In some cars, the battery is actually under the passenger seat or in the trunk. If you’re having a hard time finding your battery, check your owner’s manual. If you’ve just been driving, wait 20-30 minutes for the engine and battery to cool before you get started. [2] X Research source

If the plastic caps are no longer there, look for the “-” symbol to indicate the negative terminal. The “+” symbol indicates the positive terminal. Suit up with safety goggles and utility work gloves to protect your eyes and hands. If you’re wearing rings or bracelets, it’s a good idea to take those off too—it helps reduce the risk of electrocution.

It shouldn’t take more than 2 or 3 counter-clockwise turns to loosen the nut enough that you can take the terminal off. You don’t need to remove the nut completely.

If the cable keeps springing back, cover the metal terminal connector with tape. That way, it won’t make a connection even if it does happen to touch the battery.

Set any parts you’ve removed somewhere safe away from the car—you don’t want them falling down into the engine bay where it would be a pain to get them out.

If you’ve never handled a car battery before, give it a little test lift first so you can make sure you’ve got a good grip—at 30 to 50 pounds (14 to 23 kg), they’re heavier than they look!

If there’s a lot of corrosion, let the baking soda solution sit for about 5 minutes to penetrate before you start scrubbing. If you’re putting your old battery back in the car, do the same thing with the posts on the battery so everything is clean and corrosion-free. Once the terminals are clean, dry them off and apply a layer of petroleum jelly or anti-corrosion grease to keep future corrosion at bay. [12] X Research source

You might be tempted to just leave it off, but the bracket helps reduce the vibrations that can cause your battery to die faster.

As a rule of thumb, if there’s ever just one terminal connected to your battery at any time, it needs to be the positive one.

When you first start up your car, you might notice that it idles rough. Don’t worry, this is normal and due to the loss of battery power. After a few minutes, it’ll be fine. [18] X Research source