* * Battery Technology & Refurbishing Batteries * *

(By A.J. Rouse, 9-15-23 Reed City)

 

OVERVIEW: the following information is technical info I found on the web from You Tube and other various places.  I compared different websites, and used the ones I felt were good information plus easy to understand.  The following is a brief summary of what I learned:

 

SAFETY PRECAUSTIONS: battery acid is flammable, explosive, and corrosive. Extreme caution should always be taken when working on batteries. Rule number:

1. Always wear safety glasses no matter what.
2. You should always use plastic or latex gloves.
3. You should always have a gallon of water handy to neutralize the acid if you get it on your skin or if the battery explodes – poor the water on the acid on your skin or eyes (it can blind you or burn you bad)!
4. Keep all sparks at least a foot away from the battery - batteries do explode! You need to dump water on your face and skin to wash away and neutralize the acid (seek medical attention when needed).

NOTE: When hooking up jumper cables on vehicle – connect the last cable up to the engine ground.  On bench charging make a short one-foot-long extension to connect without spark at battery.

5. Always charge batteries in well-ventilated areas – it’s best to do it outside when possible.

 

DISCLAIMER: This article is not written for profit.  It is a FYI to DIYers (for your information to do it yourselfers). I’ve added it to my business website (which could cost me money with lost customers who repair the vehicle themselves).  www.artsautorepair1.com I also include this based on my Christian beliefs doing onto others as I want them to do for me. i.e. the new commandment Jesus gave us (John 13:34), aka the golden rule (Matthews 7:12 & James 4:17). Please view my Christian websites www.thehouseofdavid.weebly.com & www.deepcriesouttodeep.weebly.com Use code 52669999. Basic Bible truths with advanced teachings on complexed Biblical issues.

 

BASIC BATTERY INFO: a fully charged car battery should read approximately 12.6 volts at 70F - without any load and an hour or so after charging it.  When it is fully charged it should not drop below 9 to 9 1/2 volts when cranking under a load.  After it starts up and runs it should increase to at least 13 1/2 to 14 volts without the accessories on.  After the vehicle is shut off for an hour or so there should not be any more than 30 milliamps draw from the battery. That's known as a parasitic draw anything over 50 milliamps is a problem.  A good way to load test the alternator is to put all your accessories on Rev the engine up to 2500 RPM's and should stay around 13 1/2 to 14 volts. Here is a good chart for some of this information:   https://ricksfreeautorepairadvice.com/car-battery-voltage-chart/

SIDEBAR ONE: I also found some good articles on restoring small batteries for cordless equipment, drills, etc. The speaker explained that cordless batteries fully discharge will not charge on many chargers.  You must connect it to another battery to put a partial charge in it – it works!  See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLlPXvD6AgM

SIDEBAR TWO: in addition, I found another good website article that shows how to disassemble the cordless batteries and switch around the individual batteries to bring them back to life! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDcVMZax2KA

 

DIFFERENT TYPES OF BATTERIES: there are five different common types of batteries used in various types of vehicles. The following Internet link gives an excellent definition and charging procedures for each one of the types.  1. Wet batteries; 2. Sealed batteries; 3. VRLA batteries; 4. AGM batteries; & 5. Gel batteries. Check out this link:

https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/5-battery-types-explained-sealed-agm-gel.html

 

BATTERY COMPLETELY DISASSEMBLED: here is a good video showing a battery completely taken apart and rebuilt from scratch. He uses a torch and a few tools: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNGg0P7B5fI

 TESTING A BATTERY: first, you should charge the battery to see if you can bring it back to life. If it has an internal short or open no matter what you do you can never bring it back to life. There are some things you can do to test the battery to see if it has an internal short or open.  Make sure you use the correct battery charger for the battery you are charging. After it has taken as much charge as it can (slow or fast charge – slow is better) it’s optional to test each of the cells with a battery hydrometer (harbor Freight or Walmart) 1.280 fully charged (1.240 ¾; 1.200 ½; 1.160 ¼; & 1.120 discharged). You can use a digital voltmeter in the cells too (between the cells – but only touch the acid with the tips and the cells should all be filled to the top of the lead plates). The reading is about 2.2 volts.  If you find a bad cell – it may not come back to life – but you can still try.  Last use a mechanical battery load tester (100 amp is fine). You can also use an electronic tester – they tell you everything about the battery.   i.e. state of charge; internal resistance; cold cranking amps; state of health; etc. This video has good information on battery tester – he talks very fast (he may be from Philly like me): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2XRR9aFWPo

 

REBUILDING A BATTERY: after you test the battery, you can do your fix and retest to see if it works or at least is better.  There are 3 phases to battery rebuilding after you test fill and try to charge them.  For weak batteries try to put a high charge in them - especially after trickle charging overnight with the correct charger, or using an electric Di-sulfation charger (it pulsates): 1) use a 200 amp battery charger (some use electric welders) with 15 minutes charge time (to boil off the internal sulfate inside the battery) then 45 minute rest time. 5 times cycling that procedure – then see if it takes a charge & retest it. 2) if that fails you can drain the cells and add Epson salts and re-high amp charge it (to boil out the sulfate from the cells) – strain the battery acid and refill with a little distilled water.  3) some have used baking soda with flushing procedure and refilled it with new acid after charging many times. Etc.

 

BATTERY CHEMICLE EQUATIONS: if you're nerdy like me and you love chemistry and science this is a great You Tube episode to watch that it gives you the chemical breakdowns of charging and discharging a lead acid battery very educational if you're into that advanced stuff - otherwise don't look at this!  It is a good example of amp hour discharge.  His motorcycle battery wouldn’t take a charge (no amps but would go to 14 volts) so he did a parallel (negative to negative) charge with a second battery that was good.  He doesn’t use Epson & salts - only distilled water and battery acid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l59knYW8rg

 

CYCLING THE BATTERY: this is another way to get rid of sulfate in a lead acid battery. He shows how to time and test the battery drain cycle. He only goes into one procedure – there are many ways to bring a battery back to life. This is the title of the You Tube video: HOW TO PROPERLY RECOVER AND RECONDITION A SUFVATED BATTERY. Here is the website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x-JfckAt20

 

OTHER INFORMATION:  the batteries are rated by: 1) their group signs; 2) CCA cold cranking amps; 3) RC reserve capacity; & 4) the type of battery.  Many of the You Tube videos give their take on refurbishing the batteries.  Some use Epson & salts, some use baking soda, some charge with the chemicals in the batteries, some put in new acid.  I like the fast talker because he does a lot of testing before and after.  He shows what worked – on the known bad batteries he tested.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2XRR9aFWPo

 

CONCLUSION: batteries and the vehicle systems are very complex.  If you want to fully understand the system and refurbish them – you need to do a lot studying.  This is just a short article on a few more things I learned today about bringing batteries back to life.

 

Be safe, good luck & God’s speed to you!

 

PS: many parts store will test your battery & charging system for free!

PPS: good teaching on parasitic draws: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDqlG5bRq8kA

PPPS: book on battery refurbishing $47: https://ezbatteryreconditioning.com/video/