Your battery is what powers your truck, from starting the system to supplying energy to all electrical components. While it is designed to endure the test of time, it is still prone to damages if you don’t properly take care of it. Soon enough, a poorly maintained battery will fail to keep your truck’s engine running. That’s why you have to keep them in good shape, or you’ll find it dying on you on the worst times.
Remove corrosion
Corrosion can eat up your truck battery. This can make your battery deteriorate, which can eventually lead to battery failure. Clean off corrosion with a wire brush. After brushing, remove the terminals from the battery, and then wipe a water and baking-soda mixture on the corroded area. Don’t forget to spray a corrosion protectant to keep the rust away from your battery.
Unplug your electronics
Electronics such as cell phone chargers, speakers, and GPS eat up energy from your battery even when they are not in use. These gadgets become parasitic loads that drain your battery. Be sure to disconnect them when they’re not in use to save energy from your truck battery.
Store properly
Truck batteries are made up of solid and liquid chemicals. As such, you should handle them with care. Store your truck battery properly so it can withstand impact and extreme temperature. The recommended way to do this is to use a battery box that is made of premium-grade materials. A battery box can be made up of metal, fiber, or aluminum, which are durable enough to protect your truck battery.
Plan your ride
Starting your engine every time you drive depletes energy from your truck battery. This is why it’s important to avoid short and sporadic rides as these tend to deplete energy faster, needing to start the engine several times. If you’re going out on your truck, plan longer rides to get the most out of your battery. But won’t longer truck rides take more energy from the battery as you drive along, you may ask? No, your truck uses energy from the alternator after starting your engine, so it shouldn’t be a worry.
Mind the weather
Both hot and cold temperatures can have an impact on truck batteries. The summer heat can cause corrosion and lead sulfate to buildup on the battery’s grids and electrodes. On the other hand, the winter cold can prevent the battery’s chemical reactions to occur, stopping your truck’s engine on running. When parking your vehicle, find a shaded or covered area during summer. Likewise, seek out a warm shelter like a carport or garage during winter.
Inspect and test regularly
Look out for signs of corrosion, parasitic loads, and voltage and current output from the alternator to prevent your truck batteries from failing on you when you needed it. Running a test on your battery should detect parasitic loads, while you should check your alternator during routine battery maintenance or when batteries are getting replaced.
If you want your truck battery to last longer, it’s time to care for it even more. Proper maintenance can save you from costly replacement, so do yourself a favor and follow the tips above to keep your truck batteries in good shape.
