and | | | | |