Your car battery provides the electrical charge that’s essential for cranking and starting your engine. A battery has a relatively limited life of five years or less, and then you’ll need a new car battery. As your Nissan dealer, we’d like you to know signs that your battery could be failing and you need to visit us for a replacement.
Corroded Battery
Corrosion in a battery is created by the chemicals inside the battery slowly failing. The battery contains several different chemicals, the most important of which is sulfuric acid. These chemicals enable the battery to store electricity as chemical energy. As the chemicals react, they gradually break down, and your battery starts to weaken.
Sulfuric acid releases hydrogen gas as it breaks down. Hydrogen gas molecules are small enough to escape the battery and enter the engine compartment. The hydrogen molecules combine with sulfur molecules from the fuel and form hydrogen sulfide. The hydrogen sulfide is drawn back to the battery and will start to corrode the terminals and battery cables. We can’t repair a corroding battery, but we can replace it to fix the problem.
Slow Starting
The battery’s most important function is to provide the electricity that starts the engine. When you hit the start button, the battery sends an electrical charge to the starter motor. This charge powers the motor and initiates the crank, and your engine will come to life. Powering the starter motor uses a large percentage of the battery’s reserves, which can become a problem for an older battery.
As the battery ages, its maximum charging and electrical storage capacity decline. If your engine takes longer to start than usual, you could have a failing battery. The reduced electricity storage means your battery may not have enough power to start the engine immediately. This type of starting difficulty will gradually grow worse until the batter fails. We can replace the battery to fix this problem.
Worn Alternator
A worn alternator can cause your battery to fail. The alternator is responsible for producing electricity for your car’s systems. It does this quietly and efficiently for up to eight years and then will start to fail as its components wear out. A worn alternator steadily produces less electricity until it eventually fails.
One of the alternator’s tasks is to recharge the battery after the engine starts. A damaged alternator may not supply enough electricity to the battery to replace the power used to start the engine. If this happens, the battery will slowly grow weaker. A failing alternator will cause the check battery and check engine lights to both illuminate. We’ll test your alternator and install a new one if necessary.
If you experience any battery problems, visit our service department right away at Ed Martin Nissan.
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