Of all the components under your car’s hood, the battery has perhaps the most diverse role to play. It’s involved in everything from starting the engine to powering the headlights to firing up the air conditioning system. If the battery fails, your car will be going nowhere fast, and to add insult to injury, it’ll probably happen at the most inconvenient time.
Here are five warning signs that your battery may be failing, so you can have it replaced before you’re left stranded.
1) Unreliable Ignition
If the battery is failing, the first sign is often that starting the engine becomes slower and less reliable. Several other problems can cause unreliable ignition, from damaged spark plugs to a lack of oxygen in the fuel mixture. However, getting the battery tested should be your first line of investigation to prevent you from being saddled with a car that won’t start at all.
2) Fading Headlights
If your car’s headlights are dimmer than usual, it’s likely that the battery isn’t providing as much power as it should. This is especially the case if the headlights start off dimly but grow brighter as you drive, showing that the battery isn’t properly holding its charge when the engine is turned off.
3) Physical Changes
The casing of an old battery will often start to bulge or swell, indicating that it’s nearing the end of its life. Another visual sign to look out for is corrosion on the terminals, which will reduce the amount of power the battery can supply to your car’s electrical components.
4) Sulfurous Smells
In advanced cases of aging batteries, a bulging case might be accompanied by a sulfurous smell which indicates the battery is long past its safe and useful life. At this stage, it needs to be replaced immediately before it fails, potentially damaging the components around it as the acid leaks.
5) Engine Light on Dashboard
Lastly, if the engine light on the dashboard illuminates, the most common cause is low power from the battery, and this is usually the first thing an auto mechanic will check when trying to identify the problem. Replacing the battery is quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive, and is often all that’s needed to stop the warning light from activating.
Modern car batteries should last around four or five years under normal use, but once they start to fail, they can deteriorate surprisingly quickly. Keep an eye open for these five essential warning signs, and you can replace a fading battery before it fails and leaves you in the lurch.