Cleaning Battery Cables-Reason, Advantages and Methods

Battery cables are essential components of any vehicle's electronic system and battery. The cables connect the two, allowing power to flow from the battery to the electronic system of the vehicle.  A car may not start if the cables are in bad condition for power would not be transferred as it should.

It is fundamental to note that the importance of having cables in good condition or cleaning them regularly is that clean cables are efficient and allow enough power to flow through them and hence giving the car's engine enough power to start. Cleaning often saves the owner a big deal of replacing the battery cables.

Battery cables are cleaned when corrosion has affected them. However, if the corrosion has eaten to the inside of the cables, cleaning cannot be done, but replacement is the only way. There are few methods of cleaning your battery cables. Some of these methods include; clean your battery cables using household items, and professional cleaning agents may be used. Removal of battery cables before cleaning and reconnecting them after cleaning can be considered as another method

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Why should you clean your battery cables in winter?

The Winter season is a known cold season to everyone and especially car owners. This is the time that some car engines may fail due to corrosion. During winter, it's advisable for all car owners to clean their battery terminals and cables regularly to detect corrosion in its early stage and enhance the full performance of the car.

Corrosion is more during summer than winter. However, one needs to check for corrosion regularly because, after summer, the cables and terminals with corrosion may end up getting fully damaged if not cleaned. It is important to clean the battery cables during winter because corrosive elements that interfere with the car's ability to start are gotten rid of.

Cleaning cables during winter may help prevent them from permanent corrosive damage, which would lead to the replacement of the cables. Corrosion, if not detected early, may damage the insulation cover of the cables and eat into them, damaging them permanently. It is fundamental, therefore, to clean the battery cable ends using baking soda or the commercial cleaning agents available.

During winter, cold or snow may freeze both the battery cables, battery, and the terminals interfering with the power flow, and thus the engine may fail to start. To avoid buying new batteries and cables, one should clean these parts now and then to ensure there is maximum efficiency.

Does cleaning battery cables help?

Cleaning battery cables help a lot, one, corrosion detected from an early stage can be cleaned off, and that saves a person the costs of replacing with new battery cables. Secondly, cleaning of battery cables ensures that there is the maximum power supply to the battery and hence good maintenance of a car battery and the engine.

Note that cleaning battery cables only helps if corrosion is detected at a very early stage; otherwise, replacement of the cables is done. If your car did not start because of dirt and corrosion, consider cleaning your battery terminals and your battery cable heads. As mentioned earlier, use either homemade resources such as baking soda mixed with water and the help of an old toothbrush to wash.

Alternatively, you may use commercial cleaning agents to clean off the corrosive particles. With these agents, you may use an old toothbrush to help remove the particles that are stuck on the cables or the corner of your battery terminals. Once your terminals and cable ends are clean and dry, connect them and start your car. You will notice that there is a change since the engine starts.

In situations where you have done cleaning to your cables and terminals, and the car won't start, then you should consider consulting a professional mechanic for further checkup.  The battery may be dead, your cables may be affected on the inside, among other reasons, but the mechanic will advise accordingly.

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How do you clean corrosion off battery cables?

Corrosion on your battery cables is basically the white, green, or blue substance that you see on the cables. The colors differ according to the type of metal connectors used. For example, if you use any copper connector, you will see a blue substance because when anhydrous copper sulfate is exposed to moisture, it turns blue forming hydrous copper sulfate.

For battery cables or any part of the battery, prevention of corrosion should always be key. If corrosion is unavoidable, then cleaning can be done, and this is if it is detected at its initial stages. The first thing to do before cleaning is disconnecting the battery cables from the battery. This is done by removing the negative cable first, followed by the positive cable.

The second step is to check the battery cables thoroughly to know the level of damage the corrosion has caused. If the cables have been damaged on the inside, new cables are required. If corrosion has not passed, the insulation of the cables continues with the cleaning process.

The third step is the cleaning of the cables using either baking soda and water or a commercial cleaning agent. The importance of using a commercial agent is that the battery acid is neutralized, and the corrosion is cleaned too. baking soda, on the other hand, is equally good and cost-friendly, and easy to use. Use an old toothbrush to thoroughly clean off the substance that is hard on the cables. Repeat the same process on the battery terminals.

Once the cables are clean, ensure you dry them fully. A microfiber cleaning cloth is recommended for drying the terminals and cables. Also, use a battery terminal brush to remove any other corrosive residue that may have remained. Lastly, use a corrosive battery preventative on the battery cables to act as a coating preventing corrosion again.

Conclusion

It is evident that cleaning battery cables is essential and a regular maintenance practice every car owner should do. We have noticed that cleaning helps to prevent corrosive damages that would lead to buying new cables and batteries. Cleaning of the batteries should be done in all seasons and in winter to prevent freezing of cables and death of the batteries and engines. The method as described above is quite simple, and everyone should purpose to clean their battery cables regularly.