Remember this winter when we had wind chills -50 degrees? You saw a lot of people starting their cars making sure the battery would start. Well what most people don’t realize is the heat is actually harder on your car battery than the cold.
When it’s hot outside, it’s even hotter under your hood. If the outside temperature is 90 degrees, it’s probably around 140 degrees underneath your car’s hood. This heat causes battery fluid to evaporate, which damages the internal structure and speeds up corrosion. These two factors affect both the internal and external structures of the battery.
Colder temperatures increase the thickness of the engine oil, making the engine harder to turn over, causing the battery to have to work more. These factors lead to harder starting.
To get the most life out of a battery, Palo Alto Shell suggests the following simple steps:
- Be sure the electrical system is charging at the correct rate; overcharging can damage a battery as quickly as undercharging.
- If your battery is the type that needs to be topped off, check it regularly, especially in hot weather. Add distilled water when necessary.
- Always replace a battery with one that’s rated at least as high as the one originally specified.
- Keep the top of the battery clean. Dirt becomes a conductor, which drains battery power. Further, as corrosion accumulates on battery terminals it becomes an insulator, inhibiting current flow.
Joe’s Slinger Service has been serving Slinger and all of Washington County and Dodge County for over 20 years. And at Joe’s, we never recommend services or repairs unless we feel they’re absolutely necessary, so give us a call at 262.644.8276 to experience how Joe’s goes the extra mile so you can too! www.joesslingerservice.com
