Although it may seem trivial and simple, replacing your car’s battery is not an easy task at all, even if those mechanics with “years of experience behind them” might say that anyone can change a car battery.
We all know that with the onset of the cold season, the car battery gradually starts to fail. Why? The main cause is the much lower temperatures, which cause an older battery to slowly lose its electrical charge, regardless of whether it has consumers or not, its efficiency diminishing over time. Thus, when the cold is at its strongest—in December, January, or February—most drivers find that their car won’t start if the battery is over 2–3 years old. No car battery works well in extreme temperatures, and the cold reveals problems you would never notice in the summer.
The Role of the Car Battery
The main role of the car’s battery is to supply the car’s consumers with electrical energy and to assist in starting the car.
Well, the alternator also plays an important role, as it is a crucial component in supplying the car with electric current, being indispensable. Less knowledgeable people believe that the battery is solely responsible for transmitting electric current to the consumers, but that’s not quite the case. The battery’s role is to provide electric current at startup, and then the alternator takes on the important role of constantly keeping the battery charged. Consumers then draw current from the battery, but without the alternator constantly charging it, in 2–3 hours at most, you would completely run out of battery in the car.
If the alternator fails on the Nissan Primera while driving and the battery dies, the car will stop while in motion. Without current, no car can sustain the systems that keep it running.
The alternator has four roles, all equally important:
- Transmits electric current to the battery for certain consumers such as the horn, climate control, headlights, audio system, or wipers.
- The mechanical energy produced by the engine is transformed by the alternator into alternating electric current.
- The alternator’s components aim to convert alternating current into direct current.
- Charges the car’s battery with energy that is consumed during startup.
Therefore, both the battery and the alternator play extremely important roles in supplying the car and its consumers with electric current.
How to replace the battery on an Nissan Primera
If you wish to change a car battery by yourself, you need to know that you’ll require certain tools. Specifically, you’ll need a socket wrench with a 13 or 14 mm extension to loosen the bolt that secures the battery from underneath. Additionally, you’ll need 10 and 12 mm open-end wrenches, depending on the terminals, to loosen the screws that hold the battery terminals in place. Optionally, it’s recommended to use an electrical contact spray and a cloth. You can use gloves if the battery has residue on the terminals.
First, you need to loosen the bolts that secure the lower mounting, which serve to fix the battery to that small metal tray. If the bolt is rusted, you may have some trouble loosening it. Once the battery can be lifted off that tray, the next step involves the terminals. There isn’t a specific order in which these need to be disconnected. Once you’ve loosened those screws and notice that the connector has some play, you can remove them and then take the battery out of its compartment.
Once you’ve done this, it’s recommended to sand the connectors before placing them on the new terminals. You can also apply some spray. Additionally, you need to remove all the dirt that has accumulated under the old battery to prevent moisture or rust buildup. Now there’s only one step left. Take the new battery and check that the positions of the positive and negative terminals are exactly the same as on the old battery.
It’s very important that the battery is properly secured to that metal tray to avoid issues like a short circuit that could burn out the car’s computer. Once the battery is secured, proceed to the terminals. It doesn’t matter too much which terminal you connect first; it’s recommended to simply mount them and rotate the connectors on the terminals to eliminate any oxidation and ensure a much better contact. Finally, the connectors should fit snugly on the terminals, without any play or possibility of coming off.
How to jump-start an Nissan Primera if your battery is dead
Besides situations where the battery shows no signs of life when you’re at home, there can be unpleasant situations where you find that the car won’t start due to the battery when you’re in town, on vacation, or somewhere else far from home. For these unpleasant situations, there’s the possibility of “jump-starting” the car from another vehicle. This is done using cables that should be indispensable for any driver, especially considering that the price is more than affordable. Jumper cables for any car cost around 100 lei.
Firstly, to make the task as easy as possible, it’s recommended to bring the two cars as close together as possible on the side with the battery. Keep in mind that not all cars have the battery under the hood; some have it in the trunk or even under one of the two front seats. Ensure that there are no metal objects, clothes, or even jewelry in that area. Also, the cables should be in the best possible condition, with no insulation issues.
Once the cars are close together, proceed to connect the cables.
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First, the red cable. Connect it to the positive (“+”) terminal of the battery of the car providing the power, while the other end of the red cable should be connected to the positive terminal of the battery on the Nissan Primera. Be careful that this end does not touch any other metal object on the car with the functioning battery, as there is a risk of causing a short circuit. It’s worth mentioning that this positive end has specific protection and is marked.
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Next, the black cable. One end of this cable is connected to the negative (“–”) terminal of the car with the functioning battery, while the other end is connected to one of the metal parts of the engine or body of the car that has no electric power, or directly to the negative terminal of the car. It’s recommended to connect this cable to the engine block if you don’t have direct access to the terminal.
Once you’ve connected the cables, start the car with the functioning battery. Keep the car running for about 5 minutes. After these 5 minutes have passed, you can start the car with the dead battery. There are cases when the battery is completely discharged and you might need to wait even longer, but usually, after about 5 minutes, the car starts.
The person giving you a jump-start should ensure they rev the engine a bit when you try to start your car, especially if you have a larger engine capacity.
Once the Nissan Primera has started, proceed to disconnect the cables in reverse order: first the black cable from the car that had the dead battery, then the red cable.
Therefore, replacing the battery on an Nissan Primera is not an easy task at all and can give anyone a headache. Moreover, we recommend always having these “miracle” cables with you.
