Battery Terminal

Replacing a Battery Terminal

The battery terminal serves as the connection point between the vehicle's battery and its electrical system. A car battery has two terminals: a positive terminal marked by a plus symbol and usually connected to a red battery cable, and a negative terminal marked by a minus symbol and connected to a black battery cable. The battery cables carry power to and from the battery, and are connected to the battery terminals. The battery terminals need to maintain clean, tight connections with the battery posts for efficient power flow, but may suffer from corrosion or erosion over time that can prevent a complete connection from being maintained. If a battery terminal becomes loose, corroded, or otherwise damaged, it can cause issues with the vehicle's electrical power supply, and may result in difficulty starting the vehicle, intermittent power loss, or rapid battery discharge and a dead battery when the vehicle is parked even for short periods of time. Inspecting your battery terminals for signs of corrosion, looseness, or wear can help determine if the terminal, cable, or other parts may need to be replaced. In some cases, using a battery brush to remove the corrosion from the battery terminals and posts may be sufficient to restore the connection, but if they are noticeably damaged, pitted, or if parts of the terminal are missing, they likely need to be replaced. For your next battery service, shop O'Reilly Auto Parts, where we carry new batteries, battery brushes and cleaners, battery cables, and battery terminals to help you maintain a healthy vehicle.