Automotive battery reconditioning

[LexusLover]

So I’m still not sure if I have a parasitic draw. It has been getting colder and colder out the last couple weeks. The frigidity peaked yesterday with a high of 12° and tomorow it’s going to be 32 peaking up to 53 on Thursday. So I’ll do a proper test for a parasitic draw with the warmer weather. But I figured out the alternator cable was not fastened on tight enough and kept jiggling loose. Now the car starts up no issue but Ive still been disconnecting the negative terminal as a precautionary measure. I probably could have saved the battery I had but I didn’t want to wait too long to get the charger and then days to do a few charge cycles.

 

[nadogail]

I have decided to abandon my efforts at reconditioning my lead acid battery.
I can turn it in to a local Auto Parts place and receive store credit of $10; I bought the battery as a core for $10.
The reconditioning project gave me a few days diversion, I will call it a WASH

 

[Ak Jim]

I recently watch a video on YouTube of a man with a stick welder "reconditioning" a car batter by hooking up the leads, and turning up the amps until the cells were boiling for 5 minutes. I cringed the entire time. There's no way i would have the balls to do this.

Was he smoking while the batteries were boiling, you know, to help pass the time?

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I am unsure how old the battery is. It came with the vehicle which we purchased at the beginning of may. An ‘04 Lexus rx330 with 183k miles on it. It sat in my basement for 2 months while I worked on the engine swap and the battery charged for a little over an hour the first day it was running. Then we were able to turn the vehicle over 4 times before going back in. The next morning the vehicle turned over once but then the battery light was on and the radio would not turn on. Also the horn and sunroof did not work when the car was started for the first time.

If I had to guess I would say the battery is at lest 3 and at most 4 years old because the number of CCa’s and other listed information is completely faded. But I’ve read that well kept batteries can last a decade.

Define well kept... ive never gotten more than about 3-4yrs out of my batteries

The most likely scenario is that the fuel fire- caused by the puddles of gasoline under the fuel rails being ignited by combustion backfiring into the intake ports while the plenum was off- melted some of the covering to the wires leading to the coil packs and or fuel injectors and has resulted in a short within a circuit or more than one circuit. I also have a pending p0037 which is a heated oxygen sensor circuit failure.

If you had all that happen and it toasted the battery, why are you bothering trying to restore the battery? Why not just buy a new one? Penny-wise pound foolish?

 

[wyliesdiesels]

When batteries had removable caps I would put them on a rack and shoot high pressure water into them until it ran clear. Then refill with acid from the FLAPS. Got me where I needed to go when young and poor.

I'm tempted to use a multitool to cut the top off a battery to see what accumulates at the bottom. Used to be something red which bridged the bottom of the plates.

Which automotive batteries (other than the gel mat type) dont have removable caps?

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I recently watch a video on YouTube of a man with a stick welder "reconditioning" a car batter by hooking up the leads, and turning up the amps until the cells were boiling for 5 minutes. I cringed the entire time. There's no way i would have the balls to do this.

“Don't do this inside” as he proceeds to do it inside

He forgot to mention the dangerous funmes it emits...

 

[Sumboodie]

Which automotive batteries (other than the gel mat type) dont have removable caps?

Most don't anymore. Have to break the case to pull the top off.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Most don't anymore. Have to break the case to pull the top off.

The ones Costco sells does have removable caps

 

[mikedodge]

Most still do but they're better at hiding them then they used to.

 

[-Stew-]

Was he smoking while the batteries were boiling, you know, to help pass the time?

I miss using a cigarette as a measure of time.