Car batteries, like all other batteries, have a limited amount of life. After time and extended use, these batteries can begin to go out, failing to hold a good charge and becoming unreliable. Luckily, the process of changing the battery in your Honda Element is actually quite simple, requiring only basic tools and five to 10 minutes of time.
Park your Element on a flat surface where you have easy access to the engine compartment.
Pop the hood and climb out of the vehicle. Lift the hood by pressing the hood lever from left to right.
Pull the positive and negative covers off the terminals by hand.
Remove the positive and negative terminal bolts, using a crescent wrench. Once the bolts are loosened, the terminals should simply slide off the battery rods.
Remove the old battery and set it aside. Slide a new battery into place in the housing.
Replace the positive and negative terminals, being sure to match positive---red---with positive and negative---black---with negative.
Replace the terminal covers and close the hood.
