Test A Car Battery Yourself

Follow these steps to test your battery. Most batteries are under the hood near the fender.

Testing A Car Battery With A Multimeter

This test can be performed with a simple voltmeter or multimeter but a battery tester will determine this as well.

Test a car battery yourself. One is analogue and other one is digital voltmeter. Test the battery step 1. How to check car battery with multimeter the first test with your multimeter will measure dc voltage indicated with a solid line and a dashed line above a letter v.

First set your voltmeter to 20 volts or the lowest setting it has above 15. Then connect the black or negative voltmeter test lead to your battery s. Connect the red or positive voltmeter test lead to your battery s positive terminal.

How to check a car battery using a multimeter. If battery that holds a charge that indicates a problem on your vehicle that is draining the battery. Turn off ignition to test the car battery with a multimeter.

Before you begin testing make sure the ignition key and all of your vehicle s lights are off. Set the dial to 20 which will allow you to accurately measure between 0 20 volts. Place the black lead on the negative terminal.

Switch your battery tester to voltage testing mode to determine the battery s state of charge. Don t hook it up to the car overnight and re test it in the morning. Turn the vehicleâ s lights and ignition off and have your materials ready.

Touch the red probe to the positive terminal and the black probe to the negative terminal. Set up your test equipment. There are 2 types of voltmeter you can select to test your battery.

Does your car not start do you have dim headlights or interior lights does the starter sound weak when start. Read the test. If your multimeter is not autoranging set it to 20v dc.

A good place to start is to check the alternator. Selecting digital voltmeter will be the best because its easier to read and gives you an accurate measurement. Load testing your car battery will tell you if it has a sufficient charge and you can easily do it with a voltmeter.

Turn off the ignition and any accessories like lights or the radio in the vehicle. Most car batteries are called 12 volt but actual voltage depends on the state of the charge. Test the battery voltage.

With your vehicle off turn the headlights on for 2 minutes to get rid of any residual charge. Part 1 of 2. Place the red lead on the positive battery terminal indicated by a red cover or a symbol.

In order to understanding how to test a car battery knowing the usage of the voltmeter is very important. The first step is to locate the battery. You need to have the engine.

You can either do that yourself or bring your alternator to your local autozone for free testing.

How To Test A Car Battery With A Multimeter In The Garage With Carparts Com