The car battery has the important task of starting the entire device. It is also necessary to recharge the on-board network of the machine in case the engine is inactive. The battery (battery) may lose its working qualities in case of problems associated with the electrical system of the car, or starting the engine. There are two ways to solve the problem: purchase a new device or restore what you already have.
The recovery procedure can be applied not only to car batteries, but also to other batteries. Photo: i.ytimg.com
Is it profitable to restore
By itself, it is quite simple, and a properly restored old battery can last longer than an inexpensive “new thing”. In addition, self-determination of the source of the problem will avoid encountering similar breakdowns in the future.
Battery device
At its core, a car battery is a structure made of metal plates with opposite charges. To create them, lead, nickel or cadmium alloys are used. Sulfuric acid is placed in the central part of the battery, which is necessary for the formation of a galvanic couple. The whole structure is placed in a plastic case. When current is applied to the terminals of the device, energy accumulates in the battery.
After receiving a certain charge, the battery can provide a charge with a voltage level of 12 V. Photo: yakiru.ru
Starting a car starter requires a certain amount of energy, so as a result, the device is discharged. With a working generator, all losses are replenished while the engine is running. If this does not coincide with reality, then the battery will soon cease to cope with the tasks.
Causes of failure
Before undertaking a repair, it is imperative to identify and eliminate the source of the problem (this will also help determine whether the battery can be restored).
Such reasons include:
- Sulfation of lead plates. Occurs due to frequent and prolonged undercharges, or is a consequence of long-term storage in a discharged state. It is characterized by a rapid reduction in battery capacity, insufficient power level. Overheating of the entire internal contents of the battery and too high a voltage level at the terminals are noted.
- Deformation and shedding of coal plates. Sulfuric acid becomes dark in color. The device is practically unrepairable.
- Short circuit between lead plates. The electrolyte boils away and excessive heating of a separate part of the battery occurs. Exit: replacement of damaged elements.
- Storage at extremely low temperatures. Causes damage to the plates and outer protective coating, making subsequent recovery impossible.
There are several ways to restore a battery. Photo: ytapi.com
What are the ways to restore the battery
In order to reanimate the battery, various methods can be used:
- Multiple charging of the device from a low current source with occasional interruption of the process. Breaks are necessary to equalize electrode potentials in deep regions and on the surface of metal plates. This helps to reduce the voltage level on the battery as a whole, making it capable of further absorption of charge.
- Burning out the cause of the short circuit (if we are talking about this) with a high current (up to 100 Amperes). The method is not very safe and only helps in removing salt deposits.
- Dissolution of sulfates by applying high voltage (disulfation procedure). It is carried out with pauses (every 13 minutes) so that the gas evolution provoked by the increase in tension does not occur too intensively. The increase each time occurs by 0.1-0.2 V (the last limit is 14.8 V), until the capacity of the device stops increasing. At the beginning and end of the procedure, you will need to add some water to the acid solution (to achieve optimal density).
There are a number of other methods most commonly used for self-repairing the battery. We will talk about them below.
How to restore the battery with your own hands
When starting to repair a car battery, first of all, it is necessary to perform the following steps:
- Remove the terminals, inspect the device;
- If there is plaque on the lead electrodes (it can be white, green or blue), remove the bulk of it with a piece of unnecessary cloth, and clean the findings with sandpaper (preferably fine-grained);
- Try to connect the device.
If the problem was precisely in bad contacts, then after such a procedure, the starter should function normally. Photo: i.ytimg.com
Otherwise, you will need to charge-discharge the battery. In modern models, these two processes can occur simultaneously, providing the prevention of sulfation. More "older" samples must be connected to an energy source with a current strength 10 times less than the capacity of the device (voltage - 14.7-15 V). On such a charge, it should stand for 10 hours (a little more, but no less).
This is followed by a complete discharge. In order for the battery to start consuming energy, you need to connect a car light bulb to it. When the light goes out, the battery is charged again. The cycle repeats several times until the device recovers.
To get rid of the consequences of a short circuit, you can resort to the help of a desulfating additive:
- Mix the additive with sulfuric acid (electrolyte density - 1.28 g / cm 3) and let it brew for 48 hours;
- Pour the mixture into the battery and measure the density of the composition;
- With readings up to 1.28 g / cm 3, several cycles of charging and discharging the battery are performed;
- If the elements of the device do not overheat, then the current can be halved;
- After another couple of hours, the density of the liquid is measured, if it has not changed, then charging can be stopped, and the device can be considered restored.
Too dense filler must be diluted with water, and excessively rarefied - with sulfuric acid. When the composition of the solution is adjusted, you need to re-charge the battery.
Accelerated battery recovery option
For those to whom time is too precious, the following battery recovery option is suitable:
- Fully charge the battery;
- Drain the filler;
- Rinse the internal cavity of the battery with distilled water;
- Pour a solution of Trilon B (2%) and ammonia (5%) into the battery;
- After an hour, drain the mixture, rinse the “insides” again with distilled water;
- Pour in a fresh acid solution;
- Fully charge the device.
It is possible that the solution with Trilon B and ammonia will have to be poured additionally 1-2 more times. The process is considered complete if no gas evolution occurs when the mixture enters the device.
How to restore even a very old battery - see this video:
note
Here are some things to consider when repairing a battery:
- in sealed gel or AGM batteries, valves should not be opened, this leads to a loss of capacity;
- a complete loss of battery capacity is diagnosed at a voltage level of less than 10 V;
- the recovery process cannot be interrupted, all procedures and cycles must be carried out to the end.
When working with chemicals, you must always follow safety precautions and do not leave reagents in open containers and unattended.
Conclusion
Most battery failures are much easier to prevent than to deal with afterward. To do this, you just need to keep the terminals and leads clean, and also charge the car battery “to the eyeballs” every six months from a stationary source. Such simple care extends the life of the device to 5-7 years.
The task of increasing the life of car batteries has been faced by manufacturers of these devices from the very moment of their appearance. To date, battery production technologies have stepped far forward, effective methods for restoring these devices have been developed.
Typically, car batteries fail after two to three years of use. But with proper maintenance, they can last much longer. If the battery began to charge poorly and hold a charge, in some cases it can be restored. And today we will try to answer the question of how to restore a car battery.
We note right away that it is not possible to restore the battery's performance in all cases. Below are the main malfunctions of this device with an indication of the possibility or impossibility of repairing the battery.
In order to better understand the information below, we invite the reader to familiarize themselves with the device of a car battery. It is clearly shown in this diagram:
The main causes of battery failure
The most common car battery problem is plate sulfation. At the same time, the battery capacity drops noticeably, and as a result, the device does not have enough power to turn the starter.
You can determine the sulfation of the plates by the following signs:
- Decreased capacity;
- electrolyte boiling;
- Plate overheating;
- Increased voltage on the electrodes.
The next common cause of battery malfunction is the destruction and shedding of carbon plates. This malfunction can be determined by the dark color of the electrolyte. Restoring the car battery in this case is possible, although not always.
The third common malfunction is related to the shorting of lead plates in one of the battery sections. It is quite easy to identify this failure. When charging, the faulty section will heat up excessively, and the electrolyte will boil away. It is possible to restore the battery in this case, although it is somewhat more difficult than in the first case. The solution to the problem is to replace the lead plates in the section, which is quite expensive, although cheaper than buying a new battery.
The fourth reason for battery malfunction is related to improper battery operation and storage. It is known that an incompletely charged battery can freeze at sub-zero temperatures. As a result of freezing, lead plates, as well as the body of the device, can be damaged. This can lead to short circuits in the device case and electrolyte boiling. In this case, unfortunately, the battery cannot be restored.
How to restore a car battery?
So, having found out the reasons, you can proceed to consider ways to restore the battery. As mentioned above, the most difficult malfunction is shedding and shorting of the plates. Just charging the battery with such a problem is completely pointless. Moreover, it may even worsen the situation. You need to act according to the following algorithm.
First, the battery is washed with distilled water. Flushing should be continued until no more cloudy water flows out of the device. Having finished with washing, it is necessary to inspect the plates. If they crumble, then, most likely, further work without replacing the plates will be pointless.
If the plates are not badly damaged, then after removing the crumbled particles, you can get rid of the short circuit.
The next step is the desulfation of the plates, which involves the removal of salt deposits from the lead plates. To perform this operation, a desulfating additive to the electrolyte is used. Restoring a car battery in this case is performed as follows:
We dissolve the desulfatizing additive in a fresh electrolyte with a density of 1.28 g / cc in the amount indicated in the instructions for use of a particular agent. Usually, the process of complete dissolution of the additive in the electrolyte takes two days. After this time, the battery is filled with electrolyte. After pouring, make sure that the density of the electrolyte is 1.28 g/cc.
Having unscrewed all the plugs, we connect. To restore the battery capacity, we perform several full charge-discharge cycles. The battery is charged with a small current (about a tenth of the rated current). In the process of charging, we make sure that the battery does not heat up, and the electrolyte does not boil.
When the voltage at the battery terminals is 13.8-14.4 V, we reduce the charging current by half. After two hours, we measure the density of the electrolyte. If it remains at the nominal level, then the device has been successfully charged, and charging can be stopped.
If the density of the electrolyte does not correspond to the nominal, it should be corrected. For this purpose, distilled water or an electrolyte of increased density is added to the battery. After that, the battery is discharged. To do this, a consumer of electricity (for example, a light bulb) is connected to the battery. When the voltage at the terminals drops to 10.2 V, the discharging process stops and a new battery charging cycle starts.
Important:
You can determine the battery capacity by calculating the battery discharge time. To do this, multiply the charge current by the time. If the battery capacity is below the nominal capacity, charge-discharge cycles should be carried out until the car battery is completely restored.
After restoring the battery capacity, add a little desulfating agent to the electrolyte and tighten the plugs. The battery, restored in the described way, should last a few more years.
The second way to restore the battery
The reader may find the described method rather long and labor-intensive. So it is, but the effort will pay off with the long life of the restored battery. Meanwhile, there is another method of battery recovery. So, how to restore a car battery quickly?
Using this method, the car battery can be restored in just one hour. The essence of the method is as follows:
The battery is charged to the maximum value. After that, the old electrolyte is drained, the battery is thoroughly washed with distilled water and filled with a special solution. This solution contains 5% ammonia and 2% Trilon B. Within 40-60 minutes, the process of desulfation of lead plates takes place.
In some cases, desulfation needs to be done multiple times, making car battery recovery a longer process. When desulfation is completed, the solution is drained, the battery is thoroughly washed with distilled water and filled with electrolyte. The restoration is completed by charging the battery with a nominal current.
Proper use of the battery
And so that you don’t have to wonder how to restore a car battery, you should take into account some useful tips on caring for this device.
- At intervals of once every two to three months, check the level and density of the electrolyte;
- In severe frosts, it is worth raising the density of the electrolyte to 1.40 g / cc.
- It is necessary to charge the battery with a current ten times less than its capacity. For example, if the battery capacity is 60 A / h, charging should be carried out with a current of 5 amperes;
- When the air temperature is below -25 'C, you should not leave the car overnight in an open parking lot. At this temperature, the electrolyte in the battery can freeze, causing the battery to fail.
If you follow these simple tips, you will be able to significantly extend the life of the battery and not have to wonder how to restore the car battery.
It never hurts to understand what exactly happened to her and whether it can be restored. It often turns out that the battery can be brought back to life in one way or another, and it can work for a long time. Of course, it is always important to remember that battery refurbishment is a process that requires specific skills and certain safety precautions. But if you learn this yourself, you can significantly reduce your cash costs. To understand how it is carried out, you need to understand how they function.
Device and principle of operation
The contents of car batteries are placed in a durable plastic case. Inside it there are two lead plates with charges with plus and minus signs, as well as a liquid electrolyte in the form of . Not only lead can serve as a material for the manufacture of plates. For example, in many modern batteries they are made of nickel or cadmium alloys.
When a certain amount of current is applied to the battery, it begins to accumulate energy and convert it into electrical energy. When the capacity limit is reached, the battery becomes an energy storage device with an output voltage of 12 V.
Why does the battery stop working
With each charge-discharge cycle, the battery plates are gradually damaged due to intense electrochemical processes inside car batteries. In addition, the car battery does not like deep discharge and constant use at high voltage. In both cases, a process called sulfation occurs. In other words, sparingly soluble lead sulfate is formed on the plates (if they are lead), which, in the end, becomes the main cause of battery failure. If the battery plates are intact, you can see a white coating on them. In this case, is shown.
When recovery is not possible
If the electrolyte inside turned out to be black or brown-brown, most likely, battery recovery is no longer possible. If the battery is swollen and swollen, it should be disposed of immediately.
The plates may crumble or crumble altogether, as a result of which one or more "cans" may short out in the battery. After a short circuit, restoring a car battery is also not recommended. Therefore, you should always look at what happened inside the battery before you restore it - of course, observing possible safety precautions.
In order not to bring the power supply to such a state, observe.
Car battery recovery
Despite the fact that there are no step-by-step guides for restoring batteries, many car enthusiasts have been doing their own restoration for a long time.
In popular publications and even on the street, advertisements still often flash that someone is buying up old acid batteries. Usually, such buyers themselves “reanimate” old batteries, and then sell them at reasonable prices.
There are many ways to repair a car battery yourself. One of the most reliable and popular - with the help of a special additive. Before starting the process, the old electrolyte from the battery is drained, and the inside is thoroughly washed with distilled water. At the same time, along the way, the condition of the battery is also assessed: how the plates look, how well the plastic case is preserved, and so on.
In an electrolyte having a density of 1.28 g/cm 3 , the desulfating additive is dissolved, and the solution is left in this state for two days. All necessary proportions are indicated in the instructions for use of the additive. The electrolyte is poured into the battery with a mandatory check of its density. The plugs of the "cans" of the battery are unscrewed, and the charger is turned on. Several cycles of "charge-discharge" of the battery are carried out to raise the level of its capacity. The entire charging process is carried out with a current of 10% of the maximum.
The battery should not get very hot, it should not be allowed to “boil”. Monitor the voltage indicator: when it stabilizes from 13.8 to 14.4 V, reduce the current supply to 5%. Wait about two hours, monitor the density in the electrolyte. If during this time it remains unchanged, the battery is charged and you can stop the charging process.
If the density of the electrolyte is higher than required, it must be corrected with distilled water, and if, on the contrary, it is higher, add an electrolyte of a higher density to the battery.
Now you need to discharge the battery again by connecting the load in the form of a small light bulb. Apply a small current, 1 A for a 12-volt battery, or 0.5 A for a 6-volt battery. Monitor the voltage until it drops: 10.2 V for a 12 V battery, or 5.1 V for a 6 V battery. Record the time and calculate the capacity acquired by the battery after recovery. For this, the discharge current is multiplied by its time. If the capacity is small, the cycle repeats.
Finally, add a small amount of desulfating additive to the battery and screw the plugs back on. As practice shows, such a battery will work for several more years.
Recovery by polarity reversal
A bit from the course of chemistry and the quality of battery plates
Before carrying out the restoration of lead batteries using polarity reversal, you must once again remind yourself that the two lead plates inside it contain different charges: one consisting directly of lead, “negative”, and the other, from lead dioxide, “positive”. Usually, it is the dioxide plate that is subject to the most severe desulfation process. This is clearly seen in the examples of some Chinese-made batteries, which may be of poor quality.
When it comes to such a recovery method as battery polarity reversal, experienced motorists unanimously argue that the quality of any old Soviet-made battery is distinguished by the enviable strength of lead plates, and therefore even the most “terry” specimen can theoretically be restored in this way. In practice, there have been cases when a battery that has stood somewhere in a garage for 20 years or more lends itself well to the recovery process. They say that in such cases it was possible to return the capacity by 70%.
Polarity reversal process: change the polarity
The battery is discharged to zero voltage indicators, which is controlled by measurements with a voltmeter at its poles. To make the discharge faster, a load in the form of a small light bulb is connected to the battery. Usually, if the battery capacity is low, then it is discharged quickly, and the light bulb stops burning. Then the polarity of the battery changes: the positive plates become negative, and the negative ones become positive. Charge the battery already with this polarity reversal.
Reversed battery: charge correctly
It is very important to remember that the current indicator when charging a reversed battery should not exceed 2 A. If the current is higher, the already weakened plates, especially the positive ones made of lead dioxide, can be completely destroyed. A reversed battery will start to heat up very strongly and quickly. The maximum temperature of its heating is 50 ° C, while 60 ° C is already the upper, critical mark. Voltage - 14.2-14.4 V.
If the heating temperature becomes higher than 60 ° C, you should immediately reduce the current to 1.5A as follows: reduce the voltage to 14.2 or even 14 V, but not lower than 13.8 V. Then charge the battery at such indicators. It should be charged, as usual, up to 12.7 V. If a battery of unknown, doubtful production is reversed, it is better to immediately reduce the current to 1.5 A, because 2 A is a rather large voltage.
Of course, during the charging process after a polarity reversal, the voltage will increase, and the battery banks will heat up. When the banks begin to "boil" and the voltage reaches 14 V and above, the battery must be removed from charging and checked. As a rule, all sulfates are dissolved during such intense boiling processes, and a reversed battery restores its capacity to about 80%.
Double polarity reversal method: the battery should be discharged again with a light bulb and the terminals should be moved to their original places. Then again discharge the battery "to zero" and charge again. After such a polarity reversal, the battery can fully work for 2-3 years.
Recovery of batteries that are not subject to maintenance
Thus, each of the proposed methods for restoring car batteries requires certain efforts, care and caution, but if these methods are mastered and put into practice, you can get rid of the need for additional financial costs for some time.
Hello friends! Today I want to tell you another simple, effective way to extend the life of your old battery. We all know perfectly well that a lead-acid battery is not an eternal thing. And even if you carefully monitor it, sooner or later it will still begin to fail. The reason for this is the sulfation of the plates, as a result of which the battery loses its capacity and is no longer able to perform the specified functions.
I want to clarify that the method described below is only suitable for sulfated batteries. It is not suitable for batteries with closed or swollen cells, broken plates, etc.
Clear signs of plate sulfation
The most obvious sign is that the battery is not holding the load. That is, when measuring the voltage at the terminals, the voltmeter shows a fully charged battery, and when the load is connected, the voltage sags significantly.
The second sign is fast self-discharge. For example, you haven't used your car for day 3. You go to the garage and try to start it. And the battery is very discharged, that even the electronics do not show their values.
All these phenomena do not occur immediately, but come gradually, usually after 3-5 years of battery operation.
The first step is to measure the initial voltage.
I have noticed an increase in self-discharge for a long time, so today it is generally discharged.
It will not be superfluous to check the density of the electrolyte.
After the battery is diagnosed and the diagnosis is made, we proceed to recovery.
With a hydrometer, drain the electrolyte from above as far as possible. As you can see, its color is dark.
Now turn the battery over and drain the rest into a bucket. This must be done very carefully and rotate the body when draining so that the row of cans' holes is horizontal. This must be done so that the outgoing jets of electrolyte do not close to each other.
Well, here it is completely black with a lot of impurities.
Now you need to find the capacity for the battery. I took the basin.
Using running water, rinse all jars with plain water. We fill to the top.
And we pour.
This will remove the electrolyte residue and black deposits.
We breed it with 5 liters of ordinary water in a canister. And mix well.
How to restore a car battery is easy!
Automakers strive to ensure a decent life of their products as a whole, as well as their individual elements. However, there are ways to help push the limits set by these companies. An example is the resuscitation of the main electrical appliance in a car. In the article, we will show you how to restore a car battery so that it works for a few extra months or not.
The purchase of a new battery in this case is not canceled, but only postponed for this period. For experiments, initially high-quality batteries are suitable. Related materials that help to "revive" the developed unit are available to any car owner.
When the battery is subjected to frequent full discharge and prolonged downtime in this position, then during such operation the main “disease” of the battery occurs - plate sulfation. The consequence of this process is a noticeable decrease in capacitance. Because of this, such a battery cannot spin the starter while starting the engine.
Sulfation of battery plates
You can learn about the beginning of sulfation by several signs:
- increased voltage at the terminals;
- noticeable heating of the plates during operation;
- sometimes the electrolyte boils;
- charge capacity decreases.
Another cause of failure can be the destruction of the plates, which leads to a short circuit between them. Sometimes there is a complete detachment of the plate from its place. The reason for this damage may be an excess of voltage supplied to charge the battery with a lack of electrolyte in the tank.
You need to know that both insufficient and excess charge can lead to the destruction of a car battery.
After carrying out repair work with the battery, in order to revive the car battery, it will be necessary to get rid of the source of destruction of the electrical element.
External battery damage
Before starting the troubleshooting, we will determine the types of problems and the possibilities for their elimination. As external faults, there is oxidation of the terminals. Due to the coating with a layer of scale, there is no high-quality contact between the surface of the battery electrode and the wire in contact with it.
By cleaning the surfaces, you can restore the output electrical characteristics of the battery. Sometimes the terminal is planted quite tightly, sticks to the electrode, so you need to unwind the connection and check for a good pairing.
The second most common external problem is damage to the battery case. This happens due to external mechanical damage or due to internal malfunctions. Restoration of a car battery and sealing a hole is possible only on serviced batteries. To do this, the contacts are folded back, the battery is removed, the electrolyte residues are drained and the outer wall is soldered using a plastic patch. You can check the tightness with a distillate. Only then fresh electrolyte is poured into the containers.
Internal battery failure
The main problem that spoils the battery from the inside is the coating of the plates with acid and lead reaction salts. They prevent the movement of charged particles from one electrode to another. In parallel, the resistance increases, which leads to a decrease in the overall capacity of the battery. The early periods of such a process are reversible, but if the reaction has significantly damaged the plates, then the resumption of the unit's performance is impossible.
Electrolyte Density Meter
Sometimes it is possible to shed particles from the plates, leading to a short circuit. If this happened not so long ago, then washing the inside with distilled water will help out. In order not to get swelling of the case from severe prolonged frosts, you should not leave the battery in the car. The electrolyte expanded due to this process will destroy the design of the battery, which after such a “stress” cannot be restored.
Battery recovery methods
Let's describe the most popular ways to resume working capacity, in which repairing a car battery will give it extra life.
Battery protection
How to properly use the battery
You can delay the repair of a car battery and extend its service life by following simple rules:
- at least once a season it is necessary to control the density of the electrolyte;
- during frosts above 20-25 C, it is necessary to bring the density to 1.35-1.4 g / ml;
- to charge the battery, a current strength is applied that is 10 times less than the numerical value of the capacity;
if the car can be in an open parking lot during frost from -25 C, then it is advisable to cover it or take it with you so that the frozen electrolyte does not disable the unit.
