Another blown up J.D. Battery

Tororider · Jul 19, 2009

So I was using the tractor to mow some grass out at the farm on Thursday, in preparation for a party. I stopped the mower to check my phone and call my wife for a minute. When I turned the key to start the mower again boom goes the dynamite. A big boom, and then smoke started rising around the engine compartment. When my dad and I looked under the hood, this is what we found.

Fortunately the battery was as far away from me in the driver seat as possible so I didn't even get a drop of battery acid on me. We grabbed a car jump battery and were able to drive the tractor up to the barn and rinse it down. Then on Friday we neutralized everything and installed the new 5th generation battery. My dad was hoping for a glass mat battery, but apparently J.D. doesn't have one for our model. This one is supposed to vent differently. We will see.

WayneB · Jul 19, 2009

I am not sure if I understand why this is happening to you and your Deere? One would think that the charging circuit would regulate and not permit over-charging of the battery, if that is the cause for the blowing up?

What did the John Deere dealer have to say if anything?

Wayne

MikeInEburg · Jul 19, 2009

The blowing up part is the hydrogen that is produced during the charging process. Wonder what is producing the spark? Loose connection?
Mike

JohnDeere4300 · Jul 19, 2009

Your lucky you wasn't cleaning the battery terminals or any other maintenance that require the hood to be raised.

I hope you got all the metal washed down good.... JD has had some bad problems with batteries and i remember reading on here where a guy had a JD battery leak & damage the metal where the battery sits, and the grill that protects the radiator & the frame of the tractor that's underneath the battery.

I was warned early about JD batteries leaking, and i changed mine early.. But i didn't buy one from JD... I wonder where JD gets these batteries, and i remember other members asking the same question.

It would probably be good if you posted this in the 'safety' discussion or in JD owning/operating... (So maybe a new member with a new JD tractor could see this and be warned early.)

You would think that if you had some other parts that were damaged because of this JD would have to fix it.

Have you talked to JD about this ?.... I would have taken pictures and showed JD this.

I'm glad you wasn't hurt and i hope you got everything washed off good.

Tororider · Jul 19, 2009

No, I wasn't hurt at all, probably should have checked my shorts afterwards but other than that I was fine. We washed it down with water that night, and the next day my dad got some neutralizing spray and sprayed it down good again.

Apparently the older generation batteries don't vent well or something. The newer generation is supposed to be better about it, so we will see.

The battery had been leaking a little, but we were checking it, and my dad had even painted the battery compartment to avoid corroding.

I think my dad was going to send those pictures to J.D. to let them know once again that they should recall those batteries or something.

My dad mentioned to me, he worked a wrecker as a kid in high school and jumped he didn't know how many batteries, and every time there was the chance that with the spark they could explode. Crazy.

jinman · Jul 19, 2009

Wow! Scary stuff.

Am I understanding correctly that this has happened to you before with a JD battery? Perhaps by "another" in your title, you mean that you've heard of others with this happening.

I own a Dodge with a Cummins diesel and two batteries. I replaced the original batteries with Interstate batteries. About three years later, one of those Interstate batteries exploded just exactly like yours. I was lucky to have my truck in my own driveway with a pressurized hose laying 10' away. It made it a non-event for damage because I was able to flush out all the acid immediately. I still remember turning the key and the huge BOOM! that followed. It was so loud that my neighbor and his wife came running to help from almost 1/4 mile away.

My theory is that the battery fluid gets low, allowing a large pocket of air at the top and exposed plates. With charging, hydrogen builds up inside the battery instead of being vented out. When the battery is put under the instantaneous load of starting, there is a small internal arc that ignites the hydrogen. BOOM! I believe I should have been more attentive to the electrolyte level in my battery and this would probably never happened. I'm just not sure.

The result of this happening has made me very cautious about jump starting batteries or being too near one when someone starts their car. I do use a jumper battery and cables, but I always ground the jumper to the auto chassis away from the battery after connecting the positive terminal. I then stand well away from the battery while starting is attempted. Reaching over and jiggling the positive jumper to get a better connection while someone is attempting to start is playing Russian roulette. Those arcs at the posts while the battery is under load can surely cause an explosion of any hydrogen gas that is around. It's done thousands of times with no harm, but one battery blowing up will make you cautious if not overcautious. I'm a believer.

Glad you got the tractor cleaned up with very little problems. I think you'll have to keep an eye on that area as many of us with batteries in front of the radiator have discovered.

Scooby074 · Jul 19, 2009

Clean that area up with some baking soda, then get yourself an Optima. Best batteries going IMHO. Ive instaled them in some of the highest vibration machines going (rollers) and never had an issue. More money, but worth it.

Tororider · Jul 19, 2009

This is only the first time that it has happened to me, but from what I have heard it is not an uncommon problem with these batteries.

We have cleaned up the area with a neutralizing spray. We got the new generation battery, which have different vents on top. The old one had vents that protruded out the top of the battery. The new ones are flush with the top of the battery and are supposed to vent better I guess.

We wanted to get an optima or a glass mat battery, but from what my dad had found, there weren't any that fit correctly. My uncle has the same model tractor, the 4310 by the way, and he got a new, I think optima, and had all kinds of problems making it fit in there.

We will see how it goes. Its just a bummer, really, the only thing you should have to worry about with the battery is that it will lose its ability to hold a charge some day and you will have to replace it. Not that it will explode on you and you will have to rinse, neutralize, and clean up the parts of the battery, and then replace it. Oh well.

Cocre · Jul 19, 2009

MikeInEburg said:
The blowing up part is the hydrogen that is produced during the charging process. Wonder what is producing the spark? Loose connection?
Mike

A close look at the picture will reveal a source for a potential spark.

RoMo · Jul 19, 2009

I know you think you got the acid cleaned up, but acid is very hard to neutralize. I worked in the chemical and then hazardous waste facilities for 25 years. The best thing for acid is to clean it until you think it is clean, then clean it twice as long again. Then you may have it cleaned. Good luck.

RoMo