What routine maintenance should be carry out on a car battery vent caps?
If you have removable caps, undo each one after ensuring no contaminants might drop into the battery, then check the electrolyte level is at least covering the “plates” of the cell. If not, add some distilled water. But DO NOT OVERFILL! If in doubt, just leave it at “plates covered”. Don’t touch your clothing or your skin while handling the caps. Wash your hands thoroughly when finished inspecting/ replenishing, some trace of acid could be outside the battery, or will be on the underside of the caps anyway. The caps don’t require any maintenance. By the way, there is no such thing as a “maintenance free” battery. Only “low maintenance”.
A battery needs removal once a year, give it a general clean -up and remove deposits from the contact posts, once done smear with a little Vaseline to stop erosion, IF it is of the non sealed type check the fluid levels and top up with distilled /deionised water, charge fully and replace. I tend to do this just prior to winter for the best use and longer life. Never charge a flat battery that is good or near new with a booster type device as these are too severe and often buckle the plates within doing irreparably damage, time and patience is of the essence here only use a normal charger…. unless stuck in the wilds of no-where and in dire straights.
