How to recondition a car battery

Before you jump right in there are a few things that you will need before reconditioning a car battery.

1. Rubber gloves

2. Safety goggles

3. Epsom Salts

4. Water (no tap water) - distilled only

5. a wrench

6. car battery charger

1. The first thing that you need to do is actually test the battery to see where you are at. Using a voltmeter, you must make sure that the battery voltage reads at around 12 volts, because anything less than 10 and there is probably not so much that you can do for it. If you get a reading of over 10 and closer to 12 volts, then you can give yourself the go ahead to repair a car battery.

2. Next, you need to remove the cables that attach to the battery using a wrench. After you have detached the battery from your car, you must transfer it to a safe working environment where if an accident should occur with acid spillage, it will not affect any people, animals or the rest of your garage.

3. Next you will need to remove the battery cell caps. Often times this can be done by prying up on the covers with a flat headed screw driver and then set them aside.

4. After this you will most like encounter small protectors that further block entry way to the cell areas of the battery. You will need to drill through these carefully. Please see video for specific instructions on how to do this.

5. Now it's important that you wear some sort of hand protection. Gloves work best, but I recommend rubber ones for added protection. Now you will pour the fluid that is contained in the battery carefully into a bucket or large enough storage container. If you happen to spill any on you, be sure to watch the affected area right away.

6. Next, using a small sauce pan, carefully heat 1 quart of water to 150 degrees. You can use a simple cooking thermometer to check the temperature. This is also why it's best to gradually heat the water on a low to medium stove top setting. Note: Do not use tap water!

7. Mix into the water 7 oz of Epsom salts and stir with a spoon until well dissolved.

8. Using a plastic funnel, pour the Epsom salts water solution into the battery cells until well filled.

9. Replace the cell caps or plug the holes with plastic plugs and then shake the battery very well.

10. Recharge the battery on the slowest charge possible and wait for about a day before checking. After you recharge the battery you should be able to reinstall it and have a brand new working battery.

Now that you've learned how to recondition a car battery, I advise you to read over some of this information for added safety measures.

- Don't use anything but distilled water when mixing into the battery. Tap water is not pure enough and contains chemicals that can damage a car battery.

- Make sure that you wear the protection. Even though it is unlikely, it would be awful if any battery acid splashed into your eyes or on your hands. If this does happen, please wash the area as soon as possible. If something more serious happens, refer to the poison and control center.

- Don't try to charge the battery too quickly. Car batteries can explode and I have seen it happen. To be on the safe side, use a 3 phase charger and charge the battery slowly, over the course of several days if necessary.

- Don't operate on car batteries around your children or any pets. Make sure that the area that you are working in has enough air flow as well.