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Re: [Spridgets] Battery R&R and Fiat

To: Kathryn Bales <kgb@frontiernet.net>
Subject: Re: [Spridgets] Battery R&R and Fiat
From: Jim Johnson <bmwwxman@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 6 May 2009 10:59:24 -0500
Tim,

Think about how a lead acid battery works. They produce electricity through
the electrolysis process which gradually, over time, eats away the lead in
the plates and coats them with lead sulfides. If allowed to discharge too
far the plates warp, and if they come in contact with another plate they
short out and you have a dead cell. If you have dead cells the maximum
charge the battery will hold decreases by that fraction of the number of
cells in the battery and there is no way to fix it short of rebuilding the
battery completely.

You should never put new acid into an old battery. Only distilled water. Tap
water contains minerals which will impact the chemical reaction which
produces the electricity in the battery. Also, consider the application you
want to use the battery for and the one it was designed for. It makes a huge
difference. While 12V is 12V, the Amperage can be much different. There are
float batteries and Deep cycle batteries.

Here's a great tutorial on batteries, but I have to say it sounds to me from
the age of the battery and the fact that it had become discharged and you
can only bring it up to 4 volts, you are probably wasting your time with it.
Just guessing but I'll bet 2/3rds of the cells are dead.

http://www.batterystuff.com/tutorial_battery.html

Cheers!
Jim

On Wed, May 6, 2009 at 9:34 AM, Kathryn Bales <kgb@frontiernet.net> wrote:

> You can try replacing the acid by putting two plain old aspirin in each
> cell and putting it on trickle charge overnight.  I've had very good luck
> with this tactic.
>
> Kate
>
>
> Timothy H. Collins wrote:
>
>> One of my neighbors threw out a 12V Milwaukee took battery. Not the nice
>> nicad, or lithium packs you picture in your mind, but a nice metal book
>> which contains a 12V lead acid garden tractor size battery. A receipt in
the
>> box shows the battery was purchased in 1995. After all these years it
>> doesn't contain any (much) acid, but otherwise the battery looks new. I
>> doubt that it saw hard service. Is it possible to R&R a 12V lead acid
>> battery with this kind of history? I tried filling the cells with water
but
>> it won't take a charge (Oh about 4 volts is all.) The battery is 7.75"
wide,
>> 5.125" deep, and 6" high (with posts 7" high) and has a sticker - 1982299
-
>> the only surviving ID tag. The battery was purchased at an Auto Value
store.
>>
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--
Cheers!!
Jim
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I am
not
sure about the former. - Albert Einstein
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