How to Check Your Car Battery Voltage


 
Your car’s battery might not always receive a lot of attention, but it’s an important part of the car. As time goes on, batteries will wear out and eventually need replacement, so it helps to be able to test the voltage and know what to look for.

For drivers in Santa Fe, White Rock and La Cienega, we’ve put together this guide to describe the process of how to check your car battery voltage. It’s a simple maintenance task that can be performed in just a few minutes. Read on below for the complete Land Rover Santa Fe guide to checking car battery voltage.

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Checking Car Battery Power

You can perform a basic sight check of a car battery. Turn the car on and then turn on the headlights. Check to see if they are fully lit or if they may be dim. If they’re dim, that means they’re drawing from the battery and not the alternator. If the lights brighten when pressing on the gas pedal, the alternator is assisting but isn’t properly keeping the battery charged when the car is idle.

If the lights are bright and remain steady when revving the engine, pressing on the brakes and revving the engine once more, then the system is most likely functioning as it should. This basic sight check works, but want to know for a fact if the battery is powered? Make sure you have a voltmeter.

How to Test Your Car Battery

When checking car battery voltage, you need only a few items.

  1. Break out some safety glasses and rubber gloves to protect yourself.
  2. A digital voltmeter will be needed, too; you can use an analog voltmeter (also known as a multimeter). These can easily be found at a local auto parts store.
  3. Make sure the car is off and the keys are set aside.
  4. Open the hood and find the battery. You can consult the owner’s manual if needed, but it should be close to the fender.
  5. Using the voltmeter, connect the positive lead to the positive terminal of the battery. Both should be a red color or have a “+” symbol on them.
  6. Perform the same action for the negative terminal. These should have a black color and “-“ symbol.
  7. Check the reading on the voltmeter. It should be around 12.45 volts, but no more than 12.7 volts.
  8. If the reading is well below this range, it may be time for replacement of the battery.

Battery Services

We all expect our cars to start up easily every time the key goes in the ignition. But there are times when that may not happen.

If your car has seemed slow to start lately or you’ve had to jump start the car to get going with your day, bring your vehicle in to our service center. We’ll test your battery and let you know if it is time to be replaced.

Schedule Land Rover Service Today

We hope this helpful guide has helped you learn more about how to check your car battery voltage. At Land Rover Santa Fe, our experienced service technicians can test your battery and replace it if needed.

Our goal is to ensure you can take on the roads of Santa Fe, White Rock and La Cienega with a battery you can count on. If you need service for your battery or any other vehicle maintenance, schedule your service online or visit our service center today!