Did your kid go back to school recently? Is the winter season coming to an end?
Are you ready to bring out your Power Wheels and let your kid have all the fun?
Before you do so, you want to make sure that your Power Wheels battery is working in the first place.
When these electric toys get stuck for quite some time, the battery is almost always the first casualty.
If it doesn’t seem to be working, we’re here to help you figure out why.
One way to do that is to determine whether there’s power running through it in the first place.
That’s what we’re here for. We’ll teach you how to test a Power Wheels battery and all the other essential things you need to know about it.
The Different Charger Types
The first thing you need to consider is the type of charger you’re using.
While there is a wide variety of Power Wheels chargers, they are generally divided into two types.
Knowing how they operate will help you understand how they affect the battery.
Wall-Plug
It is the traditional type of charger that functions as a bridge.
It delivers the power running from the electric socket into the Power Wheels battery.
That means wall-plug chargers are incapable of sensing whether or not the battery is fully charged.
They simply deliver a consistent voltage capacity for as long as they are connected.
Leaving them plugged in may lead to overcharging or killing the battery.
Smart
The next type of charger is more advanced than the wall-plug counterpart.
While smart chargers can also deliver consistent voltage capacity, they have a circuit that determines whether or not the battery is at full capacity.
When this circuit identifies that the battery is fully charged, the charger refrains from delivering more voltage into the battery and instead switches to monitoring it.
That means smart chargers are incalculably safer both for the Power Wheels battery and yourself.
How To Test a Power Wheels Battery
If the Power Wheels doesn’t seem to be working, as is often the case with these toys that have been unused for months, you need to determine whether the problem is about the connections or the battery itself.
To do so, you’ll need a smart charger. As mentioned, wall-plug chargers can only deliver electricity onto the battery.
On the other hand, a smart charger can monitor its voltage capacity.
If you plugged the smart charger into an electric socket and connected it to the Power Wheels battery, it will display an error message if the battery has no power.
That means the charger has failed to recognize the battery.
When this happens, you’ll need to revive the battery.
How To Revive the Battery
Once you know how to test a Power Wheels battery, the next thing you may need to learn is how to revive it.
While it’s still best to bring the battery to the manufacturer of your Power Wheels, there is actually a way for you to restart your battery and get it to work.
However, you need to be very cautious when doing so because one minor mistake may ruin the battery.
Find a Similar Voltage Battery
Most Power Wheels run on either a 6V or a 12V battery.
The first thing you need to do is determine your dead battery’s voltage and find another battery with a similar capacity.
Once you find one, plug it into an electrical socket and wait until it’s fully charged.
Connect the Spades
Grab two spade connectors and attach each one to the negative and positive terminals of the fully charged battery.
Once you’ve done that, determine the positive and negative terminals of your Power Wheels battery.
Then, attach the other ends of the spade connectors accordingly.
Voltage Pulling
If you’ve successfully done the second step, the Power Wheels battery will start pulling the power from the fully-charged battery.
You’re basically charging the dead battery directly from another battery instead of plugging it into an electric socket.
Insert the Charger
The next step is to help the charger recognize the Power Wheels battery by bringing it into the circuit loop of the two batteries.
To do so, simply plug the charger into the circuit and wait for the light to turn green.
When it does, remove the parallel battery and attach the charger’s heads onto the Power Wheels battery.
Keep Charging
The green light from the charger would fade again once you connected it to the Power Wheels battery and into an electric socket. That’s totally normal.
It only means that your charger has already recognized the battery, but it’s not at full capacity yet.
Keep the battery charging until the light turns green again.
How To Modify the Battery
Some people wish to modify the Power Wheels battery to improve its performance.
We do not fully encourage it, but if your mind is already set on it, make sure that you follow these reminders.
Use a Fuse
If you wish to use a stronger battery for more power, ensure that you install a fuse.
When the battery, which is at a higher voltage capacity, suddenly discharges a spike of electricity, you want to make sure that it doesn’t damage the Power Wheel’s electronics and connections.
A breaker or a fuse will help prevent this from happening.
Check Battery Voltage and Charger
Lastly, a higher voltage capacity means you also need a stronger charger.
For example, if you use a 6V charger on an 18V battery, there might be too much demand for power from the charger, leading to irreparable damage.
Make sure that the voltage capacity of the charger and the battery match.
Final Thoughts
Driving a Power Wheel is one of the most enjoyable activities you can provide your kids with.
That’s why you want to make sure it’s always working.
While there are many areas you need to understand about this toy, one important aspect is the battery.
Learning how to test, revive, and upgrade it properly is the key to never-ending fun.