Have you ever added water to the car battery?

[MoneyJohn]

Just curious, if one needs to add water to the battery? I have an old (Kirkland) battery that works fine, but being old (8 YO) battery, I am not too sure if I should check and add water in it. Is there any rule of thumb for checking and adding water?

This car gets a 50 mile run daily, half highway, half city driving, if that makes any difference.

Thanks

 

[JavierH19]

Yes. Back when you could. Almost all batteries are sealed now. Used bottle water. Don't remember a level i only looked with a flashlight.

 

[Greasymechtech]

Depends on battery.

And yes, pick up some distilled water and top it off.

 

[nomas]

Distilled water .

 

[Ed_Flecko]

My original 2019 Toyota Tacoma battery has fill caps, so I use this: https://amzn.to/3kowy9F to fill it with distilled water whenever it needs it, which is not very often.

I check it probably once a month just for good measure.

Ed

 

[LazyDog]

After you add some distill water, I normally trickle charge the battery for a good measure.

 

[Pelican]

Just curious, if one needs to add water to the battery? I have an old (Kirkland) battery that works fine, but being old (8 YO) battery, I am not too sure if I should check and add water in it. Is there any rule of thumb for checking and adding water?

This car gets a 50 mile run daily, half highway, half city driving, if that makes any difference.

Thanks

You ought to check the "Water" level at least ever 12 months and add distilled water only to top up if needed.
I do this twice a year sping & fall and also each time I recharge it with a smart charger that also desulfates.
My battery is an OEM Lexus 7 years old, looks like new, has no deposits or accumulations on the posts and looks like it will
go for at least another 7 years.

 

[ecotourist]

After you add some distill water, I normally trickle charge the battery for a good measure.

Good plan.

Don't over fill it. Batteries used to have a split ring near the top. When the water got up to the split ring (ie showed a meniscus) it was time to stop.

 

[MRC01]

Distilled water is useful to have around - not only for batteries, but also to top off coolant.

 

[wemay]

Fond memory....

My Pops used to do this when i was a little kid. He would then let me use that metal, cylindrical terminal brush to clean the terminals from the "chalk".

 

[Eddie]

I haven't needed to add water for the last 30 years. The newer chemistry in the plates were developed to use very little water. If you find you need to add water, then the first thing I would do is check the alternator output for over charging or poor connections.

 

[MoneyJohn]

After you add some distill water, I normally trickle charge the battery for a good measure.

I was going to ask this question.
I have not checked the level in 8 years so I am assuming, I may need to add a good bit of water. I do not have a trickle charger. Would it be a bad idea to add water and then go drive for 25 miles (one way to the work)? All I have to make sure that the car starts after adding the water i.e. there is not too much dilution.

 

[eljefino]

I did when I was young and dumb, to a green Interstate battery with removable lids. In hindsight, I didn't need to, and probably overfilled it, but I wanted to do "something."

I suspect it's less of a thing now, with better voltage regulation. Probably really not a problem now with cars chronically undercharging. Adding water was to fix a symptom of overcharging.

Your car will start with the water added, don't worry. You really shouldn't have to add too much.

 

[BigCahuna]

I haven't had to add water to a battery in over 20 years. And when I did add water, it was straight tap water. My batteries would last 5-8 years. I know everybody says you need "distilled" water, but my real world experience says you don't.,,

 

[twouvakind]

Adding water to cover the plates you see down there, not to the top of the filler holes.

 

[supton]

Never have, not in 25-30 years. Not that I've been around that many, but a solid nope for me.

 

[WeyounDS9]

Use distilled water only.

 

[ET16]

Add the water after the battery is fully charged, otherwise it could overflow.

 

[CleanSump]

Not since the 1980s.

 

[hank2]

I did, for more than 50 years. It's been a while since I had a new flooded battery that wasn't sealed or semi-sealed. The oem Panasonic's in my two Scions had six accessible caps. I added distilled H2O twice a year. Long battery life.