Battery Exploded...Video / Photos

[Industrial Toys]

I have a friend that works around batteries for mobile inverters. Also, small tractors and lawn care equipment. They handle thousands a year. He has worked there for almost two decades. He has never had a battery explode or had reports of it.

So, I would say it is odd. As said, only explanation, hydrogen gas and a spark. Frozen batteries can explode when charged as well.

I ALWAYS look away when taking charger clips off of a battery.

Another friend has a battery he charges occasionally to run a hyd power pack. It is mounted way to close to a bench grinder, and it did explode in spectacular fashion leaving very little behind.

 

[CobyRupert]

Lots of great info. I really think the built in VR went in the alternator as someone stated. I wonder if the battery was being over charged the day before when I was using it and cause a short in the battery. Then after charging it over night and turning the key sparked inside and Boom.

The Antigravity jump pack I put on it to start it afterward was only connected like 1 minute when I took it off (tractor kept running) and the battery in the anitgravity was very swollen and warm.

SO I purchased a new Mitisubishi A7T02071C alternator as that is what seems to fit the 4cyl Mitisubishi Diesel engine I have in my SAME and looks exactly the same. The plate on the alternator I pulled off today was worn and could not read the last numbers. Called the dealer but......so ordered off Amazon.

Them once I get that sorted out I have sort out the key switch that will not kill the engine when turned off and that once fuse in the video.

Great info you guys....thanks

Definitely a possibility. As others have said, check the VR.
...or could a bad/loose cable connection at the battery been the problem? This would make it seem like a weak battery, so you put the charger on and overcharge creating hydrogen that gets ignited by the spark at the loose connection?

 

[davemhughes]

Follow up.......

Winner winner chicken dinner to the guy that first suggested the VR....

Had to sort of investigate which alternator to buy for the 1.5L Mits Diesel engine. Only took really about 30 minutes to figure it out and I bough off Amazon a new one with built in VR. Arrived today, hooked it up and fired it up and everything looks right and appears to function correctly......and the Key now kills the engine once again. I guess a bad VR does something with the key kill switch and when bad it will not kill the engine.

Thank you to all I really do thank you for the help:thumbsup:

 

[ultrarunner]

Always nice to have a follow up... thanks for posting!

 

[pen411]

Follow up.......

Winner winner chicken dinner to the guy that first suggested the VR....


View attachment 483617

Yay me, I got something right?!

Glad you got it working and parts were easy enough to find!

 

[crazyal]

Been there last summer and don't want to do it again. The VR went on my Case 580k and over charged the battery. The voltage gauge looked a little high when running but it wasn't that high. A few days later when i went to start it the battery had just enough power to do it. It was one of the types with the removable caps and I found all the cells low. Topped them off thinking that maybe because it was an old battery time had taken it's toll and the battery was fine again. About a week later I shut it off for a few minutes. When I went to start it "POW". Yea it'll scare you. It blew the caps off the battery and split one cell. The cells that didn't split were low on acid. It looks like the over charging split the acid down causing hydrogen to escape. It must have gotten near the starter solenoid (or something else) and set it off. I learned a lesson, next time I'll do it right and verify the alternator before just topping off a battery.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

What probably happened is that you have a bad cell in the battery, which caused the slow starting and eventually discharged it. When charging, it wouldn't get to the proper voltage so it overcharged, venting off Hydrogen gas, which ignited when you activated the starter, causing a spark that backfed into the boiling cell, which would appear to be #3 or 4.
A new battery after a washdown of the area with baking soda and water should cure the problem, don't see any system problems indicated.

Agreed! Clean it up and replace the battery before you assume something else is wrong.

 

[davemhughes]

I was a bad VR as a root problem. New battery also. Already replaced and have bush hogged several acres since then.