Is it posiable to revive a dead battery?

[sweetpeet]

I was just wondering if it was possiable to revive a dead battery that will not hold a charge. I know that most people just trash the old battery and buy a new one, but i heard some have done it but idk how they did it. anyone know?

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Depends on the battery. It's very unlikely with a standard car battery, but there's a special procedure for reviving a gel-cell battery like an Optima. I thought mine was shot and the procedure on Optima's website worked great for me.

 

[Utah_jeepster]

Wet cell batteries die due to the fact that as they cycle (i.e. discharge and charge) they slowly build sulfite's on the lead plates through the electro/chemical action, slowly reducing the transmittable area that the lead cores can take up a new charge.
Most wet cell batteries have 6 plates and cells, the longer lasting batteries ( 7 and 8 year warranty)use a thicker plate and a slightly diagonal grid design to give them more of a usable surface area. That is why the cheaper ones are lighter, thinner core plates.

Although Optima uses a medium size plate its there spiral design that gives it a much larger surface area than wet cells. Plus the more expensive gel.

 

[superj]

when i used to work at a battery shop, we would drain all the electrolyte/water out of the cells and refill with new fluid. then we put them ona special slow charge machine the older dude who worked in the shop forever made. we brought a few back. what will decide if you can bring them back is if the build up in the bad cell has actually shorted the plate out or if its just dead from the fluid being bad.

its a lot less hassle and time to just buy one from walmart

 

[sweetpeet]

when i used to work at a battery shop, we would drain all the electrolyte/water out of the cells and refill with new fluid. then we put them ona special slow charge machine the older dude who worked in the shop forever made. we brought a few back. what will decide if you can bring them back is if the build up in the bad cell has actually shorted the plate out or if its just dead from the fluid being bad.

its a lot less hassle and time to just buy one from walmart

That's true but hassle is my muddle name. That or cheap-o lol

 

[lambo]

A long time ago in a Galaxy far far away you could replace the fluid in a battery. Todays battery's are sealed there for making them useless when they die. You can take the junk battery to the bone yard and get $5 for it though. And then get another for $15 to $20 at the same bone yard. I bought one for my trolling motor and have been recharging it for 4 years now and it was the best $20 Ive ever spent.

 

[Buck hour]

I've revived one by refilling it with distilled water and using a high end battery charger/reconditioner

 

[sweetpeet]

I've revived one by refilling it with distilled water and using a high end battery charger/reconditioner

So how would you open it?

 

[54cj3b]

more a big Pita than just getting a new battery

 

[Buck hour]

The old batteries have two plastic caps on top. Just crack them open with a flat head. Don't force anything open!! Battery acid hurts!!!

 

[frhrwa]

Wet cell batteries die due to the fact that as they cycle (i.e. discharge and charge) they slowly build sulfite's on the lead plates through the electro/chemical action, slowly reducing the transmittable area that the lead cores can take up a new charge.
Most wet cell batteries have 6 plates and cells, the longer lasting batteries ( 7 and 8 year warranty)use a thicker plate and a slightly diagonal grid design to give them more of a usable surface area. That is why the cheaper ones are lighter, thinner core plates.

Although Optima uses a medium size plate its there spiral design that gives it a much larger surface area than wet cells. Plus the more expensive gel.

my dad used to carefully cut around the top edge of wet cell batteries, open them up and clean the plates really good, dump the old acid, and replace it.. reseal the unit back with sylastic glue.. and they worked for another 5 or 6 years..