Restore a dead battery?

[Laneman]

The battery on my diesel 3000 died after 4 years. I was just reading online that a battery can be refurbished. Funds are low and I don't want to spend the cash on a new one if I don't have to. Anyone have success with this? http://ezinearticles.com/?Easily-Restore-a-Car-Battery---Top-3-Tips&id=4810845

 

[Maxwell 99]

Most time the old batteries have a shorted out cell. This from built up debris in the bottom of the battery and it touches one of the cell plates.

I would rather spent my hard earned money on a new quality battery, rather than some type old battery fix.

Just my humble opinion:

 

[Michaels Dad]

Snake oil

 

[Sid_GA]

I tried that last year on some golf cart batteries. Waste of time and money and I managed to ruin a good pair of Carhartt overalls in the process!
Sid

 

[showcrop]

A battery that has gone dead from taking a hard hit and doesn't hold a quick charge, can often be brought back to usable condition by a long low rate charge.

 

[souNdguy]

out of a few tests ( not mine).. I have seen the epsoms salt trick work exactly once.. and i DO believe that battery was merely sulfated, and did not have a bad cell.

if it is a bad cell.. or bulged.. i think it's a dead bat.

 

[Mark Slater]

Laneman,
I read the article. Nothing more than standard battery maintenance.

All they state is:

1- Check for dead cells.
2- Top off dry battery cells with distilled water.
3- Add electrolyte as needed.

No magic elixir there. Frankly, for number 3, if you don't have a lot of dried battery acid on the posts or creeping out of the cell plugs you should not need to add electrolyte (battery acid) as the acid does not evaporate only the water does.

If you do open your battery up be very careful of the acid it contains and do not let any dirt fall into the fill holes.

 

[David G]

snake oil

 

[old]

Over the years I have tried many of the thing people say will work
Epsom salts did not work
Charging it up draining it out filling it with distilled water and charge then fill with new acid did not work
Aspirin did not work
Buying a stuff that J.C.Whitney sold did not work
In town there is a place that sells only batteries and the guys there say none of the trick will truly bring on back

 

[Laneman]

Thanks everyone, guess I won"t waste any time on it. Looks like I"ll be buying a battery.

 

[Mark Slater]

At 4 years old the battery was getting on the old side anyway. Most of my batteries are showing their age by 5 years old and dead or might as well be dead by the age of 6.

 

[sunbeam]

The best way I know is to jack up the caps and slide a new one under them. Then replace the caps.

 

[Ron-MO]

Evidently my experiences were the exceptions, but I have restored two (one a 4DLT in a 5000 diesel), using Epsom salts. The 4DLT is now over 6 years old and started this winter so far. It was on it's last legs a couple years ago prior to this. I agree that one with a dead cell is gone, and needs replaced, but I believe this one was simply sulfated, and I pulled the electrolyte down to the top of the plates, and replaced with the mix, then charged overnight. It started like a new battery , and is still working. I figure I gained two more years of service out of it, and with the prices of batteries today, well worth the $$ in my mind. With this said, I just replaced two auto batteries that were approaching 7 years old, and figured they were done for, so I never gave them a try. All depends on what is wrong with them and the time spent to try. I figured I had nothing to lose except for a little time.

 

[Sean in PA]

(quoted from post at 19:13:38 03/05/14) At 4 years old the battery was getting on the old side anyway. Most of my batteries are showing their age by 5 years old and dead or might as well be dead by the age of 6.

I guess you don't do much to maintain your batteries. I have 2 garden tractors, a Ford 4000 and a motorcycle, and the batteries on all but one of of them are over 7 years old and still going strong. One of the garden tractors is only 4 years old and it still has its original battery and I expect it to be going strong after 7 years as well. I have a single battery tender that I rotate between all 4 machines on a regular basis when they aren't being run regularly. One week on a battery tender every 4 weeks has kept them running fine. My Jeep Liberty hit 7 years old last month and is still on its original battery as well, but that gets run on a regular basis year round so I've never felt the need to put the battery tender on that.

 

[Hobo,NC]

(quoted from post at 17:56:28 03/05/14) out of a few tests ( not mine).. I have seen the epsoms salt trick work exactly once.. and i DO believe that battery was merely sulfated, and did not have a bad cell.

if it is a bad cell.. or bulged.. i think it's a dead bat.

That would be my guess because of lack of use the plates get coated. The salt trick cleans the sulfate off the plates.... I ditch them and install a new bat myself...

 

[rustyfarmall]

I'll admit to trying the epsom salts trick myself. Didn't work.

Best thing I have found is one of those battery maintainer trickle chargers. Won't cure a totally dead battery, but it will keep a battery that is marginal in good enough condition to start the tractor.

 

[souNdguy]

I think I would too.

I remember my brother doing the epsoms salt trick on a shed full of batteries he had.

the ONLY one that came back to life was his rider lawnmower battery. in florida.. those set months out of the year.

the other batteries were either bulged or had been run dry or had been dead and froze. he spent alotta time on that plus the epsoms salt..e tc. My guess is the lawn mower battery was the only one that had any hope, and as you said. was just coated from setting. the others had real problems that snake oil just won't fix.

 

[Hobo,NC]

Luck of the draw I spec...

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/sulfation_and_how_to_prevent_it

 

[jerrybigrig]

I don't know if you know so I,ll just say it ...always wear safety glasses when working on batterys ...use leather if possible over your clothes ...it eats holes in cotton cloths ...never try to jump or charge a frozen dead battery ...it W I L L explode and the flying plactic will cut your face and hands ....just my 2c worth