How to Remove a Car Battery

Your vehicle’s battery assists your engine in starting smoothly as it provides power to the engine’s electrical components. If you find your vehicle’s battery is causing issues, you may want to have it replaced. How do you know when it’s time to remove and replace your battery? Check out this helpful guide that the MINI of Warwick service team has put together for Providence, RI drivers and beyond.

Preparation for Removing a Car Battery

It’s important to keep in mind that a battery with enough power to start your vehicle also has enough power to harm you should you get shocked. Make sure you take the following precautions to avoid injury when removing your vehicle’s battery:

• Work in a well-ventilated area so you prevent exposing yourself to harmful gases.
• Make sure you’re safe and careful when removing your battery by wearing insulated gloves and safety goggles to protect yourself from electric shock and corrosive agents.
• Make sure you keep all battery cables in their place, so they don’t touch each other. If they touch, it creates sparks that are a fire hazard.
• To help prevent the battery cables from touching, cover the end of the positive cable with a thick cloth or rubber.
• Remove necklaces, watches, bracelets, and other metal items to mitigate the risk of electric shock.

Along with having a replacement battery on hand, you should also have pliers, a ratcheting wrench with 8 and 13 mm sockets, and a flat head screwdriver/trim removal tool.

One important note: you may need to use a special battery cable removal tool if the terminal is fused. You can usually find these at dealership parts departments around Newport, RI like ours.

Where is the Battery in a MINI Cooper?

Once you pop the hood and are looking at the engine compartment, you may be wondering, “Where is the battery in a MINI Cooper?” With most vehicles, the battery is on the left up near the front of the engine compartment, but the MINI Cooper battery location is on the right near the rear of the engine compartment. It may be difficult to locate at first since there is a plastic cover that will need to be removed in order to access it.

Learn The Battery Removal Process

Now that you know where the battery is in a MINI Cooper, have gathered the necessary tools, and have the above precautions in place, you’re ready to learn how to remove a car battery safely. Simply take these steps:

• Use an 8 mm socket to remove the three screws on top of the battery cover. Next to the rubber weatherstripping, you’ll find two larger fasteners holding the cover down. Remove these as well. This will allow you to lift the cover partially, but you may need more room to get the battery out. Use a flat-head screwdriver, or the broad end of a plastic trim tool to locate the three twist-tab fasteners on the plastic cowling and turn them 90 degrees to release the cover. The battery should now be accessible.
• Locate the negative terminal of your battery. It should be covered with a black plastic cover with a minus (-) sign.
• Remove the battery terminal cover. With a wrench or pliers, take hold of the bolt head of the negative terminal, then keep it in place.
• Use pliers or a wrench to remove the nut, and then pull off the negative cable and move it away from the battery itself.
• Repeat those steps for the positive cable, which should have a red cover and a positive (+) sign. Make sure the cables do not touch!
• Some batteries are held into the vehicle with a securing bracket, If yours is, use pliers or a wrench to take out the screws and bolts that keep it held in place.
• Lift the battery out of the bracket. Keep in mind that it could weigh up to 40 pounds.
• If you plan to replace your battery, now is the time to do so.

Learn More About Removing a Car Battery Today!

Still wondering about how to remove your car battery from home or have questions about the MINI Cooper battery location? Feel free to contact the service team at MINI of Warwick. Our experts can walk you through the process, answer your questions, and help you to get safely back on the roads in and around Newport, RI.