It’s a rainy Monday morning and you get in your car to head to work. You’re already running late. You turn the key in the ignition and all you get is a weird whining sound that eventually turns into a clicking sound. Your battery is dead. You’ve got to open the hood and try and fix it. Or maybe you should run back in the house and call work. Or a tow truck. Before 10 am that Monday, your whole day has been ruined and you miss a day of work. Below are a few short-term solutions that can get you back on the road again at least long enough to drive to a battery or auto repair shop.
5 Surprising Things To Use On Your Car Battery
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Photo Credit: Sherri M. Duncan via Flickr Did you know that you can use Aspirin to get one final charge out of your battery? Aspirin have so many great uses and can even prevent certain medical conditions if taken daily in low doses. But not too many people know that it can also be used in car batteries. Simply drop two aspirin in the battery. When the acetylsalicylic acid in the aspirin combines with the battery’s sulfuric acid, it will give you at least one more charge. As soon as you get it running, go to your nearest battery shop.
- Battery terminals can get corroded with a build-up of acidic white stuff. Mix up 3 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 tablespoon of warm water, then apply this to the battery cables and scrub. Rinse this off and dry thoroughly. Next apply some petroleum jelly around terminals to prevent future corrosion.
- If you’ve ever wondered why your car battery struggles on those coldest winter days, it’s because low temps thicken oil and increase electrical resistance, so that the battery has to work harder. Corrosion can also increase resistance. Before the cold weather starts this year, go out and disconnect terminals, clean them with a wire brush and then apply petroleum jelly to the cables. This will prevent corrosion.
Related Post: When Does Your Car Need Battery Replacement?
- Add an ounce of Epsom salts to some warm water then pour this mixture directly into each battery cell. Make sure the salts are fully dissolved. This can give your battery just enough life to go to a battery shop and get help.
- Soda has so many uses and that includes eradicating the corrosion from a car’s battery due to its acidic properties. If you don’t have any soda handy, try a carbonated soft drink. These contain carbonic acid, which can dissolve rust deposits. Be sure to rinse this off to remove all sticky substances.
