Lead Acid batteries, can they be revived?

[ultrarunner]

I would walk past a battery rebuilder on the way to school...

It was a small older wooden building dating from 1918 and father and son business.

The owner told me many times an accumulation from the plates would accumulate until it reached a point where the battery no longer functioned.

He would open the tar seams, empty the case, check the plates for thickness and mechanical problems, strain the acid and assemble.

He had a lot of forklift type batteries and would give a 24 month warranty on a reconditioned one... also did heavy duty farm 8 volts and 6 volts for golf carts.

 

[buickanddeere]

I would walk past a battery rebuilder on the way to school...

It was a small older wooden building dating from 1918 and father and son business.

The owner told me many times an accumulation from the plates would accumulate until it reached a point where the battery no longer functioned.

He would open the tar seams, empty the case, check the plates for thickness and mechanical problems, strain the acid and assemble.

He had a lot of forklift type batteries and would give a 24 month warranty on a reconditioned one... also did heavy duty farm 8 volts and 6 volts for golf carts.

I wonder what a lab test would show for lead content in the Father and Son's tissues?

 

[ultrarunner]

When the son died... the property sat vacant and vandelized for about 15 years.

Later it was part of a redevelopment project and is now a parking lot.

I also would go by the old exide battery plant... it was a full city block.

Back in the 70's it was also slated for developement... the citizens said they wanted it to be a ballfield and park and prevailed.

Both in the late 90's and a few years ago... high levels of lead were detected compelling the removal 18" of top soil.

The father and son always wore neck to toe rubber smocks with arm pit length gloves.

For decades, Oakland CA was often called the Detroit of the West.

 

[crazyal]

I've heard that the lead will collect on the bottom and short out cells. I've always wondered if it was possible to remove the lead, put fresh acid in it, and try to charge it. I've never cut one open but if the acid was drained out it would be easy to do with a cut off wheel.

 

[ultrarunner]

The older batteries were sealed with tar and easy to open.

For my 1930 Model A show car I found an original 1930's Ford Script battery and had it rebuilt... lasted about 7 years... things like an original battery can make the difference between blue ribbon or best of show.

I don't think the new acid will help much because the old acid was alway filtered and reused be the rebuilder... the acid stays and water evaporates.

Looking inside batteries it is easy to see the differences... speaking of older conventional batteries.

A lot of thin plates provide high cranking amps... a lot of thick plates take charge/discharge better.

Cheap batteries have shorter plates (Less Lead) and sometimes do last because there is a lot of space under the plates for debris to accumulate.

The AC Delco Green Eye battery that was OEM in Mom's Corolla lasted from 2001 to 2013... 12 years before I decided to change it for her just ahead of winter.

Sadly, the Green Eye Delco is no longer made... now the Delco is made in Mexico and I have no idea how long it will last.

 

[CurlyDave]

I really don't think there is any good way to recover an old battery. Plus messing with that much acid just seems like an accident in the making to me.

Bite the bullet and get new ones. You don't need an Optima for this use, whatever the low-cost auto parts store has on sale is a lot better than a worn-out battery. Spring for some of the HF battery tenders and get AC power to the vehicles. Even a cheapie will last a long time if you take care of it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

The only Optima experience I had was a bad one. It was in my 2009 RTV900 and in 2010 right after I got it, I had to replace the battery. It went to dead short, wouldn't jump or charge. I wouldn't waste my money on another one for sure. Cheap (compared to Optima) Duralast batteries from Walmart last 4 or 5 years easily with no maintenance, tenders ,etc and I can buy at least 3 for the cost of one Optima. No Optima or any other battery is going to last 12-15 years given the same circumstances.

 

[k0ua]

I've heard that the lead will collect on the bottom and short out cells. I've always wondered if it was possible to remove the lead, put fresh acid in it, and try to charge it. I've never cut one open but if the acid was drained out it would be easy to do with a cut off wheel.

I did it once to a motorcycle battery. Dumped the acid, and washed out the battery under an outside faucet. I got the red lead debris out of the bottom of the battery, then added acid/water electrolyte and charged it up. Of course just looking at the plates would tell you that they were much less lead on the plates and the capacity of the battery was diminished. In other words it worked and worked well, but did not have the amp/hours that it had when it was new. Was it worth it? .. Not really. If I had saved and filtered the acid, that would have saved the cost of the electrolyte, but still you have a diminished capacity battery.

 

[tallyho8]

My Yanmar 1802 had a battery with large openings that held a control that had a gauge on the dashboard to tell you when the water was low in the battery. When I bought my Yanmar the previous owner said the battery was in it when he got it 5 years ago and then I had it for 15 more years before it went dead one day and I replaced it so it was at least 20 years old. I searched it trying to find some mark that would tell me when it was made but could not find out how old it was. This was by far the oldest battery that I ever owned that never even had to be put on a battery charger for at least 20 years.

 

[paulharvey]

I've got a bit of an update:
Saturday morning I mixed 8 tablespoons Epson salt with about a 1/2 cup of distilled water, heated it up and mixed till barely any salt solids remained. Poured them in my dodge dakota battery (2 cells where quit low and all where some what low).

Installed it in truck, jump started it. Ran it for about 30 minutes; got a warning on console for high voltage. I shut it down, a read 6 volts on battery? Jumped hooked harbor freight trickle charger up for like 2 hours, and had to jump it agian. Let it run for 2 hours and shut if off for the night.

Sunday, started right run. So, did it do anything, I guess; am I driving 100 miles and leaving jumper cables at home... ah nah.