I want to test my battery to see if it is dead (engine only clicks when turning key), but I am stymied on getting the battery out. I have unfasted the neg and pos posts, but there is a clamp on the bottom of the battery held in by a bolt, and for the life of me I can’t get this thing out. The battery is an insulated (factory installed) cover, and while this bold is slightly loose so I can jiggle the battery around, I can not get it out. Please, any help at all would be appreciated.
I just replaced the battery on my 2000 S10 Blazer. Remove the cover by pulling up and off the battery. A 10mm or 11mm socket and an extension is need to remove the hold down bolt or nut.
Ed B.
Some auto parts will check it for free without removal. Jump the car, if it starts your battery is either dead from age, or not charging properly.
You have to loosen it more. The plastic block has to move far enough to get the battery out. The thing slides right out of the way if the bolt is backed out far enough. Don’t worry; if the bolt is completely out, everything is easily put back together once the battery is out…
You may be on the right track suspecting the battery. But it may be a simpler problem: did you check the battery cable and post connections? If the contacts are dirty, they could cause this problem. Make sure they’re clean and see if that helps. Depending on the type of cables and posts you have, you might want sandpaper for cleaning the mating surfaces, or try baking powder in water to dissolve the crud build up. You want the electrical connection to be really clean and shiny.
WesternRoadtripper — <font color="blue" face="times>"... did you check the battery cable and post connections? If the contacts are dirty, they could cause this problem."The easiest way to test for a bad connection at the battery terminals is to turn the headlights on with the engine off and then start the engine. If the headlights dim appreciably, changes are there is electrical resistace at the battery terminals due to corrosion.
An 01 with the original battery? So most likely the bolt hasn’t been taken out in ten years? A little PB Blaster and you’ll have to work it out back and forth so you don’t strip the nut or the bolt. Once you get it out, clean it up, use hot water and baking soda in the box to remove the acid, and probably give the box a coat of paint. Use anti-seeze on the bolt before installing the new battery. The chance that a ten year old original battery is not bad is maybe 1/2 percent.