What Size Are Battery Bolts?

Battery bolts hold your battery in place, and having the right size of any bolt is essential because the wrong size of battery bolt can cause problems for your battery and your vehicle.

Having the right size bolt ensures that you can tighten your car's components properly. Ever wondered what size are your battery bolts? We have asked experts what sizes can battery bolts come in. Here is what we got from them.

The most common battery bolt will have a nut of around 10 millimeters or 0.4 inches, a bolt length of 1.24 inches, and a bolt thread size of 5/16 inches. Battery bolts may also come in different sizes, such as 8 millimeters (0.3 inches), 11 millimeters (0.43 inches), 12 millimeters (0.47 inches), and 13 millimeters (0.5 inches).

Having the right bolt size will help avoid connection problems between your vehicle and your battery. Also, you may damage your battery if you put a bolt that is too big or long for it. If you're unsure what bolt size you need, it's best to consult or bring your battery to a mechanic. For more information about car batteries, keep reading below.

The man tightens with a wrench bolts for fastening a new battery, What Size Are Battery Bolts?

Does The Size Of The Battery Matter

Yes, the size of your battery matters. Having the right size battery helps your car start and run in its optimal condition.

While having a battery that is too small may not give enough power to a larger car. Your car should have a battery that has the right amount of power to supply its electronics; having too little power may ruin some electronics.

Shelves in an auto parts store with storage cells

Also, if you have a battery that is too big for your car, it won't fit properly on the battery holder, and because of its bigger size, it may touch your car's metal hood causing short circuits or even fires.

However, you can use a smaller battery, but this must only be used for a short period of time or in an emergency. Note that this is not advisable to do. 

Can A Car Run Without A Battery

A car mechanic replaces a battery during maintenance

Yes, your car can run without a battery in it. Your vehicle will still idle and drive even if you don't have a battery in it because your alternator is still producing electricity for your car, but you can not start a car without a battery.

Even if your alternator keeps your car alive despite not having a battery in it, the alternator still needs to have a battery so that it can properly distribute the right amount of voltage.

Without the car battery, the alternator will push out different amounts of currents when your car is at different RPMs. You will also experience a lot of surging when you don't have a battery.

There may be a few reasons why you would be running a car without a battery, such as needing to move the vehicle somewhere else or testing its electronics.

You can still drive your vehicle for a short distance, but you will still need a battery to actuate all of its circuits to start up the actual engine.

It is also not a good idea to drive your car without a battery on a public road, if your vehicle suddenly stalls, you may cause an accident.

Does Idling Charge Your Battery

Yes, idling your car will charge your battery. Your battery is charging because of the alternator.

An alternator is a component that converts mechanical energy from your vehicle engine into electricity. Your car's battery is mainly there to help start up your vehicle and keep the electronic components of your vehicle running while the car is off.

The alternator is the component that helps power your vehicle when your car is on. When your car's on, the alternator provides all the electricity your car needs, and at the same time, it charges your battery.

An alternator is a device that is driven off the crankshaft by a belt that spins the rotor located inside the alternator.

Inside the alternator, there are a series of magnets that have alternating poles to them, and surrounding these magnets are a lot of copper wires. When magnets pass over a conductive wire, it is able to produce an electric current. 

With your alternator having multiple magnets and a lot of wires surrounding them, it is able to produce a lot of electrical power for your car.

So if your vehicle is having a hard time starting or stalls a lot, this may be caused by a faulty alternator forcing your vehicle to drain your battery.

How Long Can A Car Sit Before The Battery Goes Dead

Vehicle panel with red indicator electricity icon and symbol

If you haven't started your car in a while, your battery could run out of electricity.

A new battery can typically last for three months before it gets fully discharged, but there are a lot of factors that can speed this up, such as having an old battery, a newer car model, and harsh weather conditions. 

An old battery will drain much faster since it may be too worn or worked.

While newer car models will drain your battery much faster because of all the electronics that come with the car, features such as the car's Bluetooth, clock, security system, and many more.

Hotter temperatures can also affect your car's battery since the heat could evaporate the battery's fluid.

To avoid your battery from completely draining, you should start your car and leave it running for a while. Starting your vehicle once in a while will give the alternator a bit of time to recharge your battery.

But if your car won't turn on, you might be too late, and you will have to jump-start your vehicle or get a new battery.

Can A Completely Dead Battery Be Recharged

Charging car battery with electricity trough jumper cables

Yes, you can recharge a completely dead battery. But you cant use a battery charger; you'll need to jump-start the dead battery to give it enough power to start on its own.

You can use another vehicle to jump your dead car battery. From there, the alternator will be the one that will charge it till it's at full capacity. 

It is a good idea to check your battery first if it's in good functioning order before jump-starting.

Check your battery manufacture date; a car battery will last around five years of regular use. As the car's battery gets older, the higher the chance it will fail or drain quicker.

You should also check your car battery for any corrosion. Corrosion is a sign that there is going to be a battery draw, and it may be the main cause of why your battery may have drained all its power.

Note that if you're going to jump your dead battery using another vehicle, you should not fully charge it but instead charge it for a short while to give it just enough power to turn on the engine of the car and run on its own.

Closing

Finding the right battery bolt size is important since this helps hold the wires that power your vehicle to the battery.

Having a loose connection can result in your car not wanting to start. If you're unsure of what bolt to use, consult a mechanic to find the right fit.

When dealing with a completely dead battery, you can use another car to jump it. Doing this will help bring the dead battery to life, and you'll be able to start the vehicle from there.

Just make sure that you don't fully charge the dead battery using the other vehicle. You just need enough power to be able to start the vehicle of the dead battery.

For more automotive topics and tips, check out the following posts.

Rattling Noise From Front Passenger Side When Driving – What Could It Mean?

Are EV Charging Stations Free? [They Could Be For You!]

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