Français | Call Us

Facebook  Linkedin

Login

Western Financial Group
  • Insurance open insurance menu
  • Services open services menu
  • Reviews
  • About Us open menu
  • Contact Us

Find a Broker

Get a Quote

Insurance

Personal Insurance

Car

Home

Renter's

Farm

RV

Boat

Travel

Business Insurance

Start-ups to Mid-size Businesses

Employee Benefits

National Enterprises & Associations

Health & Life

Life

Disability

Critical Illness

Services

Registry Services

Claims

MyWestern

Payment Setup

Reviews

About Us

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Who We Are

Executive Team

Western News

Careers

Divisions

Partners

Sponsors

COVID-19 Info

Blog

Western Communities Foundation

Western Coast Insurance

Western Business Insurance

Wyatt Dowling Insurance

Contact Us

Personal Insurance

Car

Home

Renter's

Travel

Farm

RV

Boat

Business Insurance

Start-ups to Mid-size Businesses

Employee Benefits

National Enterprises & Associations

Health & Life

Life

Disability

Critical Illness

View All Products

Services

Registry Services

Claims

MyWestern

Payment Setup

About Us

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Who We Are

Executive Team

Western News

Careers

Divisions

Partners

Sponsors

COVID-19 Info

Blog

Western Communities Foundation

Western Coast Insurance

Western Business Insurance

Wyatt Dowling Insurance

How to check your car battery health

Three vehicles drive down a mountain, forested road

March 3, 2019. Testing your battery is something you may not associate with regular car maintenance like getting an oil change, but the battery is needed for everything from starting your car to powering your car’s computers and devices. Dead batteries are a common reason for roadside assistance calls and making sure your battery is in good condition could prevent the hassle of your car breaking down unexpectedly. You can check your car battery quickly and easily yourself.

The headlight test

The quickest and easiest test to see if there’s a potential problem is the headlight test.

  1. Simply start the car and turn on the headlights. Do they seem normal? If yes, great.
  2. Now rev the engine. If they stay at the same brightness your electrical system is probably fine. If your headlights dim it means that they’re running off the battery and the alternator is producing only a small charge or none at all. If they get brighter when you rev the engine it means the alternator is producing a charge, but at idle it may not be enough to charge the battery.

How many volts should a car battery have when fully charged?

A car battery with a full charge should have at least 12.6 volts and measure at 13.7-14.7 when the engine is running.

How to use a multimeter to test a car battery

Using a multimeter is one of the easiest ways to test your car battery. You should be able to find one in any hardware store and it’s a good idea to keep one in your car.

  • Make sure the voltmeter on your multimeter is set to 20 DC volts. The voltmeter section of your multimeter will have a “V,” which is the abbreviation for volt.
  • Touch the positive (red) meter probe to the positive (red) battery terminal
  • Touch the negative (black) meter probe to the negative (black) battery terminal
  • Ask a friend to turn the headlights on. This provides the battery with a light load.
  • At 26.6 degrees Celsius a reading for a battery with a good charge is about 12.5 volts or higher, 12.3 volts means about a 75% charge, 11.8 volts or lower means 25% or less.
  • Not driving often enough, or running electronics when the engine is not on, or otherwise depleting the battery.
  • If your battery is consistently charged at less than 80%, acid stratification can occur. This means that the electrolyte collects at the bottom of the battery, causing the upper half to be acid-poor. Acid stratification reduces the battery’s performance and may cause it to fail.

What causes battery failure

  • Not driving often enough, or running electronics when the engine is not on, or otherwise depleting the battery.
  • If your battery is consistently charged at less than 80%, acid stratification can occur. This means that the electrolyte collects at the bottom of the battery, causing the upper half to be acid-poor. Acid stratification reduces the battery’s performance and may cause it to fail.

Recent News Posts

5 Reasons for Summer Travel Insurance
5 Reasons for Summer Travel Insurance

May 26, 2023


4 Pros and Cons of Collision Insurance
4 Pros and Cons of Collision Insurance

May 25, 2023


What Kind of Insurance Does My Classic Car Need?
What Kind of Insurance Does My Classic Car Need?

May 24, 2023


Bundle car and home to save

Home Insurance
Home Insurance
Car Insurance
Car Insurance
Car Insurance
Car Insurance

Car & Truck

Home Insurance
Home Insurance

Home

Business Insurance
Business Insurance

Business

Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance

Travel

Life Insurance
Life Insurance

Life

Renters Insurance
Renters Insurance

Renter's

Call Us

Sales
Personal Insurance

1-866-860-1958

Business Insurance

1-866-860-1947

Life Insurance

1-888-594-3105

General Inquiries
and Services

1-866-245-2779
Mon-Fri: 8am-8 pm MT
Sat: 9am-6 pm MT

Claims

1-866-245-2779
Mon-Fri: 7:30am-4 pm MT
Sat: 9am-6 pm MT

1-877-599-7299
(After Hours)

Western Financial

About

Our Story

Executive Team

Careers

MyWestern Login

Mergers and Acquisition

Western Communities Foundation

Western News | Sitemap

Products & Services

All Insurance

Personal Insurance

Business Insurance

Health Insurance

Award Winning Brokerage

IBC Top Brokerage Top 100 Seal 2023  Top 100 Seal 2022

Privacy / Legal  |   Accessibility Guidelines |   Fair Treatment of Customers Policy |   Terms of Use  |   Compensation Disclosure  |  Whistle-Blower Policy |   Complaints Process  |   Media Relations  |   Sitemap


2020 Western Financial Group. All rights reserved.

2023 Western Financial Group. All rights reserved.