____________________________________________Whltby Free Preâs, Wednesday, September 18,,1996, Page 17 ;p Usyour btterycrankym By Car Care Canada When the cold weather cornes, moet of us slow down a littie and do some of that good old Canadian grumbling. Your car battery la no exception. Your engins le more dependent on electrical power than ever before. It seema as t.hough every single engins function runs off a computer. Al thaose computers, electrical dlocks, etc. maintain a power drain on the battery, whether you drive the car or not. That's why you can sometimes end up with a flat batery (even if you dldn't leave the iight on) after a prolonged ski trip, for example. Heme are some common questions and answers. Wisat'g the wiUte powder that I am, on my battery terminalsV That powder is corrosion, and it acta as an insulator. When you get enough of it on the battery posta, no current cen get through and your car won't start. You cen cdean it off with a wire brush, or with battery post cleaners available at alI automotive store. You can also dlean off your battery with solution of baking soda, which will counteract the acid in the electrolyte. When the posta are dlean, give them a coating of battery terminal grease to keep the corrosion from recurring. - My 'Battery je oeitd maintenance free, but it isn't Actually, yes. Other than keeping corrosion off the terminais, there isa very lit±le you need te do te a good battery. Ites no longer necessary to check each post and top up with distilled water. The battery pretty much holds ita own electrolyte level. Here's how the battery works. It consista of lead oide on the positive plates, lead on the negative plates, submerged in an electrolyte (dilute sulphuric acid). The chenilcal reaction between the plates with the electrolyte creates the electricity, and the reaction reverses when the battery ia charging so that the componenta regenerate themsves. How long wil my battery last? year-end, clean-outs (AIL NOf (905) 427-3605 (Derrick) Àff0ff0ffÀOI: LWASTE SYSTEM It varies depending on how much you drive and how rugged the winter is where you live. Batteriesý should lait four years, and wili sometimes hold on lonrger. In reallycoeld weather, will my battery freeze? Yes, The electrolyte is acid, diluted with water. A fully chaged baf±exy will freeze at about -65 degrees Celsius (- 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and a. fully discharged battery at abour -12 degrees Celsius (+10 degrees Fahrenheit). u nas se rnbic dozen boxe:,% missing, the, easy recline 4 sleeping L bug Spra Dacïs 70"s entire conter Keeping your battery clean and charged le good policy. If the battery dos freeze, it is likely to crack the case. That means a nsw battery. lue iseard tiitishe battey a rîecharge itself la that true? Not exactly. When you crank bard te try te start a ireluctant car, the battery acid geta weak near the plates inside, sventually not producing enough power te turn the engin&t over. If you i let the battery recuperate for 15 minus, the acid will redietribute around the plates and you'll be able te generate some more Power. Se if you leave the lighta on, ail may net be lost. Give it 15 minutes and try again - you may be able te start afrer ail. But then drive for 20 minutes or so to give the alternater time te recharge your battery. The other trick ussd by people in really cold clmates is te taes the batery out of aFccouARI nt. fMOuRatErar the vehiel O R C AintG4li ilrated at 500 CCA over one house te wai it up. Compared te 27 degrees Celsius, a battery at -18 degrees Celsius has only about, 40 per cent of the cranlding power. When my battey quit, Miould Ibuy tis aie kind of battery? You may not need to buy a batteryat all. Your battery is called a sterage battery because it stores slectricity, which your vehicle draws out like money from a chequing bave no overdraft protection. The firt 'thing te do is check the battery - your garage bas a tester that takes out ail the guesswork. Ifyou do need a new battery go for the highest Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) you can get for your vehicle. CCA refera te the cranking ouput at -17 degrees Celsius for 30 seconds. It may tae 300-40 amps te satyour car, se on a cold morning you'il be happy if you chose a battery AM it, STUFF il fùll of: 4x8 sheets of plywood, PVC piping for an o) uide troop with 40 3ones are farrn, the mail telit, 2 cans of irmthr ~en fridge ove, your sofa, the apartment, a ,ju es, !awn chairs, or 18 mw aU Qma llc:: ransmt t: ABS rla à à &r' pil: AM/ U*.X* e: Ch râ 24- . . dý 1 s i dé ýA sis ance,,,: 3 Warrantyý YOU SIIIIIlII Nnow TiS: Based oni Safari Van iSA equipped as describe $2,860 and $350 security deposit are apply. *tFreight $845, licence, insura Offer applies ta 1997 new or demons trade may be necessary. Dealer may qualified retail customers only. Limite or used with oCher offers. No-charge units wittc cladding. See your Dealer1 licensed users of Marks. ia 36 monthlease for-1997 GMC ,d. A minimum downpayment of rrequired. Mileage conditions do ance and taxes are not included. istrator roiodels. Dealer order or vseil/lease for less. 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