An automotive battery tester is important so that you can accurately gauge the life of your battery. With a tester you’ll be able to accurately track when you’ll need a new battery. This is important to ensure your car battery is completely reliable, and to give you a warning when it’s at risk of no longer carrying a charge. The most common way to achieve this is through the use of a voltmeter, also known as a multimeter. A voltmeter is an automotive battery tester that is used to accurately detect the amount of voltage that your battery can still supply, and will also give you a good idea about the quality of your battery.
Typically you can find a cheap voltmeter for around $10, but the really nice models can cost into the thousands. But this isn’t necessary if all you’ll be doing is using the multimeter as an automotive battery tester. Most hardware stores have a wide variety available, but you can also order one over the internet. Online you may be able to find a higher quality voltmeter at a much lower price. Websites like Amazon.com are a good place to start, as they have a massive selection of voltmeters from a wide variety of different sources.
Before you can use an automotive battery tester however, there are a few preparation steps that you’ll have to take. The first of which, is determining the type of battery you have before testing. There are two major battery types, and the way that your car functions will determine the type of battery you have. Shallow cycle batteries are found in cars with internal combustion engines, so if you use gas this is the type of battery you have. Deep cycle batteries are found in electric cars, to provide a lot of power over a prolonged period of time.
Before you can test the battery, you have to ensure that it’s fully charged so that you can get an accurate reading. An automotive battery tester will only give you an accurate reading if your battery has been 100% charged. So if you have the shallow cycle type, you’ll need to go on a long drive so that the engine has enough time to fully charge that battery. For deep cycle, you’ll want to plug the car into an independent power source for the amount of time suggested in your owner’s manual, for the battery to be fully charged.
Now you’ll want the battery to sit for no more than 12 hours, after being fully charged, so that all surface charge is completely gone. Not letting the battery rest can provide an inaccurate reading when connected to a voltmeter. From there follow the instructions on the automotive battery tester that refer to how that specific model should be used in conjunction with your car’s battery type. Typically you want your battery to be able to read 12volts or better. Anything below that indicates a battery that is in decline, and that may need to be replaced before too long.