The acid in the battery in your automobile is sulfuric acid. This acid is mixed with water. Lead plates are immersed into the acid and water mix to create a chemical reaction. This chemical reaction produces chemical energy that the battery converts into electricity. If your battery is getting too old, the chemical reaction will slow down. Here are signs that it is.
Slow/Cranking Ignition
Your engine should not crank several times before it ignites. If it is doing this, your battery is getting too old. It isn’t an issue of replacing the sulfuric acid, water, and lead plates. Rather, the battery must be disposed of properly and replaced with a new battery that has an effective chemical reaction.
Battery Warning Light
You may also notice that your battery light is turning on when you try to start your automobile. This is the engine control unit telling you that the reason why your car, truck, or utility vehicle will not start is that the battery is going bad. The battery light will also turn on if there is a problem with the alternator.
Electrical Malfunctions
As we mentioned above, the chemical reaction inside of the energy produces energy that is converted into electricity. This electricity is used to power your lights and power components in the automobile. If you start to have problems with the lights or components, your battery is not producing enough electricity.
Corroded Connectors
Generally, plan to get about three years out of your car’s battery. After this time, you may end up with a leaking battery underneath the hood. Unfortunately, as the sulfuric acid and water leak out of the battery, they corrode the battery terminals and the connectors on the battery cables.
Rancid Sulfur Odors
In addition to this corrosion, you may also be able to tell that you have a battery leak if you can smell sulfur around the battery. To be specific, this will smell like rotten eggs. If you have corrosion and a rancid odor around the battery, your battery is leaking and it needs to be replaced ASAP.
Cracked Battery Case
If the chemical reaction goes bad, this can crack the battery case. This can also warp the case or cause it to bubble. If you drive an automobile with a battery that is approaching the end of its life, inspected regularly to make sure that the battery case is okay. If it isn’t, replace the battery.