Amazing Battery: Power & Performance

Hey fellow DIY enthusiasts,

"I'm an electrician myself, but what just happened to me, no one would believe."

Two weeks ago, I had an accident with my wife's Lupo (a collision with a wild animal... I couldn't avoid it). The damage was significant, and due to leaking fluids, the car was immediately undrivable.
The liquids (as it later turned out) were battery acid and coolant. The first cell at the negative terminal is completely perforated and also completely empty.
Whatever the reason, the wrong battery was reinstalled during the repair (I probably wasn't wearing my glasses...). Today, I set out to find a mysterious leak and was surprised to discover the battery (which, in retrospect, makes sense).
"This battery has an open-circuit voltage of 12.8V! How can that be with a completely discharged cell? Even after an hour with the car radio on, it still shows 12.7V, and the car still starts without any trouble. So, even under load, the battery isn't failing. Normally, I would expect it to be missing about 2V."

Does anyone have any ideas?

Hi,

hmm... quite strange... but you are one of the very few people I believe this story from.

Could it be that something is still stuck between the plates, something that could act similarly to the gel in a gel battery? Normally, the acid is very liquid, but if something solid got in there and was absorbed by it?

Best regards,

Jan.

Jan6K wrote:

Hi, hmm... quite strange... but you are one of the very few people I believe this story from.

Oh, thank you ....

Quote:

Could it be that something is still stuck between the plates, something that could act similarly to the gel in a gel battery? Normally, the acid is very liquid, but if something solid got in there and was absorbed by it?

Okay, so the battery is completely torn open from top to bottom on the side (it's really just a crack... I don't think it's due to a foreign object). There's no more electrolyte visible in that cell. However, I've already driven about 500 km.
By the way, it's a cheap, mass-produced product with a 36Ah capacity.

It completely depends on what the builders used as a separator.
If one has a distinct spongy structure, there is still enough acid lingering between the layers.

Batteries can sometimes be strange. I had a 180mAh Ni-Cd AAA battery that had been lying around in a toolbox for 6 years. Just for fun, I put it in the charger and pressed the 'refresh' button. And it works again, with a capacity of 170mAh! It's now in a mini flashlight and working perfectly. A Ni-Cd battery discharged for 6 years... that's usually not possible.


btw bertil: in the electronics sector, I believe EVERYTHING that I'm told, especially when microprocessors are involved .

CU Gremlin.

Hi!

Bertil... You won't believe this, but I've been driving around for two weeks with a dead battery (in my Golf2 GT), because the guys at VW forgot to connect the charging cable when they installed the new battery... It was working fine, but then the alternator gave up, and that was it. My mood wasn't great either when I checked the battery. *grumble*

Since I didn't know much about cars back then, I always wondered when checking the oil level at the gas station why the alternator was so hot... hotter than the engine. Now I know why.

A cell is dry when there is no more electrolyte between the plates, but as long as some electrolyte remains, it works. However, the electrolyte will eventually dry up, and then the plates will only function as a capacitor...for a short time.

Don't forget to thoroughly wash the engine to remove any acid, as it can cause serious damage.