2000-2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Negative Battery Terminal Disconnection

One of the first steps in performing an...

iFixit Library Chevrolet Monte Carlo Easy 5 minutes Guide 90484

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Guide overview

Before you begin

One of the first steps in performing an electrical system repair is disconnecting the battery. This allows you to safely work on the cars electrical and airbag systems. This guide is 100% accurate for a 2000-2005 Monte Carlo SS, the base models as well as the 2006-2007 models should have a similar if not identical procedure.

Step 1

Hood Latch

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Park the car on a flat surface, and remove the keys from the ignition.
Under the dashboard on the drivers side is the hood release latch. Pull this until you feel the latch release, the hood should pop up a little when this happens.

Step 2

Hood Release

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The hood should have popped up a little bit after pulling the hood latch, now you must release it before it can be opened.
Under the hood, slightly left-of-center is a release lever that must be pushed to open the hood all the way. This lever must be pushed to the right, in the direction of the car emblem.
Once you successfully release the hood, you should feel it try to rise up. These cars all have solenoids that assist in raising the hood. Simply lift the hood up, and it should stay up without any intervention.

Step 3

Negative Battery Terminal

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The battery is on the left side of the engine compartment.
The cable connecting to the negative terminal should be black, and should have an exposed 8mm bolt head that screws into the battery. The negative terminal should also be marked on the battery.
Use an 8mm wrench to disconnect the negative terminal connector. Tuck the lose connector out of the way of the battery, so that it cannot make contact with the terminal.
Be very careful not to touch the positive battery terminal (with the wrench or yourself) while you're doing this. There should be a red protective cover on the positive terminal, but it's always good to take precautions. Shorting out a car battery will very likely result in a trip to the hospital.
New batteries tend to come with plastic plugs for the terminals. If you have these for your battery, this would be a good opportunity to use them. This will prevent anything from touching the terminal.