How to bring your weak or dead car battery back to life.

[theamcguy]

The Epsom Salt deal is 50s technology to cure the problem. Epsom dsalts dissolve the coating the plates and restores them. The modern way no muss no fuss is a Pulse Charger. Get a pulse charger hook up the battery and the pulse charger does the same thing without all of the emptying.

 

[regal-nut]

So what do you do with the fluid that comes out of the battery?

I have saved it in a plastic bucket. This is what i have used to derust parts. Just delute to 50% with water. Just make shure that you clean the parts well after you soke them.

 

[whitehot1]

Another update on my 7 year old battery that had a bad cell and wouldn't hold a charge before doing this epsom salt treatment. I did charge the heck out of it for about a week or so to get it to a full charge.

This battery is back to new condition,holds a full charge after sitting for days or a week without starting the car.

Even had the door open a couple of times for approx. 1/2 an hour doing some work and the car started without any problem,when i turned the key the next day. I know i should have unhooked the battery while doing this but it was a good test for it.

The other battery that was given to me didn't recover with this treatment,i suspect it had been shorted and nothing will fix that.

But for the low cost and effort this is a good method to bring it back to life if your battery is in decent condition to begin with.

 

[SPOOLIN]

Cool i will do this to my old battery that has been dead for a few years. Thanks for the tip

 

[whitehot1]

So what do you do with the fluid that comes out of the battery?

I use baking soda to neutralize the battery acid.

 

[whitehot1]

Another update for the old battery brought back to life.

The battery is working like it was brand new, not one problem.

The specific gravity test is perfect and so is the voltage test and most importantly the on the road driving test is perfect too.

Over 1,000 miles on it so far with many start-ups.

 

[87GNSteve]

Update: I revitalized two weak batteries using this method.
Really does work.

 

[whitehot1]

The battery is still in the car and working great almost 2 years later.

 

[Turbotime]

WHITEHOT1................that was some GREAT info!!!! Here in Florida batteries don't last very long because of the extreme heat. Thanks Again

 

[Rivical]

I did my old truck battery just like you said Whitehot, and it's doing just fine holding a charge in a truck that doesn't get started for 3-4mo @ a time!

I was wondering something tho. My old lawmower battery, and those for the kids PowerWheels, have sealed caps. If I break them loose, what am I supposed to put back on there to replace them?

Of course you know that they've outlawed epsom salts here in Ohio now too. Some kinda drug thing? I bought a bunch when I heard, knowing they'd sell out the stock before complying by not ordering more...

 

[whitehot1]

I did my old truck battery just like you said Whitehot, and it's doing just fine holding a charge in a truck that doesn't get started for 3-4mo @ a time!

I was wondering something tho. My old lawmower battery, and those for the kids PowerWheels, have sealed caps. If I break them loose, what am I supposed to put back on there to replace them?

Of course you know that they've outlawed epsom salts here in Ohio now too. Some kinda drug thing? I bought a bunch when I heard, knowing they'd sell out the stock before complying by not ordering more...

On the sealed batteries; as i recall what they said was to drill through the sealed cap then get a rubber plug from a hardware store to plug it with.

Looks like i will have to order the epsom salt online from now on. All because some nuts wanted to ingest bath salts to get high on,whats next?

 

[daverr]

in the end you will still have a 7yr old that could go out like a lightbulb.I recommend car batteries replaced every 5 years and motorcycle batteries replaced every 3 years.
I had a 5 year old battery in my truck and bought a replacement battery but procrastinated on installing the new battery. well 3 months later i drove the truck to work with no problems but at lunch time i got in the truck and it was dead as a door nail. The positive battery terminal literally fell off battery with the battery cable still connected to it when i tried to disconnect it.

 

[3-5.0]

it will be funny when it ****s the bed and your in the middle of east bum**** or at the drags .. BUT hey ya didn't have to replace a 7 year old battery !!

ha ha

in the end you will still have a 7yr old that could go out like a lightbulb.I recommend car batteries replaced every 5 years and motorcycle batteries replaced every 3 years.

Yeah I'd rather spend 80 bucks for just that little extra peace of mind. Ever been driving thru the mountains @ 3am,deserted lonely road,pitch black and your car starts to stumble?. I have. Last thing I want to think is "gee I wonder..."

 

[3-5.0]

throw in in a sewar

Just delute to 50% with water. Just make shure that you clean the parts well after you soke them.

Moar pulusion

 

[whitehot1]

Hey it's all good folks.

We all have information or access to it anyway but it is all in the way you chose to use it. If you are not comfortable with doing something then don't do it.

My car is an occasional driver around town not a daily driver,but it could be if needed.

To buy a new battery to replace the one in there now would cost $109.00 with tax.

I could do that but this one is doing it's job and not showing any signs of failing or dying.

I think this old battery will last another 4 or 5 years. This is the first time of doing this method on it and it's been said a battery can be treated 3 or 4 times this way.

 

[novaderrik]

people used to do these kinds of things all the time to get more life out of batteries. then the sealed battery came along and people just think it's easier to get a new battery every 5 years- which is logic that the battery companies aren't going to argue with..
most batteries that i've had die usually do so in the middle of winter when it's 30 degrees below zero, at which point the battery freezes and tears the plates apart 9 times out of 10, so this trick doesn't usually do much good around here..

 

[Rivical]

Yeah I'd rather spend 80 bucks for just that little extra peace of mind. Ever been driving thru the mountains @ 3am,deserted lonely road,pitch black and your car starts to stumble?. I have. Last thing I want to think is "gee I wonder..."

On a "around town" vehicle it's no big deal tho. My old truck never strays more than 20mi. from home so I don't worry about it, or spend alota unnecessary money on it.

Moar pulusion

Regal Nut has a great idea there for chemical stripping parts. It works better and quicker than Coca Cola syrup, or molasses, and stores for next time just as easily with none of the stink of those other methods. It's only "pollution" if you don't neutralize it before eventual disposal. And if you don't, it's drain cleaner!

Hey it's all good folks.

We all have information or access to it anyway but it is all in the way you chose to use it. If you are not comfortable with doing something then don't do it.

My car is an occasional driver around town not a daily driver,but it could be if needed.

To buy a new battery to replace the one in there now would cost $109.00 with tax.

I could do that but this one is doing it's job and not showing any signs of failing or dying.

I think this old battery will last another 4 or 5 years. This is the first time of doing this method on it and it's been said a battery can be treated 3 or 4 times this way.

Your method is right on target for certain types of vehicles. I think too many people just assume you're gonna take off on Power Tour or some other cross country trip with it!

For me, the failing 8-yo truck battery was the first, obvious, and easiest fix. If it dies, it's not like I'd hafta sit more than half an hour for another battery to come to me from home. My spare lawn mower's battery, and the half dozen kid's toy batteries that are $40 ea. are the next choices. Just need to be sure I can reseal those cuz the lil stinkers are swappin em out for themselves as soon as they can discharge em all summer long!

 

[JayC]

Wow.. Im ready for a dead battery just so I can do this. GREAT find!

 

[2QUIK6]

I've used a pulse charger, same principle to restore a few batteries. I have at least 2 batteries that have been in use for over 10 years, I know the one in my GN is about 12 years old.

 

[whitehot1]

The battery has made it to 22 months and counting without any signs of getting weak or showing any type of problems.

I guess i'll hang on to the $109.00 for a new battery a little bit longer.