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TheOldCrankyWorkshop wrote:
This is bound to happen to you, if it hasn't already.
You've got an old car battery that won't work. It's not shorted - it just won't work.
A test for continuity across the terminals shows open or damn close; hook it to a charger and the ammeter shows zero - charged.
Odds are it is sulfated.
When a lead acid battery discharges, the sulfuric acid reacts with the lead in the plates to form "lead sulfate".
Lead sulfate likes to crystallize and build up on metal surfaces - like lead plates.
The lead sulfate buildup blocks the electrical conduction between the plates.
So you have a battery that has no charge and won't take a charge.
"So how am I supposed to clean that crap out of there?"
Well, you can't take a battery apart without destroying it (believe me - I've tried).
And even if you could, you couldn't get the plates adequately clean - they're porus.
It has to be done chemically.
Fortunately, there's a chemical that can be simply added to the battery that can clear off the lead sulfate buildup, and not need to be removed.
That chemical is magnesium sulfate.
"Where the hell can I get something like that?!"
It's easier to find than you might think.
Regular white, unscented Epsom Salt = Magnesium Sulfate.
Don't just spoon it in though here's what you do:Put some clean dry Epsom Salt into a clean dry cup.
"For a regular-sized battery, I generally use around ten teaspoons".
Heat up some distilled water to near boiling.
Add it to the Epsom Salt. (Just enough to dissolve most of it - you want a thick liquid)
Stir the hell out of it - it's hard to make it all dissolve sometimes.
Then try to get an equal amount into each cell of the battery.
Be sure to top off the battery if it needs it.
Hook a regular charger (not a "smart charger"), and set it for high amps. Mines 10 and 2, so I go with 10.
At first, the ammeter will read 'zero' or 'charged'. Just Wait.
In a while (how long depends on the amount of sulfation), the needle will creep up to full current (10 amps for me).
Then switch over to low current (2 amps around here), until the battery is fully charged.
Discharge the battery with an old spare headlight, until the light glows dull yellow.
Then charge it on low current again. This helps the magnesium sulfate eat away the lead sulfate.
It ought to work now.
This trick will work for nine out of ten sulfated batteries.
But it only works a few times - five times per battery at most.
Still you'll save a lot of money knowing this trick, and that's what it's all about.
If your battery is shorted though this trick won't help you.
Link To YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7n908PSRTw?autoplay=1
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