The Home Depot - How to Change a Car Battery | DIY Car Repairs | The Home Depot

Knowing how to change a car battery can save you the expense of a tow truck or trip to the repair shop, as long as you take some safety precautions. Changing a battery is an easy DIY project. Here's a list of the supplies you'll need.

First, park the car, turn the engine off, engage the emergency brake, and remove the keys from the vehicle. Pop the vehicle's hood, but allow the engine to fully cool before getting started.

Next, locate the battery, removing the cover if necessary, and identify the two terminals. The negative terminal may have a minus sign near the post and a black cable. The positive terminal will have a plus sign and a red plastic cover.

Wearing gloves, use a wrench to loosen the nut on the black or negative terminal of the battery, then detach the cable and set it aside, away from the battery. Next, loosen the nut on the positive end and detach the cable. Go ahead and remove any clamps or brackets securing the battery and set them aside.

Now you're ready to carefully remove the battery from the tray.

Using a wire brush and battery cleaning solution, wipe down the tray and connectors, then dry them thoroughly. Insert the new battery in the tray, making sure the positive terminals are near the red cable and the negative terminals are near the black cable.

Next, remove the covers from the new battery's terminals and spray the posts with an anti-corrosive solution.

Finally, attach the positive cable to the positive terminal and secure it, then do the same with the negative cable and negative terminal. Confirm the battery and cables are secure, then close the hood and start the engine to test your connections.

By installing your own battery, you've saved yourself a little money and gained some automotive know-how.

Thanks for shopping at the Home Depot.