Has the battery in your Peugeot 308 drained? Here’s what you need to do!
Some “repairs” your car needs can be done by you, of course, provided you have some clear notions so that you can manage. When your car’s battery drains, your first option is to replace it. It seems simple, but it’s not exactly a walk in the park, especially if you’ve never looked under the car’s hood. The good news is that we’re here to help you and explain step by step what you need to do.
Why might you find yourself without a battery in your Peugeot 308 at some point? The battery wears out over time, and if you haven’t changed it in at least two years, you might need to prepare for such a situation. Most often, the battery drains and becomes unusable during the cold season when sub-zero temperatures further consume the energy it accumulates.
What should you know about the battery in the Peugeot 308?
To handle your car’s battery when it drains, you should have some knowledge about how it functions. Below, we provide you with the information every driver should know.
Without a charged battery, the car cannot start. The battery’s role is to start the car and then to provide energy to electrical consumers. For it to function, the battery is supported by the alternator. Essentially, in the power supply system, the battery and alternator are the two main components on which the car’s starting depends, as well as supplying other systems with electrical energy.
How Do the Battery and Alternator Divide Their Roles? The battery is responsible for starting; it supplies the electric current necessary for the car to start and for the consumers. To have energy both at startup and during the car’s operation, the battery is supported by the alternator. Without the alternator, the battery would only stay charged for a very short period—just a few hours.
The car will stop both when the battery drains and when the alternator fails because the power supply system cannot function without energy. When the alternator in your Peugeot 308 breaks down while driving, the battery continues to function until it consumes all the stored energy, and then the car stops abruptly.
Now that you know how the battery works, we’ll explain how the alternator functions because it’s important to understand. The alternator:
- Converts the mechanical energy produced by the engine into alternating electric current and then converts the alternating current into direct current.
- Provides electric current to the battery so that it can support starting and ensure the optimal functioning of the consumers.
Now you understand why the battery and alternator are indispensable components of the power supply system. The starting and operation of the car depend on them.
How to remove the old battery and install a new one in your Peugeot 308
When the battery in your Peugeot 308 drains, the safest solution is to replace it with a new one. Let’s see how you can remove the old battery and install the new one!
To remove the car’s battery, you’ll need a toolkit with some necessary tools, such as a socket wrench with 13 and 14 mm extensions, 10 and 12 mm open-end wrenches, electrical contact spray, and optionally—gloves.
To remove the battery, you first need to loosen the screws that secure it in the metal holder at the bottom. Here, the socket wrench and 13 or 14 mm sockets will help you, but you need to work very carefully because, often, complications can arise at this stage due to inattention or rusted screws. Next, you need to loosen the terminals one by one. The order in which you loosen them doesn’t matter. The 10 and 12 mm open-end wrenches will be helpful, depending on the size of the terminals. After you’ve loosened the battery, you can remove it without problems.
Before installing the new battery, the battery compartment must be cleaned to ensure there are no traces of moisture or rust deposits. The connectors can also be lightly sanded and sprayed with special electrical contact spray to clean them.
Install the battery in the same position as the old one, with the positive and negative terminals placed the same way. It’s necessary for the new battery to be correctly mounted in the metal tray, and the terminals must be securely fastened so that none of them can move. Any imperfect contact can cause a short circuit, so it’s recommended to verify that the battery is perfectly secured.
Temporary solution when your Peugeot 308’s battery has drained
A solution that can help you temporarily when the car won’t start because the battery has no energy is to jump-start it from another car. To charge your Peugeot 308’s battery using cables, you’ll need jumper cables. Ideally, you should always have them in your car because they’re not expensive and can save you from an unpleasant situation.
To draw power from another car, the vehicles need to be positioned as close to each other as possible. Carefully plan how to position the cars, especially if they don’t both have the battery in the usual place—under the hood.
After arranging the cars, you need to connect the two jumper cables. These must be in perfect working condition, without damage or breaks.
Connect the cables as follows:
- Attach the red cable to the positive (+) terminal of the charged battery and to the positive (+) terminal of the drained battery.
- Attach the black cable to the negative (–) terminal of the charged battery and to the negative terminal of the drained battery or to a metal component of the car that needs electric power to start. You can attach the end to the bodywork or engine if it can’t be connected directly to the terminal.
To draw power, the car with the charged battery needs to be started and revved slightly higher, especially if it has a smaller engine capacity than the car receiving the power. Before starting the drained car, it’s ideal to wait between 5 and 10 minutes so that the battery has received enough current to start.
After successfully charging your Peugeot 308’s battery, the cables can be disconnected in the reverse order in which they were connected—first the black cable, then the red one.
These are two of the solutions you have when your Peugeot 308’s battery drains. The second solution, where you receive power from another battery, is a compromise you can use when you can’t purchase a new battery. Ideally, when your car’s battery drains, you should invest in a new one to ensure the power supply system operates at maximum capacity.
