Extend Battery Life with These Six Tips
Rick's Camaros can help you learn how to keep your car battery in good condition.
How long does a car battery last? Batteries run out. It's a simple fact. And when they do, you need to replace them. However, you can stave off that replacement project with good maintenance, knowledge of your project's electrical system and a bit of common sense about how electricity works.
We understand that restoration experts and other gearheads have varying opinions about how modern a battery should be in a vintage car. We've met some people who insist that their third gen must have the same type of batteries that powered their high-school IROC. Others have no qualms with getting the most modern, efficient, weather resistant batteries into their first gen models. In an average car battery life is important, but your project isn't an average car, is it?
Regardless of what kind of battery you choose, we can all agree that maintaining it is important. That's why we offer a wide variety of electrical system parts and components for your project. Faulty electronics can cause excessive drain on your battery, which means you have to shell out cash for a new one sooner than you want.
Overcharging and extreme heat are usually the reasons your car battery life wasn't as long as you would have expected it to be. When your battery is overheated the battery fluid evaporates. This can cause damage to the inside of the battery.
How long does a car battery last without driving and how do you keep it charged when not in use? This one's a common problem, especially with classic cars that live as weekend cruisers and perhaps get put away during the colder months. A battery tender is one option to look into when you can't start your car on a regular basis and want to prevent it from being depleted. Ultimately, every battery has a finite number of charging cycles within it before performance begins to degrade (or disappear), and keeping that in mind is helpful to maximize service life.
If you want to save money, and save yourself from being surprised with a dead battery when you're on a road trip, here are six tips to help you prolong the life of your battery:
- A problem with the voltage regulator or other part of the charging system can result in too high of a charging rate.
- Cold temperatures make engine oil thicken, which ultimately means the battery has to work harder when you try to start your car.
- Keep the top of your battery spotless. Dirt and grime actually conduct and can drain your battery. And an unclean surface can lead to corrosion around the battery terminals, which can inhibit current flow.
- Overcharging can damage your battery, and so can undercharging. So check the charging rate of your electrical system on a regular basis.
- Need to top off your battery from time to time? Make sure you do it more often as the weather gets warmer.
- Replace your battery if needed. Always choose a battery that is rated as high as your owner's manual recommends.
For car batteries and battery cables for your Early Chevy and other battery parts, check out: Camaro Battery Parts. At Rick's Camaros, we've been helping Chevy enthusiasts just like you for decades. We offer a wide variety of parts and components to help you restore your Camaro and prepare it for a day at a car show or a night cruising town. You'll appreciate our excellent prices and fast shipping, but you'll really love our customer service. We love Camaros as much as you, and want to help you finish your project.