Most other 'lead acid battery recovery' videos attempt to remove the sulfation that occurs mainly if the battery was discharged to low for an extended period of time. This video is one of only a few I've seen on youtube that addresses the *other* main way lead-acid batteries fail: *accumulated plate shed material in the bottom of the battery, which eventually builds up enough to cause "soft short(s)" on the bottoms of the plates in one or more cells* (usually starting with the cell on the positive terminal). That causes internal resistance to rise, which requires more amps to recharge to full voltage because more of the charger's electrical output being converted to heat (i.e.: the battery heats up a lot). In comparison, heavily sulfated batteries typically have poor charge acceptance (i.e.: the charger doesn't put out much current and the battery doesn't heat up).
Thanks for posting this demonstration of reworking a car battery! I had heard of doing it this way, but hadn't actually experienced it done! Thanks! Most folks don't know what to do with battery water. You mix soda with it to neutralize it...but you still have to treat it like HAZ-MAT, and take it to a battery shop for proper disposal. The guy at the battery shop haa an apron that's heavy vynal, that he wears, and heavy vynal gloves, but he won't let you watch him work...if the truth were known, he does exactly what you just demonstrated! Thanks!!!
I commented earlier, and forgot to put a tidbit of important info...if your battery is slowly going down and theres nothing on that causes it, wash the whole battery in a baking soda/water mixture and dry it. Place a rubber mat underneath the battery and between the clamps and the battery. Then clean and re assemble your terminals and connector clamps and grease with wheel bearing grease or vasoline...to seal the air out of the clamps on the cables. Take a NEW penny and put a dab of grease on one side of it and put the greased side against the battery top...close to the positive terminal BUT NOT TOUCHING it. This will draw all the corrosion away from the leads. Electrolytes conduct electricity. The surface of your battery will act judt like a wire mesh and bleed off the power to ground till its dead...even pole to pole. The washing with baking soda and water with a brush, removes this coating. I've found this to work every time I've used it. An old mechanic taught me that 50 years ago. Please pass this on. Thanks!
Been doing this for many years and it really does work. Just gear up safely and rinse and shake the battery many times until the flushing water clears up or your arms wear out. I usually add new acid but have gotten by with old acid too, just let it sit long enough for the crud to settle out before pouring it back into the battery. If you do not have enough acid to cover the plates do not add water which dilutes the acid but use some old acid from another donor battery.
@@BlankSlate1111 Lead Poisoning doesn't have anything to do with your environmental stupid assumptions. Hopefully you'll meet your maker before too long ~
This is one of the best video's on YT I've seen. Most vid's want to jump to charging/discharging or pulsing, or reverse charging for sulfating, yadda, yadda. Man here shows that its probably all the crap from the plates slowly shedding material or dendrites pushing through a cell which is a physical unfixable failure. Clean that crap out, and you should be able to use hot tap water for the flushes, and can do a final rinse with that 1$/g DI or distilled water. Or just let it dry upside down. Filtering the old acid is smart, however without a hygrometer you don't know how strong it is. You can get new acid and hygrometer pretty cheap at the parts store. Thing I liked mostly was showing that sometimes getting your hands dirty is all it takes vs experimenting with pulsers, welders and crazy charge/discharge cycles, reverse charging, etc. Actually was rather surprised at how much crap came out. Next time I'm under the hood, I might just pull my newer 2 y.o. battery out and do the same thing as PMCS.
You are onto something here. I recall as a child upon the battery in our car being stuffed, dad would lift the caps and looking into the wells, yes we could see some of the plates bent and twisted, I suspect this shorted out the battery. Where as now days if you look inside the plates all look reasonably good. I believe the reason what looks to be a good battery is stuffed is simple. The old style battery had a deep well below the bottom of the plates and so any small metal that broke away would drop down out of harms way. Today the same area is very shallow and so only a little metal needs to gather there to then short out a plate. I had thought about doing as this guy did but have no way of disposing of the dirty water so never did it. Glad to see it worked for him.
I have done this a few times with success, i used the garden hose to flush out the cells with the battery lying on it,s side and facing down hill a little. On a vehicle you do not use everyday or rely for work this is well worth doing!!
I worked at a service station one summer in high school back in 1967, the owner had me do basically what you did in the video except we used tap water and a paint can shaker to break up the deposits, then drained the battery and refiled with distilled water and rinsed the inside, then refilled with new acid. I also had to wear acid proof gloves and apron along with a full face shield. We also first cleaned the outside of the case with a water and baking soda solution before working on the inside. He sold them used at half-price of a new battery mainly to teenagers. I have done the same procedure many times since then; it worked about 80% of the time and I typically got another year or two out of the battery.
Great tip,i keep my battery on a float charger when im not driving my truck and starts everytime,,so thank you for the info on how to clean the batt cells✌
Your welcome. Keep in mind that even though it works the battery will not be 100% like new. You should give it a good test. Drive it around town like normal ( just to be safe you might want to bring some jumper cables ) then after you get back home turn your engine off but turn your headlights on and leave them on for 20 minutes then do a test crank, if it cranks right up then turn the engine back off before it has a chance to charge the battery up and leave the headlights on for another 10 minutes then crank it again, if it has a strong ( good ) 'crank up' after the 30 minutes, then you should be good for a while. But if it was weak sounding after the first 20 minute you should plan on replacing it very soon and don't trust it on a drive across the dessert or anything like that. Ps this is a test for a high end battery with lots of cranking amps so if you have a basic low amp battery you can do the same test but start at 10 minutes then go to 20 with the 'lights on' test But with the high end or low end you want to make sure it can crank up after the light were on for at least 20 minutes, if it cranks very weak at that point then get a new battery. This is not a perfect test, it is just a basic guide. They do make stress testers or you could get the parts store to test it. The parts store test may show it as bad ( or good ).. but it is your battery so you can judge for yourself how good it is working.
interesting points ,if anyone else wants to uncover how to recondition my car battery try Corbandy Battery Blueprint Crusher (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some awesome things about it and my friend got amazing success with it.
Ive been doing this for years!! It really works...but all i do is add distilled water to any cell thats low..and it works fine, a 99 ct bottle of water will save you a $100 plus bucks #GottaLuvIt
Andy Liem Not certain about the points made but ,if anyone else needs to find out about battery restoration try Battery Recovery Tactics ( battery.RecoveryTactics.com ) ? Ive heard some decent things about it and my co-worker got great success with it.
A good bush fix will be a good thing if SHTF one day. I've made carb gaskets out of the back cover from a spiral notebook and used a thick piece of cotton string that I soaked with candle wax for a rear end housing gasket when I was a teenager. Sometimes you had to do what you had to do get to town to buy a new one.
If Hillary got in there that's the kind of stuff we would be doing. Good skills to have for not "if" but when.
4 года назад
Rick, believe it or not we use silk thread for a lot of gaskets in small aircraft engines. I always liked milk cartons for gasket material, the coating made them non stick.
Nice save. Don't know if I'd take a 4k road trip with it but safe for in town. Remember when you could get a good bat got about 30 bucks. Now over 100. Hope you have another good year left. Couldn't believe the gunk that came out! Good work. 👍😎🇺🇸🚜
Love your Battery Advice! At the beginning of your video when you were in your office, I kept looking for a huge Poster of *The* *King* behind you. You and Elvis Presley got the same Sideburns! By the time you put your Battery back in your Vehicle, we could all see your next How-To Video coming up: How to Remove heavy Oxidation on Headlights (smile).
I have been compared to a lot of singers. But you are the first person to compare me to Elvis....and I say thanks, but his shadow had more talent than I ever would.
1st I like this guy. A good personality is like a breath of fresh air now that there aren't many. I am pretty sure I heard that a video clip with half a million views is a pretty good run here, and that lends to my theory on that. Sure, guy below, you'll go buy a new battery until it gets stupid. I bet I'll give this a shot before I replace a battery. A young guy doesn't understand that even an average accumulation of a middle aged man (and up) requires about 10 working batteries. Let's count. Truck, travel trailer, car 1, car 2, car 3 (a.k.a girlfriend/wife's), car 4 (because you get sick of being stranded/ asking for rides), lawnmower, atv, boat, tractor, motorcycle. That's (11) here, and I am not a successful man ha,ha. I have the bare bones of the things I wanted most, but it took some doing, and a long time. I'm as happy as a very middle to low class guy could be, but I'm about one addiction or personality flaw away from qualifying as white trash. Really, after thoroughly kicking myself for all good things I let go as a younger man I got smart enough to hold on to most of the good things that I acquired over the last 2 and a half decades. The winters here are rough, and it causes batteries to go weak or fail at a rate of 2-3 a year so even a 50/50 chance is cool. Using less money is as good as making more money, youngsters. Right boss? (Thanks for the intel Mr.Fountain)
Guardian 2nd Ground Div If your going to upload a video at least do it safe so people don't get harmed following these instructions and please stop pouring acid on the ground! harm the earth to save 100 bucks wow
I explain about gloves at the start of the video. This video does not show acid on the ground, ( that is water on the table ) The old acid went back into the battery . The old used water was recycled. I explain this part in the description below the video.
Very educational Wilkes, your greatly appreciated for taking your time to share this with us all. I've subscribed and ill be looking for more of your videos! Thanks sir!
I have heard of this but never seen anybody do it , Good knowledge to have so when everything goes wacko , I have a few tricks to apply to the situation . Thank you Sir .
Very good to know I've been junking batteries because I didn't know how to do it and the little 10:42nds showed me Alot , and the used battery shops are doing the same thing and selling them as new/used batteries , thank you for this new knowledge
Two years ago, I easily rebuilt my 4-year-old almost dead Walmart battery in a day for less than $10. The battery is now over 6 years old and cranking super - even in freezing weather. I learned how to refurbish car batteries on RUclips. So far, I've refurbished two - a Walmart and an Interstate. Easy to do. Sulfuric acid is the key.
That's they thing. This video says distilled water only, which allows/pulls the sulphuric out of the lead sulphate plating, which creates a better surface. I, just as perhaps you as well, am adding sulphuric to my recycled, filtered acid and seeing how things improve before dumping and filling with distilled water only. It has been an attempt to recycle 15 gallons of acid for 10 big 6v batteries and I shared a half gallon amongst all ten
That was nice that the battery worked for you and I will try that on a few batteries I have and see if they work after the cleaning and installation of the battery.
Jon Jonson must have woke up on the wrong side of the bed the guy is only trying to help us out in fact I did that to my battery years ago and it’s still going so the guy saved me a lot of money which I thank. 💯👍🏼😊
@@fromcarstocomputers7261 I've seen many battery "rejuvenation videos", and yours is the only one likely to work. Most bad car batteries, which I've run into over the years, are bad, because one or more of the cells is canceled out due to a short. The accumulated debris, which you rinsed out, clearly can be the source of the short. I'd always assumed, that somehow the plates melted together, causing the short, but I never cut one apart to investigate. Can't wait to try your technique on my trolling motor battery, when I get to my cabin, in a couple of days! Thanks and have a good one!
I think Interstate makes the best battery available. I have left a light on and discharged my battery to where it would not even power the dome light, only to trickle charge it and, have it come back to life and stay that way for years. I did that to my 1997 Jeep 3 times, leaving the GPS plugged in the live port on the dash board. The Jeep sits a lot because it's custom and I drive my car a good bit so the jeep stays clean and undented or does not get scratched and also keeps the miles off it, as my Jeep currently has under 90K on it. I learned my lesson and plug the GPS into the cigarette lighter port, and that ended me coming out to a dead battery. I have Snap-On's best battery charger, which will even start a car no matter how dead the battery is, however 99% of the time I set it for 90 minutes on the fine setting, and I"ll do that two or three times, and the battery always seems to come back and not go dead again. So the battery in my Jeep which was already a year old came back after being totally dead 3 times. Your method is pretty cool, but if the battery is in the car you need all the time and it keeps going dead, I'd say it's time to buy a new battery and find out why the battery went dead in the first place. In my case I knew twice the GPS drained it, and the third time I left the dome light lit or illuminated. On a trip, I carry a spare brand new Interstate battery with me and a good set of heavy duty jumper cables at least 1/2" copper wire in them. A spare battery can save your day and also keep you from having an expensive tow truck bill. To me the battery is the most vulnerable part of any vehicle other than perhaps a flat tire and having no spare or a plugging kit. Remember if you use Fix A Flat to inflate your tire, it can never be repaired via plugging or patching, it's a last ditch resort but is good to have a can with you on a trip. I carry towing insurance, but a lot of people do not want that extra cost on their insurance or a separate bill. If you travel a lot, these items are great ideas. If you do carry a spare battery, make sure you put it on the back seat floor, as in an accident it could become a projectile just as any cargo you are hauling, usually more true in sedans, hatchbacks, and SUVs. I also purchased a inexpensive wrench set so I can change a battery myself while traveling (include the hold down bolts, because some newer cars will not run with a totally dead battery because of the sophisticated electronics. In a extreme emergency, find a good solid hole in the engine compartment and just sit your new spare battery there and leave the jumper cables hooked up until you can get to a repair center. Just insure the cables are out of the way of the engine fan and any other moving parts. That way a day going to the beach does not get ruined for you and your family because the battery went dead without warning as they often do.................... Removal of that black gunk that was shorting out the plates was a great idea, a very good & wise video. Don't forget to wear clothes you can throw away if battery acid splashes on them. I'm not sure I would use your method on my every-day driver, but I'd certainly use it for farm equipment or even the home riding mower.
Without preload testing, before all that was done...and after all that was done, we got no benchmarking and true quantifiable way of knowing if what you accomplished was worth the time and effort invested. I strongly urge you to try it with another battery and publish the results.
If you do this trick, then it would be better to use the battery for a good week after to give it time to 'bounce back' then go back to your new battery.
If you have a serviceable battery the water will evaporate after a while exposing the lead plates slowly killing the battery. Fill it with distilled water over the top of the plates again and your good to go.
14.x volts is the alternator output. The voltage of the battery prior to checking the electrolyte levels is a surface charge, and is not a good indicator of actual charge, nor of battery capacity. Epsom salts can help to remove sulfate deposits from the lead plates, freeing up surface area with which the electrolytic can react (= capacity). I have successfully used pulse discharge desulfation equipment to restore 10 and 20 year old lead-acid batteries to 95% of their original capacity.
Jason, I liked the way you attempted to help the followers as well as the poster. I, too have used a device to desulfate many batteries over the last 10 yrs. I got tired of replacing batteries on motorcycles and vehicles that I love, but don't drive enough to keep them charged. Batteryminder sold these units yrs ago for 160 bucks or more each, and now you can find them as low as 50 bucks. I have a SAE charger connector on every vehicle I own, and a couple of the devices. In one to two days, the batteries are fully restored, no acid dumping, no distilled water to purchase, and no unhooking of batteries. www.amazon.com/BatteryMINDer-Model-1510-Maintenance-Motorcycles/dp/B00Q3CM2QY There is the cheapest link that I have found. Never use a battery tender, buy this desulfator. Extra connectors are 5-7 bucks. Buy them when you buy the desulfator. AMEN.
I've restored lots of very dead lead acid car batteries. I throw away the acid and wash out with cold tap water until the cells come out clean, then mix up some sodium bicarbonate mix and fill each cell and leave over night. Wash out thoroughly the next day and then fill with new battery acid. Providing the lead sheets in the cells aren't too badly warped the battery will be like new again and last for many years. I have noticed that post 2010 batteries are made with much thinner lead sheets in the cells than they used to be and often these breaking down are the cause of the battery failure. These batteries are not usually repairable.
Nice video, I am 50+ and I have done something like this many, many times. But I did something a bit different than you. Rather than rinsing the battery with only distilled water, I always poured out the acid in the battery, then put a tablespoon or so of baking soda in each cell, then pour in about a cup of distilled vinegar in each. It's pretty messy, but seems to get out alot more with a whole lot of less shaking. Then rinse a time or two like you did.
Yes, there are many variants to what I did in the video, but I wanted to show a very basic way of doing this. Ps, I did shake the battery a lot in this video, but I did not have to shake it so much and I would have been fine.I am glad to see another old timer that has done this. ( there are a few others on here as well ) it is amazing how many people have tried to tell me that this would not work.
@@fromcarstocomputers7261 Those are the same people who want to believe it sulfation needing some scammy product or a ritual of charging and discharging, or forcing tons of current through with a welder. Most batteries are going to fail just as they are designed to. Plate shedding to the bottom, and eventually filling the bottom of the battery case and cause shorting. The method you showed should be the very first thing people try as most batterys are reliably charged with an alternator/voltage regulator. Most of my recent cars have never needed to have water added before starting to die.
Good video ! I have had the same battery in my truck for 9 years by doing this very thing. Do the same for the lawnmower . TRICK is to service the battery on a regular basis doing this before the battery gets in bad shape . Don t wait till it's causing problems .Many times the money that would have been spent for a new one has put food on the table .
I've heard elsewhere that new batteries have such thin lead plates that you can't refurbish them as many times as they could do many years ago when the plates were thicker.
Just when you think that you know it all as a home mechanic....LOL ! I would use some thick gloves though, this lead crud looks very nasty to me. Great video, one more tip to the bag of tricks.
Now I know what Auto Zone and others do with the batteries that are traded in, wondering what George Jones did with the acid/distilled water in the large trash can, can the sun evaporate it away. Going to try this on my Golf Cart batteries that were changed out last year. enjoyed the whole video.
Dang it!!! One week to late for me in coming across this video. I just replaced my battery which was doing the same thing. Maybe I could have saved it and the dent on my wallet. Well, live and learn - right? Hahaha!!! I should have done some research. Nice video; great sound effects with gunshots on both days.
It doesn’t always work out so well. You can’t repair a bad cell no matter how hard you try to clean the inside of the battery out. Want your battery to last a long time connect a battery tender to the battery and plug it in the wall every night if you park your car in a garage or If outside you have a long extension to power.
All Lead acid batteries (Gel, AGM, Flooded, Drycell, etc) are made up of a series of 2.2 volt cells that are bridged together in series to reach their final desired voltage. For instance, a 6 volt battery will have 3 cells (3 x2.2= 6.6 volts), a 12 volt battery will have 6 cells (6 x2.2=13.2 volts) and so on.That 2.2 volts is the fully charged, straight off the charger number. The actual resting voltage, or the voltage a battery will settle at 12-24 hours after being removed from the charger, is closer to 2.1 volts per cell, or about 6.4 volts for a 6v battery, and 12.7 volts for a 12v battery. These numbers assume 100% healthy cells, and may vary a bit lower for older batteries. Yes, you can have a freshly fully charged battery at higher than 12.6 volts. 12.6V is a 'typical static or resting voltage of a good battery. This does not mean it has any starting current capacity, but just voltage. For example a 200AH battery that is old and tired, may have a voltage of 12.6V sitting, but only have a capacity of 75AH, not enough to start your car. A "dead cell" would usually show less voltage, but NOT necessarily so. The "lead crap" at the bottom of the battery is actually the material that gives the battery the ability to produce the voltage AND current. You can have less of the lead in the battery on the plates inside the battery, but less lead adhered to the plates lowers the CURRENT capacity of the battery, NOT the voltage. Simply put, the guy in the video washed out the crud, (Lead pieces from the plates), and lowered the current handling of the battery. Also.... the lead at the bottom of the battery can, and often does, cause the electrolyte to discharge quicker because the lead, being a conductor to electric, draws current, or power, from the charged battery acid making it go dead quicker. ALL batteries have what is known in engineering as "Internal Resistance". Wet cell batteries have the worst problem with this, as their internal resistance is very low causing them to go dead faster that most other batteries sitting on a shelf, for example. Store a lead-acid battery fully charged next to a Lithium-Ion battery fully charged. You can store the Li-Ion for many years, whereby the lead-acid will be near dead, (if not totally dead), in a year with nothing connected to it at all. I've been in this business for the last 50 years and battery science hasn't changed in its characteristics whatsoever. Batteries get better with different technologies, but the principals with each type is the same no matter what from an engineering standpoint.
Bill- in your opinion is this worth attempting to "recover" a battery for non critical applications aka a lawn tractor or running 12v stereo equipment?
Well, I thought the empty space beneath the cells was just to catch the lead sponge that flaked off so it wouldn't short out some cells.. And I would think there would be extra exposure to shorting by the exposure to washing them out.. And I didn't know they participated, when laying as flakes on the bottom, in discharging the otherwise OK battery. . But you can't beat experience, thanks for the info.
Yes they have went crazy with the price of batteries in the last couple of years........ But check you local Ruyal King store. they have the best deal on batteries I have seen
please tell what did you do with all the waste? also this will not bring back lost amperage, that is a factor of surface area in a cell. amperage is so important!
Nice video!!! - I worked in a metal plating shop - So I tried it out - on my truck battery but I used fresh acid from the auto store( I got 2 more winters and a summer - out of that battery😎
The battery was 12.3 when sitting. That s basically what a new battery is at. Then after charging it it was 12.9 . the battery was good to begin with. Should of used a battery with under 10v and see how it comes back to life. Informative video though. Thanks.
Load testers on ebay for $35 does the job well. Been using one for 3 years in oilfield, beside $600 load testers, and it works. Adding a small amount of Magnesium Sulfate in a old battery after rinse is another way of cleaning the battery. Get the water at boiling temp to dissolve it as best you can before adding it. You can mix with the Sulferic acid.
I cannot believe it is just that simple. I thought that when a battery could not hold a charge, it was destined to be changed out for a nice new pretty one.
It is not just that simple. Some batteries have physical problems that cannot be repaired. There is much discussion in other videos about a layer of sulfation that can build up on the plates over time. In many of the videos Epson salt (Mg sulfate) or alum. sulfate are used to remove the sulfate layer to some extent. Some people then wash out the battery and install new acid.
Back in the days when the top of the batteries were sealed with a thick tar like substance, a friend of mine used to dig out the tar and pull the plates out. Only the positive charge plates used to be bad (they corrode and fall to the bottom of the battery and would ground them out) so he used to cut them out and replace them with negative plates from other old batteries. To weld up the contacts, he used to take out the carbon from an A sized torchlight battery and clamp a 12 battery lead at the top and strike it against the negative, it would get red hot and would weld up those lead contacts in the battery he was repairing. When he was done he would heat up that tar substance and seal the batteries up. Those refurbished batteries of his would work like magic.
Travis Root The plates don't know they are supposed to be negative or positive, they are made of lead, they don't have brains, lol. Once you loose them out they become plates without any polarity, when they are set into place then one set becomes positive and the other set becomes negative plates. I saw it work a thousand times, not bullshitting
That's good stuff right there! He mentioned that he did they when he was 17 (or something like that) and I laughed cause I was in the same boat, probably about the same year and did the same thing LoL!! It definitely works! I've done variations of exactly this a few times with good results.
@@Saturn5Rockets What I am doing in this video will not help with a new battery that has just lost power from sitting, it would not of had time in use to have the same issue. I would just give the battery a trickle charge or at least a slow charge. Then see what happens.
@@fromcarstocomputers7261 Hello I just bought a some CHEM TABS from ebay they promise to rejuvenate the battery by just putting the tabs in each cells of the battery. My battery is measuring 12.21 volts. What I would like to know is if this process will rejuvenate the battery without doing the process you did in this video.
This is quite a good idea and it is very appreciated. Thanks very much. By the way did you know that over 65% of batteries are replacer by people at service stations just to make money..........!
Good video ! The brownish appearance I think is from sulfation (dissolving plates? ) which if not corrected (by recharging asap) can lead to shorts between plates (like growing stalagtites that create a short circuit), i have heard that putting 200 amps at 24+_ volts for 30 seconds **USE FAN & lots of ventilation and keep battery caps off for this) can burn thru these shorts and restore the operation of the battery. Won't work for open circuit problems ... ? but I would say don't do it. Seems too risky. I was surprised that so much crud was in the battery; a better test might be to disconnect the spark ignition coil wire and see if it can crank that starter for a few minutes straight ; like when your car won't start and you have to try it anyway having no real other options in a blizzard. In any case a pba batt won't last more than 5 years * average since the plates disintegrate, but I have seen video's where the plates can be replaced at home "carefully" with another material and simple nylon screen like from a screen for a window as the "matt" to insure plate separation (approximately). 5. Also for the temporary use of just cleaning clean tap water could be used in a pinch since any mineral deposits would not have much chance to accumulate, but yes distilled in best for adding to acid when finished, but again; in a pinch considering how much crud was already there from disintegrating plates it would work for short term until the best new acid could be found. * I think they go bad even just sitting on the shelf unused unless acid is drained and only put back in when ready to use them (wet cells). AGM's are NOT as good as they say because when used they lose what I call "stamina" which means while they still test at good voltage and pass the 100 amp load test, they may only go as far as 40% of what they were new, this in some cases can happen in just a few days depending on how heavy the use is... we did the load test at the dealer (passed fine), but then when he ran it out on the actual demonstrator it only went 40% of the new distance and that battery had just been bought a few days earlier??? Buyer beware. I think NImh is best all around but is finicky to charge and manage as it will overheat and even catch fire if charge is not cut off via a "how fast the temp is changing per minute) paradym , so you can NOT use the normal pba charger on them (1 guy caught his car and garage on fire using a pba charger). *** pba = lead acid
Nothing lasts forever. Plates shed as part of the normal process. Everyone wants to jump on sulfation, however IIRC unless you are running your batts low on water, or it is chronically at under 12.4v, you should not have to worry about it. Cleaning out that dreck might be a worthwhile PCS to do every 2 years. That stuff settles to the bottom of the cell and eventually shorts them, causing the cell voltage to drop. Add battery voltage and water check to a monthly PMCS and you might end up saving a battery replacement for your effort.
I had an Optima Red Top last me 9 years before they went to shit after being sold to Interstate. Those batteries were legendary before then. AND I had a huge stereo system. Amazing
@@charlesbelville5090 I was an early adopter of the Optima battery. I bought two yellow deep cycle batteries for my boat. One only lasted two years, but the other lasted 20 years! Presumably, they were from the same production run. I read, that in the first couple of years, back in the 1990's, Optima had a quality control problem, where you either got a great battery or a terrible battery. I got one of each! I bought them, because I needed a lot of current, but only had a small place to put them. I always used a float charger to maintain them, but I heard of many people, who were unlucky enough to get a bad one, who weren't as careful about keeping their battery charged, getting less than a year out of a bad one. Sorry to hear, that Optima batteries, as you say, now owned by Interstate, are having trouble again. I suppose, the technique in the video, would not apply to gel cells, such as the Optima.
@@annwithaplan9766 Keep the float charger on, whenever the battery isn't in use for more than a couple of weeks. Leave it on for how ever long the battery is not being used. A float charger/maintainer will detect the battery's drop in voltage and charge it as necessary. Lead acid batteries go bad quicker, if their charge isn't maintained.
My battery shoe 13.8 volt and cant start my car after revi e it sith epsom salt do it is the capasity is too low? Or do the battery still sulfated i let it charge for 36 hour in a 2A smart trickle charger with 13.volt still cant start the car. What the problem?
Like your step side man. Those truck's are hard to get in decent shape. Most of the beds are broke on the bottom since their fiber glass lol. Battery deal have done this my self before but with gloves and not shorts. That acid will burn and blister your skin not to mention breathing the vapors off the battery other than that great video it works lol
I'd turn the battery over and flush it out with small stream of tap water then final rinse with distilled water. Recycling the electrolyte is a money saving tip extending battery life. Thanks!
Tap water has Flouride or Chlorine in it, Makes your acid into Lead chloride and screws the battery big time. So having seen the amount of Lead Oxide or Sulfate that came out during the rinse. Most impressed by the 12.93V and I would be proud to see that. Retired Auto Electrician and I normally see a rested battery showing 12.5V, engine running 14.4V or slightly higher if a French alternator. My late father taught me this trick on Motorcycle batteries. Try making up a shaker board to vibrate the larger battery. The Acid I tend to strain into an old distilled water container and mark with a Sharpie pen in Red ACID on the plastic of the bottle and cross out the label. **Try not to leave fluids out overnight in the open, pets or wildlife can drink the acid**.
@@thomasjohnson8181 No you don't have to get it all out, the biggest part of it will come out in two washouts and you could go with that. I would not go over four. so you don't have to go after a 'clear water wash'
If you do this check the battery with a load tester (they're cheap) because a bad cell can overtask your alternator with expensive results. (Aircraft/truck/motorcycle mech of many years here). Could be worthwhile on a junker though.
Most other 'lead acid battery recovery' videos attempt to remove the sulfation that occurs mainly if the battery was discharged to low for an extended period of time. This video is one of only a few I've seen on youtube that addresses the *other* main way lead-acid batteries fail: *accumulated plate shed material in the bottom of the battery, which eventually builds up enough to cause "soft short(s)" on the bottoms of the plates in one or more cells* (usually starting with the cell on the positive terminal). That causes internal resistance to rise, which requires more amps to recharge to full voltage because more of the charger's electrical output being converted to heat (i.e.: the battery heats up a lot). In comparison, heavily sulfated batteries typically have poor charge acceptance (i.e.: the charger doesn't put out much current and the battery doesn't heat up).
Thanks for posting this demonstration of reworking a car battery! I had heard of doing it this way, but hadn't actually experienced it done! Thanks! Most folks don't know what to do with battery water. You mix soda with it to neutralize it...but you still have to treat it like HAZ-MAT, and take it to a battery shop for proper disposal. The guy at the battery shop haa an apron that's heavy vynal, that he wears, and heavy vynal gloves, but he won't let you watch him work...if the truth were known, he does exactly what you just demonstrated! Thanks!!!
Thanks for watching.
I commented earlier, and forgot to put a tidbit of important info...if your battery is slowly going down and theres nothing on that causes it, wash the whole battery in a baking soda/water mixture and dry it. Place a rubber mat underneath the battery and between the clamps and the battery. Then clean and re assemble your terminals and connector clamps and grease with wheel bearing grease or vasoline...to seal the air out of the clamps on the cables. Take a NEW penny and put a dab of grease on one side of it and put the greased side against the battery top...close to the positive terminal BUT NOT TOUCHING it. This will draw all the corrosion away from the leads. Electrolytes conduct electricity. The surface of your battery will act judt like a wire mesh and bleed off the power to ground till its dead...even pole to pole. The washing with baking soda and water with a brush, removes this coating. I've found this to work every time I've used it. An old mechanic taught me that 50 years ago. Please pass this on. Thanks!
THANK YOU, WILKES FOUNTAIN. I'M SO GLAD YOU MADE THIS VIDEO. NOW, I CAN DO IT MYSELF TOO. from the philippines.
Thank You for answering me about putting new electrolite in the battery.
This great video has proved why we must buy a new battery. Great tutorial sir.
Been doing this for many years and it really does work. Just gear up safely and rinse and shake the battery many times until the flushing water clears up or your arms wear out. I usually add new acid but have gotten by with old acid too, just let it sit long enough for the crud to settle out before pouring it back into the battery. If you do not have enough acid to cover the plates do not add water which dilutes the acid but use some old acid from another donor battery.
And how did you dispose of all the lead-water, afterwards?
@@georgehofgren6123 if it were me, I'd pour it on the ground. You climate change, environmental zombies crack me up.
@@BlankSlate1111 Lead Poisoning doesn't have anything to do with your environmental stupid assumptions. Hopefully you'll meet your maker before too long ~
So, what do I do if I dumped all the liquid out of the battery onto the ground and just filled it back up with distilled water?
@@JohnBham79 Nothing.
This is one of the best video's on YT I've seen. Most vid's want to jump to charging/discharging or pulsing, or reverse charging for sulfating, yadda, yadda.
Man here shows that its probably all the crap from the plates slowly shedding material or dendrites pushing through a cell which is a physical unfixable failure.
Clean that crap out, and you should be able to use hot tap water for the flushes, and can do a final rinse with that 1$/g DI or distilled water. Or just let it dry upside down. Filtering the old acid is smart, however without a hygrometer you don't know how strong it is. You can get new acid and hygrometer pretty cheap at the parts store. Thing I liked mostly was showing that sometimes getting your hands dirty is all it takes vs experimenting with pulsers, welders and crazy charge/discharge cycles, reverse charging, etc.
Actually was rather surprised at how much crap came out.
Next time I'm under the hood, I might just pull my newer 2 y.o. battery out and do the same thing as PMCS.
Thanks, I am glad you liked the video. Yes it is an old " back of the garage fix " that has been around longer than I have.
You are onto something here.
I recall as a child upon the battery in our car being stuffed, dad would lift the caps and looking into the wells, yes we could see some of the plates bent and twisted,
I suspect this shorted out the battery.
Where as now days if you look inside the plates all look reasonably good. I believe the reason what looks to be a good battery is stuffed is simple.
The old style battery had a deep well below the bottom of the plates and so any small metal that broke away would drop down out of harms way.
Today the same area is very shallow and so only a little metal needs to gather there to then short out a plate.
I had thought about doing as this guy did but have no way of disposing of the dirty water so never did it. Glad to see it worked for him.
I've been thinking of doing something like this for a while. Now that I saw you do it, I know what to expect. Thank you.
You are very welcome
I have done this a few times with success, i used the garden hose to flush out the cells with the battery lying on it,s side and facing down hill a little.
On a vehicle you do not use everyday or rely for work this is well worth doing!!
I have a dead battery in my mower.. I will try your method not because it seems to be the best, but because “Jussi” didn’t like it.
"Always err on the side of safety" but...no gloves and dressed like you're catching a plane to Hawaii right after 😂 Still, thanks for the video.
I missed my chance to go to Hawaii 15 years ago. but..... oh well.
He don't have girl hands and don't bother him like it would u
Haha
Bahahahahahaha spot on!
Hahahahahha
I worked at a service station one summer in high school back in 1967, the owner had me do basically what you did in the video except we used tap water and a paint can shaker to break up the deposits, then drained the battery and refiled with distilled water and rinsed the inside, then refilled with new acid. I also had to wear acid proof gloves and apron along with a full face shield. We also first cleaned the outside of the case with a water and baking soda solution before working on the inside. He sold them used at half-price of a new battery mainly to teenagers.
I have done the same procedure many times since then; it worked about 80% of the time and I typically got another year or two out of the battery.
@Michael Rodriguez I have bought it at Ace Hardware.
@@johnburningham6724 what kind of battery acid or brand do you recommend me to buy..thank you for your help.
John Burningham
Ok but
@@larazamx68 they just had one type, for dry shipped batteries.
@@johnburningham6724 thank you...I'll buy it
Great tip,i keep my battery on a float charger when im not driving my truck and starts everytime,,so thank you for the info on how to clean the batt cells✌
Wow!! Unbelievable it's working I just spent a dollar for destilled water now my battery come back live..thanks man for this video
Your welcome. Keep in mind that even though it works the battery will not be 100% like new. You should give it a good test. Drive it around town like normal ( just to be safe you might want to bring some jumper cables ) then after you get back home turn your engine off but turn your headlights on and leave them on for 20 minutes then do a test crank, if it cranks right up then turn the engine back off before it has a chance to charge the battery up and leave the headlights on for another 10 minutes then crank it again, if it has a strong ( good ) 'crank up' after the 30 minutes, then you should be good for a while. But if it was weak sounding after the first 20 minute you should plan on replacing it very soon and don't trust it on a drive across the dessert or anything like that.
Ps this is a test for a high end battery with lots of cranking amps so if you have a basic low amp battery you can do the same test but start at 10 minutes then go to 20 with the 'lights on' test But with the high end or low end you want to make sure it can crank up after the light were on for at least 20 minutes, if it cranks very weak at that point then get a new battery. This is not a perfect test, it is just a basic guide. They do make stress testers or you could get the parts store to test it. The parts store test may show it as bad ( or good ).. but it is your battery so you can judge for yourself how good it is working.
interesting points ,if anyone else wants to uncover how to recondition my car battery try Corbandy Battery Blueprint Crusher (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some awesome things about it and my friend got amazing success with it.
Ive been doing this for years!! It really works...but all i do is add distilled water to any cell thats low..and it works fine, a 99 ct bottle of water will save you a $100 plus bucks #GottaLuvIt
Andy Liem
Not certain about the points made but ,if anyone else needs to find out about battery restoration try Battery Recovery Tactics ( battery.RecoveryTactics.com ) ? Ive heard some decent things about it and my co-worker got great success with it.
You did good
A good bush fix will be a good thing if SHTF one day. I've made carb gaskets out of the back cover from a spiral notebook and used a thick piece of cotton string that I soaked with candle wax for a rear end housing gasket when I was a teenager. Sometimes you had to do what you had to do get to town to buy a new one.
Wow, really true. Very cool
Ok?
If Hillary got in there that's the kind of stuff we would be doing. Good skills to have for not "if" but when.
Rick, believe it or not we use silk thread for a lot of gaskets in small aircraft engines. I always liked milk cartons for gasket material, the coating made them non stick.
Yes, my brother would use folders to make out gaskets as well. Put it on the side of a briggs and stratton and tap out the shape
Nice save. Don't know if I'd take a 4k road trip with it but safe for in town. Remember when you could get a good bat got about 30 bucks. Now over 100. Hope you have another good year left. Couldn't believe the gunk that came out! Good work. 👍😎🇺🇸🚜
The last couple of batteries I purchased were from royal king and they had better prices. than many other places.
Love your Battery Advice! At the beginning of your video when you were in your office, I kept looking for a huge Poster of *The* *King* behind you. You and Elvis Presley got the same Sideburns! By the time you put your Battery back in your Vehicle, we could all see your next How-To Video coming up: How to Remove heavy Oxidation on Headlights (smile).
I have been compared to a lot of singers. But you are the first person to compare me to Elvis....and I say thanks, but his shadow had more talent than I ever would.
ruclips.net/video/8daCoR8kKJQ/видео.html
1st I like this guy. A good personality is like a breath of fresh air now that there aren't many. I am pretty sure I heard that a video clip with half a million views is a pretty good run here, and that lends to my theory on that. Sure, guy below, you'll go buy a new battery until it gets stupid. I bet I'll give this a shot before I replace a battery. A young guy doesn't understand that even an average accumulation of a middle aged man (and up) requires about 10 working batteries. Let's count. Truck, travel trailer, car 1, car 2, car 3 (a.k.a girlfriend/wife's), car 4 (because you get sick of being stranded/ asking for rides), lawnmower, atv, boat, tractor, motorcycle. That's (11) here, and I am not a successful man ha,ha. I have the bare bones of the things I wanted most, but it took some doing, and a long time. I'm as happy as a very middle to low class guy could be, but I'm about one addiction or personality flaw away from qualifying as white trash. Really, after thoroughly kicking myself for all good things I let go as a younger man I got smart enough to hold on to most of the good things that I acquired over the last 2 and a half decades. The winters here are rough, and it causes batteries to go weak or fail at a rate of 2-3 a year so even a 50/50 chance is cool. Using less money is as good as making more money, youngsters. Right boss? (Thanks for the intel Mr.Fountain)
There is wisdom within your words.
Guardian 2nd Ground Div If your going to upload a video at least do it safe so people don't get harmed following these instructions and please stop pouring acid on the ground! harm the earth to save 100 bucks wow
I explain about gloves at the start of the video. This video does not show acid on the ground, ( that is water on the table ) The old acid went back into the battery . The old used water was recycled. I explain this part in the description below the video.
Guardian 2nd Ground Div .
Guardian 2nd Ground Div you m
Very educational Wilkes, your greatly appreciated for taking your time to share this with us all. I've subscribed and ill be looking for more of your videos! Thanks sir!
Thanks for the reply, I will be posting more around October
Hey man you are the shit. Would of never thought of that.
What is the black stuff that comes out?
I have heard of this but never seen anybody do it , Good knowledge to have so when everything goes wacko , I have a few tricks to apply to the situation . Thank you Sir .
You are welcome
Very good to know I've been junking batteries because I didn't know how to do it and the little 10:42nds showed me Alot , and the used battery shops are doing the same thing and selling them as new/used batteries , thank you for this new knowledge
Yes I did kind of let one of the old secrets out of the bag. But lots of the old-timers know of the trick
Two years ago, I easily rebuilt my 4-year-old almost dead Walmart battery in a day for less than $10. The battery is now over 6 years old and cranking super - even in freezing weather. I learned how to refurbish car batteries on RUclips. So far, I've refurbished two - a Walmart and an Interstate. Easy to do. Sulfuric acid is the key.
That's they thing. This video says distilled water only, which allows/pulls the sulphuric out of the lead sulphate plating, which creates a better surface. I, just as perhaps you as well, am adding sulphuric to my recycled, filtered acid and seeing how things improve before dumping and filling with distilled water only. It has been an attempt to recycle 15 gallons of acid for 10 big 6v batteries and I shared a half gallon amongst all ten
@@readoryx373Wow, that's a lot of acid. Thanks for sharing. - take care
How did the battery hold up?
Shorts, t-shirt, and no gloves while draining and rinsing a battery......you sir are a soldier!
doesnt give a shit,eating a sandwich too
He only value his sight, nothing more.
@@pokapox That's because he only needs to hear or see danger coming to kick it's ass. All else is optional. Interesting philosophy though.
Or an idiot
@@AM-dc7pv Yup, and that's exactly how Chuck Norris would flush his battery except he'd have a beer in one hand and distilled water in the other. Ha!
That was nice that the battery worked for you and I will try that on a few batteries I have and see if they work after the cleaning and installation of the battery.
Good video. I like the way you describe everything before you start
Had to thank you for the battery test you gave us earlier. I've taken notes and saving in my vehicle troubleshooting files... Thanks !!!
You are welcome
"Probably better to have gloves on"
You're not kidding!
Rightttt...
True
Na old school
Hands are like leather!😁
Since you’ve been doing this for years successfully I gotta giver a go thanks for sharing!
Thanks. When I decided to make the video and pass on the information I had no idea it would become my most popular video and reach so many people.
that was amazing! Thank you for sharing.
Jon Jonson must have woke up on the wrong side of the bed the guy is only trying to help us out in fact I did that to my battery years ago and it’s still going so the guy saved me a lot of money which I thank. 💯👍🏼😊
glad it helped
Hello I'm still perrfect
@@fromcarstocomputers7261 I've seen many battery "rejuvenation videos", and yours is the only one likely to work. Most bad car batteries, which I've run into over the years, are bad, because one or more of the cells is canceled out due to a short. The accumulated debris, which you rinsed out, clearly can be the source of the short. I'd always assumed, that somehow the plates melted together, causing the short, but I never cut one apart to investigate.
Can't wait to try your technique on my trolling motor battery, when I get to my cabin, in a couple of days!
Thanks and have a good one!
@@sparky6086 Thanks, Good luck with your project
8:05 gunshot, my man lives in the sticks.
Went to that spot, heard it, Ha.
you call that a man???
I think Interstate makes the best battery available. I have left a light on and discharged my battery to where it would not even power the dome light, only to trickle charge it and, have it come back to life and stay that way for years. I did that to my 1997 Jeep 3 times, leaving the GPS plugged in the live port on the dash board. The Jeep sits a lot because it's custom and I drive my car a good bit so the jeep stays clean and undented or does not get scratched and also keeps the miles off it, as my Jeep currently has under 90K on it. I learned my lesson and plug the GPS into the cigarette lighter port, and that ended me coming out to a dead battery. I have Snap-On's best battery charger, which will even start a car no matter how dead the battery is, however 99% of the time I set it for 90 minutes on the fine setting, and I"ll do that two or three times, and the battery always seems to come back and not go dead again. So the battery in my Jeep which was already a year old came back after being totally dead 3 times. Your method is pretty cool, but if the battery is in the car you need all the time and it keeps going dead, I'd say it's time to buy a new battery and find out why the battery went dead in the first place. In my case I knew twice the GPS drained it, and the third time I left the dome light lit or illuminated. On a trip, I carry a spare brand new Interstate battery with me and a good set of heavy duty jumper cables at least 1/2" copper wire in them. A spare battery can save your day and also keep you from having an expensive tow truck bill. To me the battery is the most vulnerable part of any vehicle other than perhaps a flat tire and having no spare or a plugging kit. Remember if you use Fix A Flat to inflate your tire, it can never be repaired via plugging or patching, it's a last ditch resort but is good to have a can with you on a trip. I carry towing insurance, but a lot of people do not want that extra cost on their insurance or a separate bill. If you travel a lot, these items are great ideas. If you do carry a spare battery, make sure you put it on the back seat floor, as in an accident it could become a projectile just as any cargo you are hauling, usually more true in sedans, hatchbacks, and SUVs. I also purchased a inexpensive wrench set so I can change a battery myself while traveling (include the hold down bolts, because some newer cars will not run with a totally dead battery because of the sophisticated electronics. In a extreme emergency, find a good solid hole in the engine compartment and just sit your new spare battery there and leave the jumper cables hooked up until you can get to a repair center. Just insure the cables are out of the way of the engine fan and any other moving parts. That way a day going to the beach does not get ruined for you and your family because the battery went dead without warning as they often do.................... Removal of that black gunk that was shorting out the plates was a great idea, a very good & wise video. Don't forget to wear clothes you can throw away if battery acid splashes on them. I'm not sure I would use your method on my every-day driver, but I'd certainly use it for farm equipment or even the home riding mower.
Pete_ Hine_Of_PA an "undented jeep" is sacrilegious, it's like having a boat that's never been wet
Yeah I don't have any problems with my interstate. I used to go through diehards like water...lol.
Hurts my back to watch this.
Without preload testing, before all that was done...and after all that was done, we got no benchmarking and true quantifiable way of knowing if what you accomplished was worth the time and effort invested. I strongly urge you to try it with another battery and publish the results.
Do it yourself lazy bum
Wow...that was some gunk flushed out! Thanks.
Got the same battery sitting in the garage.Already bought a new one.I'm stil gonna try this,is always good to have a spare.
If you do this trick, then it would be better to use the battery for a good week after to give it time to 'bounce back' then go back to your new battery.
If you have a serviceable battery the water will evaporate after a while exposing the lead plates slowly killing the battery. Fill it with distilled water over the top of the plates again and your good to go.
First you need to charge the battery so as to get the spacific gravity as high as possible the comence draining the battery
14.x volts is the alternator output. The voltage of the battery prior to checking the electrolyte levels is a surface charge, and is not a good indicator of actual charge, nor of battery capacity. Epsom salts can help to remove sulfate deposits from the lead plates, freeing up surface area with which the electrolytic can react (= capacity). I have successfully used pulse discharge desulfation equipment to restore 10 and 20 year old lead-acid batteries to 95% of their original capacity.
you have time to us for alternator LS tools for a Lincoln LS alternator
Jason, I liked the way you attempted to help the followers as well as the poster. I, too have used a device to desulfate many batteries over the last 10 yrs. I got tired of replacing batteries on motorcycles and vehicles that I love, but don't drive enough to keep them charged. Batteryminder sold these units yrs ago for 160 bucks or more each, and now you can find them as low as 50 bucks. I have a SAE charger connector on every vehicle I own, and a couple of the devices. In one to two days, the batteries are fully restored, no acid dumping, no distilled water to purchase, and no unhooking of batteries.
www.amazon.com/BatteryMINDer-Model-1510-Maintenance-Motorcycles/dp/B00Q3CM2QY
There is the cheapest link that I have found. Never use a battery tender, buy this desulfator. Extra connectors are 5-7 bucks. Buy them when you buy the desulfator.
AMEN.
@@ernieespinoza7888 That makes sense
This is a good trick to know if you are in a jam. Thanks Wilkes Fountain.
Thanks... but remember you can find a brand new low price battery and a store like 'Royal King'
You took a good battery and made it better, awesome!!
I looked up a solar charger to charge it up.
This is the best plans for preservation of this.
yes thats why i'm here. left it trickle charging next to the garage window, thought it was charging. 1 year old battery knackered
I've restored lots of very dead lead acid car batteries. I throw away the acid and wash out with cold tap water until the cells come out clean, then mix up some sodium bicarbonate mix and fill each cell and leave over night. Wash out thoroughly the next day and then fill with new battery acid. Providing the lead sheets in the cells aren't too badly warped the battery will be like new again and last for many years. I have noticed that post 2010 batteries are made with much thinner lead sheets in the cells than they used to be and often these breaking down are the cause of the battery failure. These batteries are not usually repairable.
So how long did it last afterwards is the question? Winter temps?
Used to this trick for used cars at a dealership. Worked well, never had customer complaint. Probally have to replace the battery in 6 to 12 months.
Yep. It is a very old trick
Good demonstration man. I got the idea. You did just fine. Thank you for the info. Makes sense
Thank you
I'm adding this procedure to skillset under(emergency/get by/no money)=TeamPoverty approved, BigMike&TheMechanics.
Easy simple fix ,love it thx.
That was very cool, I enjoyed watching this video, One day I might do this. Thank you for this video.
You Are welcome. I will be uploading one about leaf spring bushing removal this today
now your knowledge is become ours ... good of you to make this vid'
Nice video, I am 50+ and I have done something like this many, many times. But I did something a bit different than you. Rather than rinsing the battery with only distilled water, I always poured out the acid in the battery, then put a tablespoon or so of baking soda in each cell, then pour in about a cup of distilled vinegar in each. It's pretty messy, but seems to get out alot more with a whole lot of less shaking. Then rinse a time or two like you did.
Yes, there are many variants to what I did in the video, but I wanted to show a very basic way of doing this. Ps, I did shake the battery a lot in this video, but I did not have to shake it so much and I would have been fine.I am glad to see another old timer that has done this. ( there are a few others on here as well ) it is amazing how many people have tried to tell me that this would not work.
@@fromcarstocomputers7261 Those are the same people who want to believe it sulfation needing some scammy product or a ritual of charging and discharging, or forcing tons of current through with a welder.
Most batteries are going to fail just as they are designed to.
Plate shedding to the bottom, and eventually filling the bottom of the battery case and cause shorting.
The method you showed should be the very first thing people try as most batterys are reliably charged with an alternator/voltage regulator. Most of my recent cars have never needed to have water added before starting to die.
Cool tip Wilkes!
Thanks, Glad it helped
Good video ! I have had the same battery in my truck for 9 years by doing this very thing. Do the same for the lawnmower . TRICK is to service the battery on a regular basis doing this before the battery gets in bad shape . Don t wait till it's causing problems .Many times the money that would have been spent for a new one has put food on the table .
A penny saved...
9 years is pretty impressive 👍
I've heard elsewhere that new batteries have such thin lead plates that you can't refurbish them as many times as they could do many years ago when the plates were thicker.
Just when you think that you know it all as a home mechanic....LOL !
I would use some thick gloves though, this lead crud looks very nasty to me.
Great video, one more tip to the bag of tricks.
Now I know what Auto Zone and others do with the batteries that are traded in, wondering what George Jones did with the acid/distilled water in the large trash can, can the sun evaporate it away. Going to try this on my Golf Cart batteries that were changed out last year. enjoyed the whole video.
He probably neutralized it with regular tap water.
Maybe clean the top of the batteri first...
Great information to know, thanks for making your video.
You are welcome
Dang it!!! One week to late for me in coming across this video. I just replaced my battery which was doing the same thing. Maybe I could have saved it and the dent on my wallet. Well, live and learn - right? Hahaha!!! I should have done some research.
Nice video; great sound effects with gunshots on both days.
It doesn’t always work out so well. You can’t repair a bad cell no matter how hard you try to clean the inside of the battery out. Want your battery to last a long time connect a battery tender to the battery and plug it in the wall every night if you park your car in a garage or If outside you have a long extension to power.
All Lead acid batteries (Gel, AGM, Flooded, Drycell, etc) are made up of a series of 2.2 volt cells that are bridged together in series to reach their final desired voltage. For instance, a 6 volt battery will have 3 cells (3 x2.2= 6.6 volts), a 12 volt battery will have 6 cells (6 x2.2=13.2 volts) and so on.That 2.2 volts is the fully charged, straight off the charger number. The actual resting voltage, or the voltage a battery will settle at 12-24 hours after being removed from the charger, is closer to 2.1 volts per cell, or about 6.4 volts for a 6v battery, and 12.7 volts for a 12v battery. These numbers assume 100% healthy cells, and may vary a bit lower for older batteries.
Yes, you can have a freshly fully charged battery at higher than 12.6 volts. 12.6V is a 'typical static or resting voltage of a good battery. This does not mean it has any starting current capacity, but just voltage. For example a 200AH battery that is old and tired, may have a voltage of 12.6V sitting, but only have a capacity of 75AH, not enough to start your car. A "dead cell" would usually show less voltage, but NOT necessarily so. The "lead crap" at the bottom of the battery is actually the material that gives the battery the ability to produce the voltage AND current. You can have less of the lead in the battery on the plates inside the battery, but less lead adhered to the plates lowers the CURRENT capacity of the battery, NOT the voltage. Simply put, the guy in the video washed out the crud, (Lead pieces from the plates), and lowered the current handling of the battery. Also.... the lead at the bottom of the battery can, and often does, cause the electrolyte to discharge quicker because the lead, being a conductor to electric, draws current, or power, from the charged battery acid making it go dead quicker.
ALL batteries have what is known in engineering as "Internal Resistance". Wet cell batteries have the worst problem with this, as their internal resistance is very low causing them to go dead faster that most other batteries sitting on a shelf, for example. Store a lead-acid battery fully charged next to a Lithium-Ion battery fully charged. You can store the Li-Ion for many years, whereby the lead-acid will be near dead, (if not totally dead), in a year with nothing connected to it at all. I've been in this business for the last 50 years and battery science hasn't changed in its characteristics whatsoever. Batteries get better with different technologies, but the principals with each type is the same no matter what from an engineering standpoint.
very refreshing to read the facts, Bill Z
3pnow yes it was
Bill- in your opinion is this worth attempting to "recover" a battery for non critical applications aka a lawn tractor or running 12v stereo equipment?
Bill Z i
Well, I thought the empty space beneath the cells was just to catch the lead sponge that flaked off so it wouldn't short out some cells..
And I would think there would be extra exposure to shorting by the exposure to washing them out..
And I didn't know they participated, when laying as flakes on the bottom, in discharging the otherwise OK battery. .
But you can't beat experience, thanks for the info.
"Danger, Will Robinson, DANGER!"
One day I am going to have to watch that old show
I see you have a Superman color scheme, sir!
Thank u man stuff is so expensive nowadays. I will try this before I buy a new battery next time. Batteries cost too much
Yes they have went crazy with the price of batteries in the last couple of years........ But check you local Ruyal King store. they have the best deal on batteries I have seen
please tell what did you do with all the waste? also this will not bring back lost amperage, that is a factor of surface area in a cell. amperage is so important!
I wonder if this man knows how to use a load tester or hydrometer,,,,
Thank you ,you’ve just saved me a whole lot of money
You are welcome.
Sweat shorts and dress shoes with no socks. My man got SWAG! Thx for the tip.
Excellent video! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks.
Thank you very much, winter is coming and we all need advice like that, may peace be unto you and to your family, Shalom!
Nice video!!! - I worked in a metal plating shop - So I tried it out - on my truck battery but I used fresh acid from the auto store( I got 2 more winters and a summer - out of that battery😎
ive got 6 old car batteries I want to clean up and renew with fresh acid, how old was your battery when you fixed it up?
Can I charge with the car
Experience Help’s sometimes ( sulphuric Acid & Lead core ) - changing polarity with Salt 🧂-
The tourist sub - Had a problem with its ??? ( simple answer ) - if the news comments R correct ) - the debris field is where the answer come from!!!
Sorry, to hear that bad news today!!!
What do you do with the barrel of haz mat you just made..?
Extremely good information.
For me this is very useful information.
This guy is related to the guy that invented “Hold my beer” .
I am not related to him....but I do think he lives down the road a bit.
@@fromcarstocomputers7261 God Bless America
Cool man. Thanks
The battery was 12.3 when sitting. That s basically what a new battery is at. Then after charging it it was 12.9 . the battery was good to begin with. Should of used a battery with under 10v and see how it comes back to life. Informative video though. Thanks.
Thanks Mr. Amazing demonstration and very informative video. Also thanks for sharing safety measures being very careful as it is acid.
You're welcome. I almost did not upload this video, but it quickly became my most watched video and held that rating for over three years.
best one yet ....great job
hey I thought this man was Rick's Dad on pawn stars... lots younger but looks like him... thank you for video sir
No... I will not take a DNA test :o)
more like homer simpson in the 70s when he is in college
HEY 111i use COUNTRY CROCK BUTTER TOO 111
The old man was more cheaper lol
Jmy carter! I voted for u!🤣
This makes the list of the top ten best videos on RUclips. 🏆
Dude is a gangsta! Handling that battery acid with no gloves is hardcore. No his name ain't baby, its bad ass....Mr. Bad Ass if you're nasty.
@@shawnpuffy honestly men have turned into pussies, he's old school and just gets it done instead of talking about it in a 45 minute video...
@@Saint696Anger True
@@shawnpuffy All in a days work.
I've been researching into battery reconditioning and found an awesome resource at Jons Mender Guide (check it out on google)
Load testers on ebay for $35 does the job well. Been using one for 3 years in oilfield, beside $600 load testers, and it works. Adding a small amount of Magnesium Sulfate in a old battery after rinse is another way of cleaning the battery. Get the water at boiling temp to dissolve it as best you can before adding it. You can mix with the Sulferic acid.
Rather than Magnesium Sulfate, I just use epsom salts.
@@sparky6086 same thing
@@sonyxperiathree4554 ruclips.net/video/-aWcZShT4cI/видео.html
I cannot believe it is just that simple. I thought that when a battery could not hold a charge, it was destined to be changed out for a nice new pretty one.
It is not just that simple. Some batteries have physical problems that cannot be repaired. There is much discussion in other videos about a layer of sulfation that can build up on the plates over time. In many of the videos Epson salt (Mg sulfate) or alum. sulfate are used to remove the sulfate layer to some extent. Some people then wash out the battery and install new acid.
shouldn't it be a certain type of polymir that you put the acid into ? "BREAKING BAD" 101. ( I know, different type of acid).
That’s exactly where my mind went too!👍
@@adamrichardson1705 300 bucks to learn- NOT hardly!!
Back in the days when the top of the batteries were sealed with a thick tar like substance, a friend of mine used to dig out the tar and pull the plates out. Only the positive charge plates used to be bad (they corrode and fall to the bottom of the battery and would ground them out) so he used to cut them out and replace them with negative plates from other old batteries. To weld up the contacts, he used to take out the carbon from an A sized torchlight battery and clamp a 12 battery lead at the top and strike it against the negative, it would get red hot and would weld up those lead contacts in the battery he was repairing. When he was done he would heat up that tar substance and seal the batteries up. Those refurbished batteries of his would work like magic.
The only way I know you can see i t
Dale Jones m
Your friend put negative plates in place of positive plates? Must not understand chemistry.
Rambo rite
Travis Root The plates don't know they are supposed to be negative or positive, they are made of lead, they don't have brains, lol. Once you loose them out they become plates without any polarity, when they are set into place then one set becomes positive and the other set becomes negative plates. I saw it work a thousand times, not bullshitting
That's good stuff right there! He mentioned that he did they when he was 17 (or something like that) and I laughed cause I was in the same boat, probably about the same year and did the same thing LoL!!
It definitely works! I've done variations of exactly this a few times with good results.
Thanks.
@@fromcarstocomputers7261 will this work on a new battery that was sitting for a couple of months and is now bad?
@@Saturn5Rockets What I am doing in this video will not help with a new battery that has just lost power from sitting, it would not of had time in use to have the same issue. I would just give the battery a trickle charge or at least a slow charge. Then see what happens.
@@fromcarstocomputers7261 Hello I just bought a some CHEM TABS from ebay they promise to rejuvenate the battery by just putting the tabs in each cells of the battery. My battery is measuring 12.21 volts. What I would like to know is if this process will rejuvenate the battery without doing the process you did in this video.
This is quite a good idea and it is very appreciated. Thanks very much. By the way did you know that over 65% of batteries are replacer by people at service stations just to make money..........!
Good video ! The brownish appearance I think is from sulfation (dissolving plates? ) which if not corrected (by recharging asap) can lead to shorts between plates (like growing stalagtites that create a short circuit), i have heard that putting 200 amps at 24+_ volts for 30 seconds **USE FAN & lots of ventilation and keep battery caps off for this) can burn thru these shorts and restore the operation of the battery. Won't work for open circuit problems ... ? but I would say don't do it. Seems too risky. I was surprised that so much crud was in the battery; a better test might be to disconnect the spark ignition coil wire and see if it can crank that starter for a few minutes straight ; like when your car won't start and you have to try it anyway having no real other options in a blizzard. In any case a pba batt won't last more than 5 years * average since the plates disintegrate, but I have seen video's where the plates can be replaced at home "carefully" with another material and simple nylon screen like from a screen for a window as the "matt" to insure plate separation (approximately). 5. Also for the temporary use of just cleaning clean tap water could be used in a pinch since any mineral deposits would not have much chance to accumulate, but yes distilled in best for adding to acid when finished, but again; in a pinch considering how much crud was already there from disintegrating plates it would work for short term until the best new acid could be found. * I think they go bad even just sitting on the shelf unused unless acid is drained and only put back in when ready to use them (wet cells). AGM's are NOT as good as they say because when used they lose what I call "stamina" which means while they still test at good voltage and pass the 100 amp load test, they may only go as far as 40% of what they were new, this in some cases can happen in just a few days depending on how heavy the use is... we did the load test at the dealer (passed fine), but then when he ran it out on the actual demonstrator it only went 40% of the new distance and that battery had just been bought a few days earlier??? Buyer beware. I think NImh is best all around but is finicky to charge and manage as it will overheat and even catch fire if charge is not cut off via a "how fast the temp is changing per minute) paradym , so you can NOT use the normal pba charger on them (1 guy caught his car and garage on fire using a pba charger). *** pba = lead acid
There is a video on RUclips where a guy does exactly what you’re saying.
I can’t find the link now, but I watched it about a week ago.
Nothing lasts forever. Plates shed as part of the normal process.
Everyone wants to jump on sulfation, however IIRC unless you are running your batts low on water, or it is chronically at under 12.4v, you should not have to worry about it.
Cleaning out that dreck might be a worthwhile PCS to do every 2 years. That stuff settles to the bottom of the cell and eventually shorts them, causing the cell voltage to drop. Add battery voltage and water check to a monthly PMCS and you might end up saving a battery replacement for your effort.
Do this for an old beater that you don't have to have reliable, for your commute to work car get a new good battery. Good job.
Great video. Going to try
Really cool. I need to try that.
Thanks
Damm - 12.9 volts - impressive
I have an interstate battery in my 2000 buick regal for the last 8 years. it just keeps on going.
I had an Optima Red Top last me 9 years before they went to shit after being sold to Interstate. Those batteries were legendary before then. AND I had a huge stereo system. Amazing
@@charlesbelville5090 I was an early adopter of the Optima battery. I bought two yellow deep cycle batteries for my boat. One only lasted two years, but the other lasted 20 years! Presumably, they were from the same production run. I read, that in the first couple of years, back in the 1990's, Optima had a quality control problem, where you either got a great battery or a terrible battery. I got one of each! I bought them, because I needed a lot of current, but only had a small place to put them. I always used a float charger to maintain them, but I heard of many people, who were unlucky enough to get a bad one, who weren't as careful about keeping their battery charged, getting less than a year out of a bad one.
Sorry to hear, that Optima batteries, as you say, now owned by Interstate, are having trouble again.
I suppose, the technique in the video, would not apply to gel cells, such as the Optima.
Optima batteries sponsor road kill now lol
@@sparky6086 - How long are you supposed to keep a float charger on a battery to keep it maintained? Thanks.
@@annwithaplan9766 Keep the float charger on, whenever the battery isn't in use for more than a couple of weeks. Leave it on for how ever long the battery is not being used. A float charger/maintainer will detect the battery's drop in voltage and charge it as necessary. Lead acid batteries go bad quicker, if their charge isn't maintained.
My battery shoe 13.8 volt and cant start my car after revi e it sith epsom salt do it is the capasity is too low? Or do the battery still sulfated i let it charge for 36 hour in a 2A smart trickle charger with 13.volt still cant start the car. What the problem?
Like your step side man. Those truck's are hard to get in decent shape. Most of the beds are broke on the bottom since their fiber glass lol. Battery deal have done this my self before but with gloves and not shorts. That acid will burn and blister your skin not to mention breathing the vapors off the battery other than that great video it works lol
How did you get rid of the sludge and diluted acid you poured in the trash can?
The answer is in the description
With the garbage man ( poor garbage man )
Barry Litchfield he poured it in your garden you prat
I'd turn the battery over and flush it out with small stream of tap water then final rinse with distilled water.
Recycling the electrolyte is a money saving tip extending battery life. Thanks!
The possum lives !! Cool video thank ya sir
Very interesting. Thanks!
Tap water has Flouride or Chlorine in it, Makes your acid into Lead chloride and screws the battery big time. So having seen the amount of Lead Oxide or Sulfate that came out during the rinse. Most impressed by the 12.93V and I would be proud to see that. Retired Auto Electrician and I normally see a rested battery showing 12.5V, engine running 14.4V or slightly higher if a French alternator. My late father taught me this trick on Motorcycle batteries. Try making up a shaker board to vibrate the larger battery. The Acid I tend to strain into an old distilled water container and mark with a Sharpie pen in Red ACID on the plastic of the bottle and cross out the label. **Try not to leave fluids out overnight in the open, pets or wildlife can drink the acid**.
Great advice. Thanks for watching the video
Thanks for adding that comment.
Do you keep rinsing out the batterie until the black stuff stops coming out?
@@thomasjohnson8181 No you don't have to get it all out, the biggest part of it will come out in two washouts and you could go with that. I would not go over four.
so you don't have to go after a 'clear water wash'
Seal00754 e
you got Lucky ~ saved a lot of money, batteries now highly overpriced necessities ~ congratulations ~
If you do this check the battery with a load tester (they're cheap) because a bad cell can overtask your alternator with expensive results. (Aircraft/truck/motorcycle mech of many years here). Could be worthwhile on a junker though.
Wow...just wow!
Thanks for sharing. Heard about this, but never actually seen it done til now. - take care
You're welcome, yes it is a very old idea
Great Video Sir, Lot of folks around where I grew up just can’t go give 150 bucks for A new Battery. Keep up the good work,
99% of us could use that money for other things like food. #fatamericans.
I have done it with 8D diesel batteries also and it worked good.Just can't get the battery hot.
Yes, those batteries cost a pretty penny. Have a good day.
Frank Cuizio do you mean like in the engine compartment where the battery can get hot?
When the battery is charged backwards,they get warm fast.They short out inside if they get too hot.