The second life of a car battery. How to extend the life of a car battery, causes of battery failure

Every car enthusiast knows that the battery is not eternal and needs to be replaced periodically. The term of operation reaches usually 3-4 years. For some, it fails much earlier, and for someone - later. This aspect depends on many factors, but often all problems happen due to the mistakes of car owners. If you treat the battery with care, then it can work for 8 years. How can you increase its service life? Everything is simple! It is enough to listen to the elementary recommendations of the manufacturer. But first you need to figure out why the battery deteriorates and why it forces drivers to start the car from the pusher in the cold.

In fact, a battery can perform poorly for various reasons. They are somehow connected with negligent attitude to the car. These may be driver errors or machine malfunctions that need to be identified in time. The manufacturer also affects the service life. Having bought a battery for 1000 rubles, you will not get the power that you would have received for 3000 rubles. Therefore, the cost also plays important role. In the end, a factory marriage may just get caught. But if you are confident in reliability, then here are a few reasons related to the operation that ruin any battery.

Severe battery drain

The most detrimental effect on the battery has a deep discharge. Usually this happens very rarely. The fact is that the battery is constantly charged from the generator and cannot sit down by itself when the engine is running (even with all the devices turned on). But if there are any problems in the power supply system, then discharge is guaranteed.

Most often, the relay, wiring or the generator itself fails. In this case, the driver indicator will definitely light up. check engine or the charging sensor will not work. It is possible to plant the battery even with serviceable power supply elements. For example, trying to repeatedly start the engine in cold weather. As a rule, it is this procedure that has the greatest burden. It is not for nothing that, according to the rules for operating a car, manufacturers advise giving rest to the battery after an attempt to start.

Burning Check indicator Engine signals problems with the battery

Overcharging

No less detrimental is improper charging. On the company label is written the current at which the this process. This value must be observed, otherwise 2-3 cycles and the battery can be thrown away. Often, drivers deliberately increase the current in order to charge it faster. This is the most stupid mistake, because it takes time to be effective.

The longer your battery is charged at low current, the more productive the return will be. If it is increased, then excessive boiling will begin, which will cause deformation of the lead plates. Because of this, the active mass can crumble from them. Optimal current when charging, it will fluctuate between 3 and 6 amperes, depending on the power of the battery.

The battery must be charged with low current and a long period time

Failure of charging elements

When driving continuously (especially at night) huge pressure goes to the generator. He has important detail- a current relay that regulates the voltage during charging. In good condition for a 12V system, it should be no higher than 14 Volts. In the event of an increase in voltage, water will begin to evaporate from the electrolyte. General level liquid will fall and the plates will be exposed. From drying out, the coating will gradually fall off from them. Then the battery can close or work at half its potential.

To avoid this practice, cars have charging sensors that can be used to monitor the condition of the battery. But not all cars have them. For example, in modern foreign cars this system regulates automatically and in case of problems, it simply turns off so as not to cause a short circuit.

Adding electrolyte

When the battery has been in operation for a long time, part of the electrolyte evaporates. Ideally, the void should be filled again. Then drivers buy acid, mix it with water and thus get an electrolyte. It remains only to fill it in the battery, making a big mistake. When the liquid evaporates, the acid concentration rises. By adding a new one to the leftovers, you will mix them, violating the ratio.

It is strictly forbidden to add electrolyte to the battery!

This will lead to poor performance of the active substance. It will not be possible to fully charge the battery and it will not work at full capacity. In addition, there is a risk of oxidation of the plates. If this happens, then the battery can be immediately carried for recycling.

You can add electrolyte to the battery only if you know exactly the desired density and make exactly the same density new fluid. In other cases, you will either have to completely drain the electrolyte and fill in a new one, or replace the battery.

Frost blown battery

Careless handling of the battery winter time year also leads to its disrepair. If it is charged, then nothing will happen. But it often happens that, having gone outside in winter, the owners make several unsuccessful attempts to start the engine. By these actions, the battery is set to zero, and the electrolyte turns into water. As you know, water freezes in the cold and increases in volume. From this wall and lead plates Batteries can swell and burst. Then you can not even try to restore it.

A battery swollen in the cold is not recoverable

But, if bulges with cracks are not observed in appearance, then you can try to charge. This should be done at a very low current (1-2 amperes), respectively, the procedure will take more than one day.

Short circuit (short circuit)

There are also cases when a lot of keys are collected under the hood of a car during repairs. In the confusion, there is a chance that one of the tools will fall on the terminals, shorting them out. Then the battery will be severely damaged.

But this is far from the only short circuit method. It is enough to rub the wiring on the case. In this case, even a fire is possible. "Why?" - you ask. After all, the voltage is small - only 12 volts. But for car battery more important is the current. It is the cause of a fire in case of a short circuit. This place begins to glow red hot and sets fire to everything around it. If anyone did not know, then the battery is even able to melt the electrode and weld metal, like a welding machine. Thanks to high current he spins a powerful starter and starts the engine. This procedure discharges the battery by 90%, in relation to other electrical appliances.

Poor fit and fastening

An important point is to secure the battery under the hood. In general, there is a special place for it with fasteners. But, if a person in a hurry was going somewhere and charged the battery on the eve, then there is a possibility that he forgot to fix it, or did not fix it well enough. Then, on large bumps, the battery will jump, hitting the car body and all possible mechanisms. Because of this, cracks may appear on the case, which will cause the electrolyte to leak. Further, its level will decrease and everything is the same - the plates dry up and the active mass crumbles.

The car battery must be installed correctly and well fixed on seat

Careless maintenance of the battery

The most common cause of battery failure is dirt under the hood. In 60% of cars, the battery is greasy and full of dust, which increases the risk of short circuiting of the electrodes. Everything must be clean, free of oil and moisture.

It is also necessary to check if the plugs are screwed in, because water evaporates through them and the surface of the battery gets dirty. It is better to lubricate the terminals with grease or petroleum jelly so that they do not oxidize. Careful attitude to the battery significantly extends its service life.

The battery must be periodically cleaned from dirt and dust.

These are not all the reasons bad work battery. There are many more of them and they are all associated with the inattention of car owners. It is worth mentioning another important point. If the drive is strongly planted, it is necessary to charge with a small current for a long time. To make sure that the battery is working, you can see whether it boils or not during the charging process. Inside the battery is divided into banks. If bubbles appear in each, then there is a chance for recovery. When the process of air release is not observed in one of the cans, most likely it is closed and no longer works. Do not bring the battery to such a state and it will serve you for a long time.

Now you know the main causes of battery failure and are more or less guided by what can and cannot be done. But to consolidate, it is worth knowing the basic rules for caring for a power source so that it does not fail ahead of time. It's not difficult at all, but important points:

• Purity. First of all, the drive must be in a clean, well-secured area. This is necessary to avoid short circuits and the appearance of cracks on the case during operation. The electrodes must be lubricated with a special compound in order to easily remove the terminals and so that they do not oxidize;
• Presence of fluid. It is necessary to periodically check the electrolyte level in the battery. If it is low, then only distilled water can be added. In the case of adding electrolyte, the situation will turn out as with engine oil- the composition will change;
• Proper charging and discharge. The battery should not be heavily loaded. When charging, follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Usually it is written on the side of the label;
• Proper operation at low temperatures. After a long trip or a heavy load (as a result of starting attempts), it is better to remove the battery and charge it in a warm place. When it is dead, the electrolyte turns into water and freezes. The battery can swell, causing it to crack. A charged accumulator is not threatened by frost, since the electrolyte retains almost all of its properties (the density slightly decreases);
• Attention to the car. Any driver must distinguish between a dead battery and a charged one. If the car has a dim light or the starter does not work well, then most likely the battery is weakly charged. Timely diagnose the machine at the service station in order to exclude the possibility of a short circuit and failure of any device.

After my article on how to choose a battery (read it informatively), letters and comments from my viewers and readers often began to come to me with such questions - “I bought new battery, on your advice, and in a week he again does not start the car - why? Others are asked to tell - how to increase the service life (operation) of the battery. And you know there are a lot of such comments. That's why I decided to write an article and shoot a video to answer all the questions at once ...

To be honest with the era maintenance-free batteries, many motorists simply do not know how to properly maintain the battery of their car. They think that he rolled a couple of (if lucky - five) years and passed it to the scrap, but this is not always the case. Elementary, the most banal and simple advice, if the car "does not turn" check the charge, perhaps from some short trips, from a large number"Consumers" it is discharged and it is trite to recharge it. No need to immediately run and change it to a new one.

Today I will give you some tips that will help you extend the life of your battery, and sometimes understand why a new battery is draining so quickly. Let's not pull let's go:

Generator (undercharged or overcharged)

The generator is our everything, it replenishes the charge of the battery (when it gives it to start). This generating plant can have many different breakdowns (especially through big runs), I won’t go into much depth, now this is not the point, but I will describe the main ones:

• Came out

• Broken brushes
• Yes corny belt broke or slips

All this can lead to undercharging (then either sulfation, and in winter the battery can freeze) or overcharging (water boils away from the electrolyte, the plates become exposed, they can warm up and crumble corny). This will not extend the service life in any way, but on the contrary, it will shorten it as much as possible (you can kill it in just a week). I have an article - I recommend reading it.

leakage current

Now many different third-party products can be installed in the car electronic devices- alarms, gadgets (navigators, video recorders, COMBOs, etc.). All this draws energy from the battery. Think for yourself, they drowned out the car, put it on the alarm, but it must “feed” from something, so it sucks a little battery. Really a little major manufacturers this is monitored (usually around 20-30 milliamps per hour). But the alarm may not always be of high quality or incorrectly installed, because leaks can increase many times (I read somewhere that up to 200 milliamps per hour) - now imagine how much to spend per night! YES even if cold start, short trips, etc.

If you bought new battery, and he “died” again in a week, you need, perhaps this is the reason.

Decreased electrolyte level

In any battery, the electrolyte level drops over time, the capacity drops accordingly, the plates are exposed (because the concentration becomes higher), and the plates can simply heat up and crumble - if distilled water is not added.

In "serviced" batteries, this is easy and simple, just unscrew the plugs and add.

But in the "non-discussable" it is VERY problematic to do this, they are not designed for this (although our craftsmen manage to do this), maybe I will have an article about restoration.

In any case, you need to keep an eye on the level, if possible, this will MUCH prolong the life.

It can occur for many reasons, but the main one is the electrolyte vapor between the current output and the housing. Vapors rise and oxidize the terminals. Because of this, the contact patch falls, the charge going worse, and the current output is also deteriorating.

• Eliminate oxides.
• We need to find the reason for their appearance. If there are microcracks in the battery case, then you need to eliminate them. There are many videos on this subject special formulations(composite adhesives), so you just need the desire to fix this problem

This is also bad because, when rising to the surface, vapors form wet spots that may not dry out for a long time and a small self-discharge can also occur through them.

Housing mount

Many people neglect this, but it is also important. Any battery, on almost any car, has a rigid mount to the body. You shouldn't clean it up.

This is done just on purpose, that she did not hang out in engine compartment and so as not to break the “current leads” (microcracks about which I wrote above), and in severe cases the case

Thermal case for battery

This thing is good enough, but only if done right. If without heating, then it will REVERSEally worsen battery performance. The point is - if it is very cold outside, then the battery will freeze very much during the night.

After starting and warming up the engine, warm air on the contrary, it will not go to the battery case, it will be interfered with by a thermal case that will keep the cold inside. Thus, you need to understand that it must be heated, only then it is useful. In everything else, only HARM.

High power consumption - long listening to music

If your car has a lot of different consumers (some kind of heaters, inverters, large subwoofer speakers, amplifiers), you need to understand that a regular generator can and will not cope with all this. And then he will take part of the energy from the battery, even if the car is running. That is, there will be a discharge. DO NOT exceed your car's consumption, especially in winter period time, because it is not easy for him!

This is also the case with those who listen to music on a muffled car, especially if there is a lot of it and it is again powerful. The battery runs out very quickly and this does not contribute to it in any way. long term services. If you are a music lover, then you need to put an extra battery in the car.

Cold start - prophylactic charge

Winter for our batteries is another test. At extremely negative temperatures, it takes a charge very poorly (however, it still takes it). During a cold start, in addition to the fact that the battery itself (from the cold, lost some of its capacity), the engine also needs to be rotated. Here you start the engine, then warm it up for a couple of minutes, 10 minutes before work, the battery did not have time to take the charge spent at start-up. Then you go to work, the car is again in the cold all day and again a cold start - undercharging. And all this can be repeated every day.

In order to increase the service life, you need to do a preventive charge, at least once a month or two (and the colder it is in your region, the more often it needs to be done). If you do not have a charger, then there is an easy way to recharge the battery - just do long trips at least once a week or two (from 40 minutes and above). Then your battery will both warm up and recharge.

Starter - battery polarity

Often in bad launches It may not be the battery that is at fault, but the starter. It can also fail (the retractor relay simply sticks or does not work normally) and therefore the engine cannot be started. Again, before buying, you need to check the old one, the voltage (should be 12.7V), the electrolyte level (if possible), you can walk. And a non-working starter in any case will make itself felt.

Many people ask me, what will the battery be like - if you accidentally mixed up the terminals, took the wrong polarity? Nothing good, though not deadly! Most likely you will burn the wiring, fuses (I even have it on the positive terminal), and (there is a high probability). So be careful.

Here are some tips, I think it was useful. Now the video version of the article

I end here, take care of your battery and its service life will DEFINITELY increase. That's all - sincerely your AUTOBLOGGER

average The service life of a modern lead-acid battery for a car is from 5 to 7 years. This is only if the owner fulfills all the requirements of the manufacturer for the maintenance and operation of the battery. Not always everything can be foreseen, and death comes suddenly. This also applies to the battery. In order not to throw away extra money for the purchase of a new battery, it is enough to pay attention to it literally twice a year. Then it will serve not just the prescribed 7 years, but may still stand in stock. To do this, you need nothing at all - car battery training.

What is a control-training cycle?

If the battery is very tired of life or has not been used for a long time, only the KTC - control and training cycle can help it. It will also help to get to know the battery, which was, say, on a newly purchased car, to determine its approximate resource and life span. The whole operation is easily carried out by hand without sophisticated equipment and encyclopedic knowledge . It is enough to finish reading this manual, and the battery can take on a new life, breathe deeply and delight the owner with stable 12 V. Experienced motorists recommend exercising and restoring the car's battery at least once a year, with the exception of new batteries. The training cycle includes a full charge of the battery, a control discharge of the battery, and then a re-charge.

How to conduct battery training?

All battery training is not carried out in a car. To do this, the battery is removed, charged according to the charging technology with any available charger, after which the density of the electrolyte is measured in all sections of the battery. The average density of the electrolyte should be within 1.27 g / cm3. Checking the density is carried out with an aerometer, and in some battery models an indicator is built in that signals the level of electrolyte density. If the density is greater than the nominal, they add to the jar distilled water . If less - finished electrolyte with a density of 1.4 g / cm3.

Now the most important thing is to properly discharge the battery. To do this, it is connected to a powerful rheostat, and the discharge parameters are controlled by an ammeter and voltmeter. The wiring diagram is so simple that we drew it ourselves. Here she is .

Now that the battery is connected, the process of discharging with the current of the ten-hour mode begins. The current value corresponds to 9% of the rated battery capacity. That is, if the battery is 50 Ah, then the discharge current should be exactly 4.5 A, if 60 - then 5.4 A, and a 75 Ah battery is discharged with a current of 6.8 A. At the same time, it is very important to maintain the discharge current at a constant level until the voltage at the battery terminals drops to 10.3 V. Less than this value, discharging is not allowed.

The subtleties of battery training

Process quite subtle , requiring attention , but extremely effective . We note the time from the beginning of the discharge. The first measurement is made at the very beginning of the discharge cycle, while it is necessary to ensure that the electrolyte does not overheat. Subsequent measurements are carried out not earlier than after 3-4 hours. The main thing is not to miss the moment when the voltage drops to 11 V. After this threshold, measurements are taken every 10-15 minutes until the voltage drops to 10.2-10.3 V. The time spent on discharging the battery with a given current will speak eloquently about the true capacity of the battery. The shorter the discharge time, the smaller the actual capacity. It is easily calculated. The discharge current is simply multiplied by the time it takes to discharge to 10.2 volts.

For example, a battery has a capacity of 90 Ah, so its discharge current must be exactly 8.1A. According to measurements, the battery was discharged in 6 hours. It turns out, 6x8, 1 = 48,6. Consequently, after the first discharge cycle, the battery has a capacity of 48.6 Ah, which is almost half the nominal capacity. Now you need to repeat the procedure for charging the battery by the standard method or by pulsed current until fully charged, after which, according to the same scheme, carry out training - restorative detente . A similar result can be obtained by restoring the battery with a pulsed current, but in manual mode, as described above, the result is guaranteed. After 3-4 such cycles, the actual battery capacity will increase to the nominal capacity in 90% of cases, so do not rush to dispose of old batteries.

As unfortunate as it may be, everything has its own lifespan. It is believed that the battery has a life of about three years, after which the battery is sent to a landfill, and a new battery takes its place in the car.

However, do not rush to say goodbye to the old battery ahead of time, as there are several ways to resuscitate it. It is with them that I would like to introduce you today.

The most common and favorite methods for resuscitating batteries by most car owners include:
1. Continuous charge of the battery with low current.
2. Battery charge in distilled water.
3. Maximum battery discharges by low currents.

Agree, the names of recovery methods give only superficial ideas about their essence. For achievement excellent result you need to get acquainted with these methods of resuscitation of the battery closer.

Continuous battery charging with low current

Using this simple method, you can restore life only to a battery with a slight and not chronic sulfation of the plates.

In order to give a second life to a battery, you need to:
1. Fill the battery with distilled water slightly above the level.
2. Turn on the battery for charging with a current of normal value (0.1 battery capacity).
3. As soon as gas formation in the battery becomes noticeable, the charge should be turned off for 20-30 minutes.
4. After a break, the battery must again be connected to a current, only this time reduced by ten times in comparison with the original, i.e. 0.01 of the battery capacity.
5. Having noticed increased gas formation on the plates of both polarities, it is necessary to disconnect the battery from the current and take a break for 15-20 minutes.

The fourth and fifth battery recovery steps should be repeated several times. Sometimes, in order for the battery to come to full combat readiness, it is necessary to repeat these procedures for several days in a row before starting to operate the battery at full capacity.

To avoid the inconvenience associated with battery operation, we recommend periodically checking the electrolyte level in the battery (the height of its layer should not be less than 5 mm above the upper edges of the plates), and if necessary, you can add distilled water. Make sure that no foreign matter gets into the battery. traces of oxidation on battery terminals and wires must be carefully removed.

Battery charge in distilled water

If the sulfation of the battery is deep, but not old, then you can try to restore the battery in the following way.
1. We discharge the battery to a voltage of 9 V.
2. Drain all the electrolyte solution and fill the battery with distilled water. We are waiting for about an hour.
3. After a pause in operation, turn on the battery for a charge. In this case, the voltage at each battery terminal must in no case exceed 11.5 V.
4. Gradually increase the charge. After the specific gravity of the solution has been increased to approximately 1.1-1.12, it is necessary to bring the charging current to a value equal to 0.1 of the battery capacity.
5. The battery should be charged in this way until a uniform gas evolution is noticeable on the plates of both polarities.
6. After that, it is necessary to discharge the battery for one and a half to two hours with a current equal to 0.2 of the discharge current, corresponding to a ten-hour battery discharge mode.

Steps 5 and 6 of battery recovery should be repeated several times. After the specific gravity of the solution does not stop increasing, the electrolyte level should be brought to normal and the battery is ready for use.

It is worth noting that this method is quite time-consuming, it can often take weeks to give the battery a second life.

Resuscitation of the battery by the method of maximum discharges with low currents

The battery recovery method, which will be discussed now, is suitable for batteries with old sulfation. Obviously, the process will be long and laborious, but worth it.

1. First of all, you need to charge the battery with a current equal to 0.2 * Q (where Q is the battery capacity).
2. After the voltage has reached 12V, the charging current should be reduced to the value calculated by the formula 0.05*Q.
3. The charge should be stopped when both the voltage and the weight of the electrolyte have reached stable values.
4. Let the battery rest for half an hour to an hour. Then again charge it with a small current until it “boils”.

This step should be repeated several times. You will understand that it is time to stop the procedure when the electrolyte starts to boil a few minutes after the start of charging.

After that, you should repeat the first stage of work, and after a couple of hours, continue to charge the battery in the indicated way. To restore battery performance, you may need to repeat the entire cycle of work up to 8 times.

Of course, restoring the battery on your own is a rather long and laborious process, but with a little effort you can significantly extend the life of the battery and save a significant amount.

Sooner or later every owner vehicle wondering how to extend the service life battery. and all auxiliary devices of the machine, thus ensuring comfortable ride. This means that a situation may occur with you in which you simply cannot start your car. Usually this happens at the most inopportune moment, when you urgently need to go somewhere.

Don't be discouraged, another driver can come to the rescue by allowing you to recharge the battery from his battery. This situation can happen to anyone, today he will help you, and tomorrow another motorist will come to his aid.

For charging, you must use the so-called "crocodiles". You should always have such a device with you, so you should buy it immediately when purchasing a car. Some terminals need to be connected to your battery, and others to your "savior". Be very careful to connect plus to plus and minus to minus. During this time, the engine should never be running. If your battery is very low (this can be seen from the light on the shield, which is barely lit), you can turn on the motor of your assistant for 10 minutes. When starting your engine, the second must be turned off, otherwise both yours and its electrical equipment will fail.

This procedure will help you solve your problems during the day, and at night you need to put the battery on charge from the mains using a special device.

What to do to increase battery life

Why is the battery draining

To know how to prolong the life of your battery, you need to consider the main causes of its discharge and methods to eliminate them:

1. Due to the ingress of electrolyte vapors, oxidation of the outputs of the terminals and pins can occur. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to clean the terminals with sandpaper and lubricate them with a small layer of grease.
2. In case of violation of the integrity of the housing, electrolyte leakage may occur. To solve the problem, you can pour out the remaining liquid, seal the crack epoxy glue or solder with a similar material. Then you need to pour the electrolyte back.
3. If you do not keep your battery clean, you may experience increased self-discharge. To prevent this from happening, wipe down your battery regularly. To do this, you can use water with the addition of a small amount of soda.
4. When the device is completely discharged, it may happen short circuit plates. If the battery has been rarely used or has not worked at all, repair is not possible.
5. sulfation process. This is the most common reason for battery failure. Lead sulfate crystals cover the entire surface of the battery plates. Work disrupted due to white plaque, which prevents the penetration of the electrolyte and an increase in its temperature, as well as active gas evolution and voltage increase. The battery begins to discharge very quickly, as a result of which it becomes unusable. To slightly reduce the sulfation process, several charge-discharge stages can be carried out. In this case, you first need to apply a charge to a density of 1.285 g/cm 2 . To reduce it, you need to add water, and to increase it, fill in the electrolyte. Next, you need to apply a discharge with a current of 4–5 amperes up to 10.2 V at the terminals. With this method, sulfation will decrease, but not much, and the battery can be used a little more.

We independently eliminate the causes of problems

Battery life with normal care is 4-5 years. At the same time, it is important to detect and eliminate the malfunctions that have arisen in a timely manner. Let's consider the main ones.

leads to a decrease in the density of the electrolyte elevated level self-discharge. This is mainly due to contamination of the battery surface. To remove dirt, you can use a brush dipped in a pre-prepared 10% hot solution of soda in water. With this procedure, you will also remove an unnecessary layer of electrolyte from the surface of the battery.

Then you need to rinse the battery well with water and wipe dry with a clean cloth. At the final stage, you can degrease with gasoline, and also apply a couple of layers of epoxy glue on top of the mastic. The resulting film will protect your battery from the damaging effects of dirt and electrolyte. Battery parts must be cleaned of traces of oxidation and painted. The frame of the device can be covered with tape.

Increased self-discharge can also occur due to contaminated electrolyte. To prevent this from happening, you need to drain all the liquid and wash the battery well with distilled or boiled water. It is necessary to wash until the release of a dark precipitate stops. Next, pour distilled water again and wait an hour, then connect the battery to charger and charge with a current of 0.5–1 A throughout the day.

After that, it is necessary to drain all the liquid and fill the battery with electrolyte with a density of 1.27 g / m 2. At the end, you need to charge the battery and make sure that the density in all elements is normal. With the help of this procedure, the operational life of the device is extended. It should be noted that it is necessary to fill new electrolyte, and the old one must be neutralized with soda and poured into a specially designated place.

Increased self-discharge can occur due to current leakage when the insulation of any wire or machine device is damaged. To check if this is the case, disconnect all current consumers and touch the terminal with the “+” sign to the attachment point. If a spark appears, you need to find and neutralize the problem.

Remember that the normal self-discharge of the battery is 1-2% per day.

Oxidation of tips and pins leads to an increase in the resistance of the external electrical circuit. Because of this, when starting the engine, the starter does not have enough voltage, and the engine does not start. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to put on the pins a felt or felt washer 2-4 mm thick, which is impregnated with an alkaline substance. This will prevent the oxidation process.

Cracking and delamination of the mastic from the walls of the accumulator may be the result of clogging of the gas outlet holes in the plugs. I need to take them out and check. If necessary, clean with a wooden stick. If you find defects in outside batteries, you need to warm up the mastic, add plasticine and fill in all the cracks. In this case, the battery surface must be heated to 60 ° C using a 200 W lamp.

Should be normal. If it is increased, liquid may splash out through the holes in the plugs, if it is lowered, the plates will be exposed, which leads to sulfation and battery failure.

Due to the shedding of the active mass and the destruction of the separator, short circuits inside the battery are possible, which will lead to its boiling. You need to check the density of the electrolyte. If you find a malfunction somewhere, you need to open the battery and inspect everything. After repairing or replacing some parts, everything must be put in place and corked.

Battery charging problems can occur due to sulfation of the plates. The reasons for this problem may be:

• prolonged non-use of the battery;
• systematic undercharging of the battery;
• high density and low level electrolyte.

To reduce the sulfation process, you need:

• charge the device charging current during few hours;
• completely drain the electrolyte;
• wash the battery well;
• pour a solution of baking soda (25 g per 1 liter of water) and wait 3 hours;
• drain the liquid and pour the salt solution;
• charge the battery for an hour;
• drain and wash everything;
• pour a solution of baking soda (40 g per 1 liter of water) and again make an hourly charge.

After carrying out all these stages, it is necessary to thoroughly wash everything, fill in a new electrolyte and recharge according to the instructions.

Experts advise to follow the following rules to increase the life of your battery:

1. After turning off the engine, you need to check if all electrical appliances are turned off.
2. When disconnecting the battery from the power supply, you must immediately turn off the wire with a minus sign.
3. Avoid battery self-discharge.
4. Constantly check the connection points of the terminals with the battery.
5. If you do not use the battery without draining the electrolyte from it, you must constantly charge it and check the density and liquid level.
6. The driver, using a voltmeter, must monitor the voltage at the battery poles.
7. It is necessary to measure the density and electrolyte level every 3000 km.
8. If all indicators are normal, the battery still needs to be charged: in winter - every month, in summer - every 6 months.
9. For charging, use a current equal to 1/10 of the battery capacity.
10. Remember that in winter, when frost occurs, damage to the case is possible, which occurs due to freezing of the liquid in a discharged battery.

If all these rules are observed, it is possible long service life your battery.

Video on how to restore the battery:

Things to remember when buying a new battery

To purchase a new battery, you need to know its size. To do this, you can measure the socket of the old battery and the value of the starting current.

When making a purchase, remember that you need:

• take a check and issue warranty card for the purchased goods;
• find out the date of manufacture of the battery;
• using a voltmeter, measure the voltage at the battery terminals, while it should be no more than 12.6 V.

Summarize

Everyone can extend the life of their battery. To do this, it is necessary to properly care for it and listen to the advice of specialists. Also remember that a quality product purchased will last you much longer than any used device.