At Proautoenthusiast we inform you about battery fluid, one of the least mentioned but that can be very useful.
As time goes by, there is less and less maintenance that the owner usually does on his car, and it is evident that the number of “maintenance free” components has increased.
Today, many of the components that previously required maintenance are simply replaced at the end of their useful life. This is the case with most current batteries. On the other hand, until a few years ago, many batteries required certain care to ensure that their useful life was as long as possible. Check more details in the following article at Proautoenthusiast.com .
1. What has changed?
In essence, the change is not that big, but we can tell you that previously, the accumulators were designed in such a way that they had two upper covers for the cells, and through it we could fill the accumulator with a special liquid for batteries.
Currently, most accumulators have a structure and chemistry to make them “maintenance free”. This means they no longer have the aforementioned top caps and you can’t add more battery fluid. So when they drop in performance, it’s time to think about replacing them, as they can’t get any better.
2. How do I know if my car requires battery fluid?
As we mentioned before, the first symptom that a car requires battery fluid is when a drop in performance is perceived. This is noticeable through the different electrical components of the car, especially when the engine is off.
So, if you’ve noticed that the volume of the audio system seems a bit lower when the engine is not running, or the courtesy light doesn’t seem to shine as bright as before, you may suspect that the battery has some problems with its energy charge. .
But the most accurate explanation is that the fluid inside it has lost some of its energetic properties. This fluid is nothing more than an electrolyte solution with a significant degree of acidity. For this last reason it is very important that if you are going to fill the battery, protect your face and hands before opening it. Never fill the accumulator without proper protection.
But you have to know that not all accumulators are candidates to receive a filling of the battery liquid. As we told you in the first part of this article, most current batteries are “maintenance free”.
To check if your battery is maintenance free, you have to open the hood of your car, or the compartment where the battery is located, and look for the legend “maintenance free” or “maintenance free”. This is an indicator that once the battery is underperforming, you should look for a replacement, and you better do it soon.
If you prefer, you can look for a traditional battery that, due to the number of cells, voltage, and dimensions, adapts perfectly to your car. If you prefer to maintain your car, you can look for one that can withstand being refilled with battery fluid when performance has dropped.
3. And to all this… What is battery fluid?
Water. No, we are not kidding. The battery fluid that you will find in different parts stores and under different brands and manufacturers is nothing more than distilled water. This makes sense if you take into account that the accumulators work with an electrolytic solution inside, and that the minerals and chemicals that it includes never disappear.
So, what the battery fluid does is refill the accumulator, which over the years could suffer from water leaks due to a poor manufacturer’s seal or very adverse weather conditions such as temperatures that are too high or too low.
That is why battery fluid is the cheapest fluid you can buy for a car: it is distilled and demineralized water through simple but high-impact processes.
4. Symptoms that could lead to confusion
The symptoms that we mentioned in the first subheading of this article can be an indicator of a battery that has lost energy capacity, but they could also reveal some other problems with the car. For this reason, the only unequivocal check for a bad battery is the measurement of the output voltage using a voltmeter.
The voltage of most street car batteries is slightly above 12 volts. In some cases, it can go as high as 12.7 volts, but anything less than 12 volts is a clear indicator of a problem with the battery. For this reason, within the preventive maintenance tasks carried out by the brands through the certified technical service, they always check the battery charge.