How to Check Battery Cables for Corrosion and Tightness in a Honda Accord

The Honda Accord comes equipped with a fuel efficient engine and good reputation. Keep your Honda Accord running like new by adding a battery check to the regular monthly list of things to inspect on your vehicle.

Instructions

1

Check to make sure that the engine is turned off before you go under the hood.

2

Lift the hood of the Honda Accord, and suspend the hood with the rod on the left hand side of the engine compartment. Locate the battery to the right of the engine compartment.

3

Look at the battery cables and the ports that connect them to the battery itself, and search for any signs of a white or yellow powdery substance. This is a sign that acids have leaked from the battery and started corroding at the terminals.

4

Check the battery cables themselves for corrosion by disconnecting them from the battery and bending them slightly. If there is a crunching sensation as you bend the battery cables, it is a strong sign that the cables have signs of corrosion and need to be replaced on the Accord's battery.

5

Use a knife or razor and slice a vertical cut in the plastic covering of the battery cables. Look inside the plastic for any white powder or a green tint to the copper wires underneath. If either are present, then you should replace the corroded portions of the cables, or the entire cables themselves.

6

Test the tightness of the battery cables on your Accord by grasping the cables at the ports by which they are connected to the battery. Try to move or wiggle them. If they budge at all, tighten the bolts by grasping them with a wrench and turning them slowly to the right to prevent any future acid leakage.

7

Remove any visible corrosion on the battery with water mixed with baking soda. This liquid will turn brown as it connects with the corrosion, and you can clean away the baking soda mixture with plain water.