Replacing the battery in your Mercury Sable yourself can save some money on labor charges that local repair stations would add to your bill. You can also save money by purchasing the battery at a local auto parts store or even Wal-Mart instead of paying markup prices at the repair stations. Be sure to match up the information of your Mercury Sable (engine size, year, cold cranking amps) with the helpful catalogs provided when choosing the replacement battery.
Release the hood latch on the Mercury Sable and be sure that no electrical components are on and the keys are not in the ignition.
Put on the safety glasses and lift the hood.
Locate and remove the battery hold-down bolt using the ratchet, the extension and a socket.
Loosen the nut on the negative terminal clamp using a hand wrench. The negative battery post is marked with a "-" (minus) insignia and has a black cable. Once the nut is loose, use the channel locks to wiggle the clamp back and forth. If necessary, spread the end of the clamp with the pry bar/screwdriver to loosen it further. Remove the clamp from the battery post.
Loosen the nut on the positive terminal clamp. The positive post is marked with a "+" insignia and has a red cable. Again, loosen or spread the clamp using the channel locks or pry bar/screwdriver and remove it from the battery post.
Remove the battery. Clean the battery terminal clamps with the battery terminal cleaner thoroughly.
Insert the new battery onto the battery tray making sure the positive and negative terminals are located on their respective sides. Replace the hold-down device and bolt and tighten the bolt.
Replace the positive battery terminal clamp first and tighten the clamp nut.
Replace the negative battery terminal clamp last and tighten the clamp nut.
Spray the positive and negative terminal clamps with the battery terminal protectant spray. Test-start the Mercury Sable. Remove the tools and close the hood.
