The car battery is responsible for many functions, but mainly it is essential to start the combustion process inside the engine . Therefore, in addition to knowing how to take care of it, it is necessary to know its characteristics so that, when the day comes, we know how to replace it with the correct option. With the existence of mechanical workshops and service centers specialized in cars, very few people take seriously the task of knowing which is the battery that corresponds to their car, however, there are some tips that, in addition to prolonging its useful life and that of the car, they will help you to identify it easily:
1. The main source of information about the car battery is found on the label provided on it . The manufacturers are in charge of having all this data thinking precisely about its future replacement, so they represent a quick guide to know the exact characteristics of the replacement.
2. Batteries also have different sizes and capacities that correspond to the characteristics of the cars that use them . Looking at the size of your car battery and the way it connects to it will complement the information you get on the label and help you in case you are using the wrong one.
3. In addition to the size and the way it is connected to the car, it is important to note the arrangement of the terminals , two protrusions that protrude from the battery and that are responsible for sending energy to the car through the cables that connect to them. Each terminal corresponds to a charge (positive and negative) that is represented by the usual signs (+ and -) or by colors (red corresponds to positive, black to negative). The cables of the car destined to the battery are identified in the same way to avoid confusion.
There is other information that will also be useful to recognize which is the battery that best suits your car . These data are represented by numbers that are associated with various concepts:
1. Ampere-hours (AH): refers to the energy offered by the battery in a certain period of time. It is important that you pay attention to the number suggested by the manufacturer for your vehicle, since a number less than that can impair its performance.
2. Cold Cranking Current (CCA) : This value is also related to the energy offered by the battery for starting the car, but in cold climates. In this case, experts argue that the higher this value, the better the car’s ability to start the combustion process at low temperatures.
3. Reserve of charge (RC) : this value is related to the time that the battery can keep the car running on its own, without the help of the generator. When a fault appears in the alternator and the car is forced to use only battery power, it is very likely that this value indicates the minutes that the car will continue on the road.
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