Often, there are times where you need to store your car, reset the computer or work under car hood. Whether it is for storage, upgrade, reparation or other purposes, you need to disconnect the car battery in the correct way. Disconnect a car battery wrongly could risk electrocution and nobody wish that to be happened. Therefore, it is vital to learn how to disconnect a car battery and reconnect correctly when you want to use it.

Tools to disconnect a car battery

Basically, you just need a few simple tools to disconnect a car battery. They are:

• Socket wrench
• Socket wrench extender
• Safety googles or protective eyewear
• Insulated gloves

Steps to disconnect a car battery

Step 1: First of all, make sure you turn off the engine and remove your car key from the ignition. Make sure your vehicle is in Park (see also: Learning to drive an automatic car).

Step 2: Open the hood and put a pad over the fender to protect it from corrosive battery acid.

Step 3: Locate the negative terminal. Usually there will be a black cover. You can also see a negative (-) sign near to the connector post. The positive terminal usually has a red cover and a positive (+) sign near to the connector post.

Step 4: Prepare the right sized socket on your wrench and remove the nut from the negative terminal. Use a wrench extender if you need a longer wrench to reach the nut.

Step 5: After the nut on the negative terminal is loosen, pull the negative terminal away from the battery.

Step 6: Repeat step 4 and step 5 to remove positive terminal. It is vital to keep the positive connector away from any metal part of the car. Thus, remove is carefully. You can now reset the computer or work on your car without to risk electrocution. It is recommended to remove the car battery from the car if you are doing this for storage. See also How to winterize your car.

To reconnect the battery when you want to use it, reconnect the negative (-) terminal first and then positive (+) terminal.

How to disconnect a car battery without losing memory

You will need an extra battery and a set of jumper cables if you want to disconnect your car battery without losing memory.

Step 1: Connect both the positive and negative terminals from the extra battery to your car terminals using jumper cables. Negative to negative and positive to positive.

Step 2: Disconnect the negative terminal from your car battery but make sure it is still connected to the extra battery that is healthy.

Step 3: Disconnect the positive terminal from your car battery but make sure it is still connected to the extra battery.

Step 4: Remove every bolt or screw that are holding the car battery in place. Remove the old battery from your vehicle and replace with a new one. Clean the tray if it is dirty. Connect the positive terminal and then negative terminal to the new battery.

Step 5: Now you can remove the jumper cable. Remove the positive cable (Red) and then only remove the negative cable (cable).

Almost 99 million wet-cell lead-acid car batteries are manufactured every year, thus, it is a must to dispose your old car batteries in proper way. The best way is bring it to a recycling center that accepts batteries.